March 19, 1999
Whitey had his first chemo session last Saturday, the 13th. So far so good as there has been noticeable improvement since about Monday night. The swelling in his neck has gone down about 75%, he doesn't seem to have difficulty swallowing like he did and his appetite is picking up. Wish he'd eat a lot more but is eating better than the last two weeks. Unfortunately it looks like his cold is back. He goes tomorrow, March 20th for his 2nd chemo session.

March 28, 1999
Whitey had his third chemo session yesterday. He's doing much better. The swelling in his lymph nodes is almost gone. There has been noticeable continuing improvement. He's eating better and more often but is still pretty picky about what he'll eat. He's also showing some signs of his old self and has even started playing some. His weight has dropped about 2 pounds since all this started and he now weighs 10.5 pounds. His personality is much improved and he seems to be about 90% the way he was before all these problems started. His cold seems to be mostly gone now too. Hopefully he'll continue to improve. Next week will be session 4 of his chemo. I think all these trips to the vet have gotten him more used to the car ride. Whenever I used to take him to the vet I'd have to make a couple of pit stops to clean him and the cage up since EVERY time he'd do the 3 P's (pee, poop & puke) during the trip. The last two Saturdays though he's been very good and there have been no messes to clean.

April 10, 1999
Whitey's 4th chemo session was last Saturday, April 3rd. This treatment included the drug Cytoxan. His appetite was doing well until last week's treatment. After the treatment he has gone back to picking at his food and has lost more weight. Thursday, April 8th he was at the vet for some bloodwork and his weight was down to 9.7 pounds. Other than not eating well he is doing good. The vet called me yesterday and said his blood work came back very good. This morning I took him to the vet for what would have been treatment #5. The vet gave him a thorough checkup and said based on his bloodwork and the exam that she thinks his cancer has gone into remission. She didn't give him any treatment today saying that the drugs would just further suppress his appetite. If all goes well, his treatment will start being spaced 3 weeks apart instead of every week. She want to see him again next Saturday to check him again and determine if he should get a treatment then or the following week. If his appetite doesn't pick up this week she will do a full blood work up on him next Saturday to make sure there are no other problems. All in all, today was good news. I noticed he has started losing some of his whiskers which is a side effect of the chemo treatments. I guess losing whiskers is better than the hair loss human chemo patients experience.

April 17, 1999
Whitey lucked out and was able to skip today's Vet visit. Since Tuesday afternoon his appetite has increased and he's gotten back some of his devilshness and character. He's about where he was before the last treatment. Next Saturday, April 24th, he'll definitely be getting another treatment. As long as he keeps doing well he'll only be getting treated and blood work once every three weeks instead of every week. He has a slight cold he probably caught from my wife by sleeping near her head but otherwise is doing well.

April 26, 1999
Whitey had a very good week last week. He was eating again and being playful. He even chased the other cats some. He really got a lot of his pre-cancer character back and even waited for me in the window to come home from work like he used to do. He had to get a treatment this past Saturday (April 24th) since his last treatment was three weeks ago. Those three weeks really helped him get back to himself in many ways. He even gained a tenth of a pound going from 9.7 to 9.8 pounds. Not a great gain (he used to be 12.5) but at least he didn't lose more weight. He has to go back Thursday, April 29th, for blood work since he got the Cytoxin this time. If everything continues to check out good he won't have another treatment until May 15th. Keep your fingers crossed.

May 9, 1999
Whitey had a another good week last week but Frisky's health problems got so bad we had to put her to sleep on May 6th. Whitey continues to do well and eat well but has now gotten an eye infection. He also lost a little weight and is now at 9.5 pounds. Seems like he just wants to be at the vets every week. We were there yesterday for an hour or so and the vet thoroughly examined his eyes. His third eyelid is covering about half of his left eye. For the time being we are treating the eye with drops and a creme three times a day. Hopefully it'll get better soon. In any case it will be looked at again next Saturday May 15th when Whitey goes for his next chemo treatment.

May 15, 1999
This has not been a good week. It looks like Whitey has had a relapse. Instead of getting his chemo today we had it done Thursday, May 13th to try and get a jump on the relapse. He is having some difficulty swallowing again and the vet said his lymph glands in his neck felt slightly swollen. His eye hasn't gotten any better and after reviewing his record the vet now feels the problem is not Uveitus but is Horner's Syndrome. He also is eating less again. This all happened within a few days of Frisky passing away. Is it coincidence? I know they got along for the last 8 years that Whitey has been with us but they never seemed like bosom buddies. Of course they shared the same two sided food bowl at least twice a day and I know he has gone to the places she used to lay as if looking for her right after we lost her. Maybe the bond was more than we thought and the mourning has triggered his relapse. I sure hope he still has at least one more miracle in his bag of tricks so that he can get past this and be almost normal again. He was doing so well before Frisky got real bad. I have a very bad feeling Whitey may be joining Frisky soon but I really hope I'm wrong. When he had the chemo on Thursday the vet also managed to get an x-ray done even though he wasn't very cooperative. At least no big masses showed or anything else that didn't belong there. Of course the things that are probably causing him problems right now are soft tissue and probably wouldn't show on the x-ray.

May 20, 1999
I am writing this today because I am unsure if Whitey will still be with us after tomorrow. Whitey has had a pretty bad week and has us guessing if it's time to let him go or keep treating him in the hopes he still has some quality time left. For the past week he has barely eaten more than a few mouthfuls of food a day. He also has been throwing up once a day but with not much besides medication in his stomach all that comes up is a milky white liquid. I have been through an emotional ringer all week and crying a lot. Yes, I'm a man, and Yes, I do cry. Whitey is and has been a very special little guy since we took him in as a stray. I've loved all the pets I've had in my life but he has been a very unique and special little guy. I've never had any other cat or even dog that waited in the window for me when it was time to come home and then run down to greet me at the door as I got out of the car. Whitey loves my wife too but I am the night owl and he would always stay in the same room with me after my wife went to bed and wait until I turned off the TV and lights to go to bed. He would then follow me up and snuggle next to me on the bed purring up a storm and patting me to pet him. On some occasions he'd get impatient waiting for me to go to bed and would meow at me, pat me and and walk toward the doorway as if to say "Hey, it's time for bed. Did you forget?". These past five months battling his cancer has taken a toll on both of us. Most times he now runs when I approach because I'm the bad guy that gives him medication and takes him to the vet. At night now he goes up to bed with my wife and snuggles next to her.

Just when he has been having a bad spell and we think it may be that horrible time he seems to know and snaps out of it. For the first time in nearly two weeks he greeted me at the door tonight and also greeted my wife when she got home. He also ate a little more than he has been but still not much. He's purring again and rubbing on us for the 1st time in a week as if to say "Nope, not quite time for me to go yet.". Anyway, we have his next vet appointment tomorrow at 4:30 PM and based on what she finds and how he is doing between now and then, we'll try to make the best decision for him. Whether it be continued treatment or letting him go I really don't know. I'll keep hoping for the best. It would really be tough to lose him now just two weeks after losing Frisky. At least with her she went downhill real fast and made the hard decision for us. Whitey just keeps making it tough because he's still very alert, mobile and has good spells where he is almost normal.

I don't know if anyone reads this but just putting down the words is somewhat helpful.

May 21, 1999
Our worst fears were not realized this afternoon (otherwise I am sure I would not be here writing this now). The bad news is that Whitey has lost another pound since barely eating for the last week and is now at 8.5 pounds (from a high of 12.5). The good news is that the vet says the swelling in his lymph nodes has gone down and they are back to normal size. He also doesn't have a temperature. We told her that as long as Whitey is alert and mobile we would have to rely on her help to tell us when his quality of life is no longer decent. She said she definitely doesn't want to see him waste away but didn't think the time was right yet. She took a blood sample to not only do a CBC (?) check after last week's chemo but also enough to run a full battery of tests to make sure there isn't something else that we're unaware of. When she gets the test back she will determine when his next chemo session should be. She also said to take him off the anti-biotic Clavamox because that might be the cause of his vomiting. She gave him a vitamin B-12 shot and a also a small dose of valium intravenously to help stimulate his appetite The vet also gave us some Reglan and said if the vomiting continues to give him 1/8 of a tablet up to twice a day to curb his nausea but not to use it if he doesn't vomit. She also forced a little food into his mouth and he swallowed it grudgingly. However when we got home he actually ate some food and then had a little more an hour or so later. The vet thinks it's possible the chemo knocked out his appetite again as it has in the past. Anyway, while not great news it wasn't the grim visit we expected. We definitely won't let him suffer and if he doesn't start another upward swing again in the next week or so I am sure the vet will then agree that the time has come. She is as concerned about his quality of life as we are. Whitey must be feeling somewhat better because as I write this he is sitting on my wife's lap for a petting. He hasn't done that in almost two weeks. I won't get any false hopes up but will continue to keep my fingers crossed and say a little prayer for Whitey.

May 27, 1999
Whitey has had a decent week this week. He didn't have to see the vet this week which I am sure he's happy about. His blood test from last Friday came back on Saturday and the vet called us. She was very pleased with the results. Everything was in the normal range including his lymphocytes. First time since the cancer that this value was in the normal range. His appetite has been slowly picking up again also. I still wish he'd eat a big meal twice a day as he used to but for now I will accept smaller meals 5-7 times a day. I picked up a prescription for OXAZEPAM today from the vet's office. I guess it's similar to Valium and is supposed to stimulate the appetite in cats. The capsules are 10 MG each and he's supposed to get 1/4 of that, 2.5 MG, per day. These capsules are pretty small as is so I need to figure out a way to get 1/4 of one down him. As long as he is still eating well I may wait a bit before trying it. He goes for his next chemo treatment next Wednesday, June 2nd, which will be three weeks again since the last one. Whitey's personality is coming back again too. He's again sitting on our laps to be petted and occasionally greeting us at the door.

I can't really tell but I think the Horner's Syndrome in his left eye might be slightly better. The third eyelid doesn't half cover the eye all the time. Sometimes when you look at him the eye seems normal but 5 minutes later the eyelid is up again. It comes and goes. Worrying about Whitey's cancer I keep forgetting to ask the vet if this might be affecting his eyesight. He gets around OK and doesn't seem to be having any depth perception problems so I don't know. Hopefully I'll remember to ask her next Wednesday. I keep hoping it'll go away. That would be a good sign too.

When Frisky died on May 6th we had her individually cremated. Her remains came back this week so I picked them up. I thought my wife wanted to scatter her ashes in the garden behind the window she liked to sit in but she has decided to keep them in the little tin they came in and save her here for awhile. We miss the poor old gal and her "frisky" antics.

June 4, 1999
Whitey had another decent week. He had his chemo session on Wed., June 2nd. He ate pretty decent last week and actually gained a wee bit of weight. He went from 8.5 lbs. last time to 8.7 lbs. this time. He was also very cooperative when he got the treatment this time. He kept still and quiet until the vet was done. I was afraid the chemo would knock out his appetite again as it did last time and was set to have to try the OXAZEPAM. He fooled me and ate well Wed. night and even though he is getting awfully picky about what he'll eat, he has been doing OK the last few days. My wife has him spoiled and gives him some of whatever we have for dinner. He seems to prefer the warm people food and so he had some Salmon & Haddock Wed. night, Steak Thurs. night and some Pork Chops tonight. He doesn't eat a lot of it but sometimes eats more than the amount of cat food he's been eating. Anyway, at this point we'll let him eat anything we can get him to eat. Since going to the vet on Wed. he's back to running and hiding again whenever I approach him, especially when he knows it's around pill (Prednisone) time. He goes back next Thursday, June 10th for his blood test. His eye problem comes and goes like a yo-yo. One minute it looks normal and 5 minutes later the third eyelid is back up. I continue putting drops in it once a day just to be sure nothing bacterial gets in there. He was also getting the Interferon every morning this week. None of us knows if this one week on and week off of Interferon helps or not but it doesn't hurt.

June 14, 1999
Whitey had a decent week. He had his CBC bloodwork done on Thurs., June 10th. The vet checked him over real well and said everything felt fine. The only downside was that he lost half a pound and is down to 8.2 pounds. This really surprised me because he seemed to have been eating well. I had to finally try the OXAZEPAM when he refused to eat Tuesday morning and then just picked after I got home from work. It worked as it was supposed to. About an hour after he took it he got hungry and ate very well the rest of the night and has been doing well since. Hopefully he'll put a little weight back on again. I don't want to use the medicine any more than absolutely necessary since it does act like valium on humans. One side effect was that it calmed him down enough that night that he actually came over to me and was his old affectionate self. Since I have been the bad guy giving him pills, medication and vet trips he has shied away from me so this display was welcome. He goes back for his next chemo on June 24th. The vet called on Friday with the results of his CBC and said all his blood numbers were looking real good. We now just have to keep him eating and try to get a little weight back.

June 24, 1999
Today was chemo day for Whitey. Before his medication I weighed him and was happy to see he's gained a little weight back. He was 8.6 pounds today, up from the 8.2 last time. He has been eating good and the last few days he has had a real mischievious streak and back to his old self. Tuesday he was chasing TC around and yesterday he didn't want my wife to leave him so as she was headed out the door he ran up, grabbed her around the ankle and nipped her. He also decided to start struggling a little near the end of his chemo today so you know he's feeling better. Hopefully today's chemo won't set him back much and we can keep him eating and gaining weight back. He goes next Thursday for his CBC blood work. I'll be taking TC with me too. He's the "healthy" one of the group (he says with his fingers crossed) but he's 12 years old and never had significant blood work done. He also acts like he's throwing up a hair ball about once a day but nothing comes out so I want to get him a thorough check up.

July 4, 1999
On Thursday, July 1st, Whitey went to the vet for his CBC blood work. He has been eating well and when he was weighed the scale flickered from 8.5 to 8.6 so he's holdig his own. I'm still hoping to get a little more weight back on him, especially since he's eating well. Whitey's personality lately also shows he's feeling his oats. He pinned poor Winter under a dining room chair and when she started screaming TC flew down the stairs to her aid and then I had to break up TC & Whitey. The only damage was a little lost fur. As long as he's doing well his next visit will be July 15th for his next chemo treatment.

TC also went to the vet July 1st with Whitey for a checkup and full blood test work up. On Friday, July 3rd, Dr. Nogrady called to say all of Whitey's blood work numbers looked good. However, TC, the healthiest of our cats, had good blood results in all areas except one. His Thyroid numbers were double the normal rate. While he has showed some signs lately of a possible hyperthyroid like increased energy levels and eating more food, other signs such as weight loss or a voracious appetite aren't present. In fact he's gained weight since his last visit. So, before jumping to any conclusions TC will be going back to the vet on July 6th for more tests. It really would be nice to continue having at least one cat who is healthy but if there are any problems I want to catch them as early as possible.

July 13, 1999
Whitey has been eating real well and his last CBC blood test showed all is going well. He get's his next chemo treatment this coming Thursday, July 15th. I'm really hoping he's gained a little weight.

The bad news is that TC was retested and my one cat that has been healthy all these years does have a hyperthyroid. We have started him on Tapezole for the time being. Luckily we think we've caught it early and as long as some other testing comes back normal when we do it on July 22nd we'll see about getting him to a specialist for a one time Radiated Iodine treatment that is supposed to cure the problem without side effects or hurting any other tissue or organs. It's the best therapy in the long run but will be quite expensive. One place in Hartford, CT charges $1,100.00 for the treatment and has to keep the cat 5-7 days before sending him home.

July 18, 1999
Well Whitey had his chemo treatment on Thurs., July 15th. The news was both good and not so good. The good news was that he did gain a little more weight back. He went from 8.5 to 8.8 pounds. He probably would have weighed more but outdid himself on the trip out. As I stated before, whenever he goes to the vet he vomits, urinates and defecates in his carrier within a mile of leaving the house. He did this again as always. That's why I line the bottom of the carrier with an old bath towel and when we go to the vet I put an extra carrier, 2 or 3 more old towels, a roll of paper towels, a plastic garbage bag and a wet wash cloth in a baggie in the trunk whenever I take him there. Anyway, this time his did the usual and as usual I stopped and changed the the towel so he's have something clean to lay on. Five miles down the road he defecates for a 2nd time so I had to stop and change him again. On the way home he decided to vomit for a second time also. At the vet he was surprisingly calm while getting the treatment. He's been feeling his feisty self lately and I thought he'd give them a problem but he didn't. The other bad news was that while examing him before the treatment, Dr. Nogrady discovered the remaining lymph node in Whitey's neck was slightly swollen. We're hoping the treatment brings it back to normal. She'll check it again next Thurs., July 22nd when he goes back for his CBC blood work.

July 23, 1999
TC and Whitey went to the vet for blood tests yesterday. Whitey is holding his own and weighed the same as last week, 8.8 pounds. Dr. Nogrady called today with the blood test results and the news was good. Whitey's numbers continue to be good and he is acting his normal self and eating a lot. His next chemo treatment is Aug. 6th and I'm hoping to put a few more ounces onto him.

TC's blood work was also good. The one Tapezole tablet a day has brought his thyroid numbers back to normal. He'll be going with Whitey & me on August 6th for another full blood workup and a urine test to make sure the hyperthyroid wasn't masking anything else.

August 6, 1999
Whitey went to the vet for his chemo treatment today. He is doing real well and I guess the cheesecake must have helped. He was 8.8 pounds last time and today tipped the scale at 9.0 pounds. Dr. Nogrady says we can now go to 10 mg of Prednisone every other day instead of every day. That should save Whitey some stress and give my poor bitten finger a break. She felt his neck and the lymph node was normal sized. I think his Horner's Syndrome eye problem is somewhat better. His eye has looked better this week than it has in the past several months. Poor thing is down to only one long whisker left.

TC is penciled in for his Radioactive Iodine treatment on September 21st if all his tests go well. Today he had blood work done for a full geriatric exam. His bladder was too empty for the urine test so I will have to drop him off early next Friday and leave him all day so they can get urine and do a chest X-Ray. Later in the afternoon I'll take Whitey out for his CBC blood work and pick up TC then.

August 14, 1999
Yesterday, Friday the 13th, Whitey went for his CBC blood work. He lost the few ounces he had gained and was back to 8.8 pounds. Guess I need to go out and get him some more cheesecake and vanilla ice cream. The test came back today and all was looking good.

Poor TC had a rough day yesterday and rough night. I dropped him off at the vet before going to work yesterday so that they could get a sample of urine and do a chest X-ray in preparation for next months radioactive iodine treatment at Radiocat. After they got Whitey's blood they brought TC out and were going to get the urine when he decided to let it go all over the floor. They managed to get enough for the sample but the poor guy had blood in the urine and kept straining and passing little bits of blood and urine. So he had to stay overnight for observation. The good news is that all is well and he was able to come home this morning. His urine test and chest X-ray were good and he's a good candidate for treatment.

August 31, 1999
Saturday the 28th, Whitey went for his chemo treatment. The good news is that he gained a little weight and was up to 9.1 pounds. Also his Horner's Syndrome eye problem is much better. His eye looks normal most of the time. Unfortunately for the last two weeks he's been losing a lot of fur. He has just fuzz around most of his neck, belly and the insides of his legs. The vet took a scraping and sample for a culture. She was able to rule out any kind of mites and thinks the problem is either bacterial or fungal. The culture should tell which one. We go back this Friday, Sept. 3rd, for Whitey's CBC blood work and the culture should be ready by then. Poor little guy seems to just get rid of one problem when another one pops up. Poor guy lost his last long whisker about a week ago due to the chemo. The hair loss isn't due to the chemo so I hope we can find the cause and get that cleared up too or he'll end up looking like one of those hairless Sphynx cats.

TC has just gotten over a cold he picked up while spending the night at the vet on the 13th. Poor guy sneezed terribly for a week and a half. We kept him seperated from the other two as best we could and so far the other two haven't gotten the cold. That's all poor Whitey would need with his poor immune system and other problems. Anyway TC is still on target to get his Radioactive Iodine treatment at RadioCat on Sept. 21st to cure his hyperthyroid.

September 6, 1999
Whitey was at the vet Friday the 3rd for his CBC blood work and results of last weeks culture. Because of the Labor Day holiday we'll get his blood results tomorrow. The culture tested positive for a fungus but wasn't readily identifiable so another culture was started. The vet was going to give us pills that are normally given to cats with a fungus but luckily she looked in one of her books. It said that 6 out of 7 FIV positive cats have adverse reactions to the drug so that eliminated that treatment. Instead for the time being we have to give Whitey a bath once a week with a medicated shampoo and then apply a conditioner to the worse parts where he is losing hair and let it dry. Saturday was Whitey's first ever bath. It was not fun. I held him while my wife bathed him in the kitchen sink. Naturally he hollered and fought me to get out of the sink and once got his back leg out enough to scratch my arm. At one point he got so paniced that he grabbed my throat near the adam's apple with his teeth. Fortunately I was able to get him to let go without breaking the skin. I'm really looking forward to doing this again (not!). Also I guess his last chemo affected him a little as his appetite dipped for a few days and he lost the little weight he'd gained and was back down to 8.8 pounds. His eye now looks normal most of the time so it seems the Horner's Syndrome has pretty much gone away.

TC took his last Tapezole today and is on schedule for the Radioactive Iodine treatment at RadioCat Spetember 21st.

September 28, 1999
It's been awhile since my last update. Whitey had his chemo treatment on Sept. 17th during Hurricane Floyd's blackout in this area. The vet did the treatment in her operation room since it's large with big windows and plenty of natural light. Last Friday, Sept. 24th he had his CBC blood test and had actually gained some weight and was up to 9.1 pounds. His eye looks pretty normal so it seems the Horner's Syndrome has pretty much gone away or is in remission. Whitey's blood test revealed a slightly elevated white cell count so instead of getting this Friday off it's back to the vet for a followup blood test and checkup. I really wish he'd travel better. It gets to be a real pain to have to stop one or more times to clean out his cage since he always gets so worked up that he urinates, defacates and vomits on almost every car trip. He is still losing hair but the amount of loss has slowed since we have been giving him weekly baths and rubbing him down with a medicated conditioner. He still looks pretty ratty. Poor thing. Otherwise he is doing pretty good and has many more good days than so-so days.

TC went to the Radiocat clinic last Monday evening for his Radioactive Iodine treatment to cure his hyperthyroidism. If you can afford it and have a center close enough to you I recommend it. The people are very professional and friendly and seem to treat the animals very well. You can get more info at their web site www.radiocat.com. I went to the newly opened White Plains, Ny office since it was about an hour from my home. The hardest part is them being away for a week. I really missed the little guy and he was very happy to come home yesterday. Luckily he travels very well compared to Whitey and mostly just sits in the carrier looking out the window with an occasional meow. I have to take him to my vet in 3 months for T4 blood work to make sure the hyperthyroid problem is cured. It's great to have him back home and talking to me again.

October 11, 1999
Whitey had his chemo treatment this past Friday, October 8th. On his CBC blood test done Sept. 24th his white cell count was a little high so we had it rechecked on Oct. 1st. The second test came back with everything back in the normal range. This chemo treatment was fairly uneventful. We almost made it to the vet this time without our usual stops but about a mile from the vet he vomited so I had to change his cage before going inside. He gained a few ounces back since last week. Last week he had dropped back down to 8.5 pounds but this week was back up to 8.9 in spite of vomiting twice that day. He goes for his CBC this coming Friday, Oct. 15th. Hopefully all will be OK. It looks like the hair loss problem is finally getting better. This week whenever we comb him we've only been getting what you'd normally expect and I can finally see some small signs of new hair growth.

TC is still doing well and tonight marks the end of his two weeks of post Radioactive Iodine treatment care. The care was basically just precautionary because it supposedly takes up to two weeks for all traces of radioactivity to leave the body. The only thing really done differently was to use flushable cat litter and flush the scoops plus washing your hands throroughly whenever in prolonged contact with the cat. Now we wait 90 days, near the end of December, to get a T4 blood check.

October 17, 1999
Friday, October 15th, Whitey went for his CBC blood test. This was one of the best trips ever in that we didn't have to make any of our usual stops to clean the cage on the way to the vet. We made it all the way with no incidents for the first time since January. We almost made it all the way home too. Unfortunately Whitey spoiled it by vomiting as soon as I pulled into the driveway. Still, that's better than most of our trips. He held his own, weight wise, in that he was still at 8.9 pounds. He's also showing some signs of new hair growth and the hair loss has finally stopped. He does have a small spot between his nose and upper lip we need to keep an eye on. Saturday the vet called to say that the blood test results were fine. His white cell count was a little low this time but within parameters of chemo patients. His next chemo treatment is Friday, Oct. 29th.
Other Great News
Yesterday Whitey was his old self. He actually was pretty devilish all day with a lot of running and playing and picking on the other cats. I also noticed last night when he was on my lap that he is is actually growing some whiskers back. They are not long and coarse like normal whiskers but are instead fine and a little thicker than normal hair. Not real long yet but definitely whiskers.

November 1, 1999
Whitey had a real good week last week. He seemed to be the old self he was before getting sick. Just about everyday since early last week somewhere during the day he'd get a wild glint in his eye and start running and racing through the house, stop and play with his toys and occassionally chase the other two cats around. He really had the devil in him and was full of himself. I hope this behavior continues. On Friday, Oct. 29th, we went to the vet for his chemo treatment. He made up for being so good the last time. I had to stop twice to clean out his cage. I weighed him when we got there and found he had gained a wee bit of weight. He had gone from 8.9 pounds two weeks ago to 9.1 pounds. Not a huge gain but in the right direction. He was in good health otherwise and took his treatment without a problem. My wife had to go out of town on a business trip the week before and was gone Tues., Wed. & Thurs. I guess her being gone really stressed the little guy out (he's become momma's boy since dad takes him to the vet and gives him medicine)and I came home Wed. afternoon to find all the hair around his neck gone. It was a really big bald spot. That Saturday we bathed his neck & tail with the medicated shampoo and now he has fuzz growing back. Other than that incident, the hair loss had seemed to stop. My wife has to go away for three days again this week and I'm hoping he doesn't lose a bunch of hair again. On a brighter note, looks like Whitey and I will get a slight reprieve. The vet said since Whitey's blood work a week after the chemo treatment has always come back good that she would let us skip this one visit. So unless Whitey has other problems pop up, the next trip to the vet will be Nov. 19th. She felt this might ease his stress a little and I agree. The average for most cats with this type cancer that get chemo is 6-8 months. Whitey came down with the cancer in early January and started treatment in early March. So average wise he's slightly over the hump. Keep your fingers crossed that he continues to do well.

I love hearing from others and really want to thank those who have e-mailed me. The news hasn't always been good but I'm glad this diary is some help to others as well as myself. Please feel free to e-mail me anytime. All e-mail will be answered. Thanks for reading and I hope you'll keep coming back.

November 21, 1999
Whitey had his chemo treatment this past Friday, Nov. 19th. He has been really good for the past month or so. In fact, if it wasn't for the weight loss and looking a little scraggly, I'd say he's the same now as before he got sick. He's been very energetic and playful and up to all his old tricks. Also he gained weight again. He went from 9.1 last time to 9.4 pounds this time. This is the most he's weighed in a long time. Let's hope he keeps going in that direction. I'm also hoping that his present good (good for him considering) health continues. I'm saying my prayers and keeping my fingers crossed. His next visit is Dec. 3rd for blood work prior to his next chemo treatment.

I want to wish all who visit here a HAPPY THANKSGIVING! I have some extra thanks to give this year. I'm very thankful that Whitey is still with us and having a good quality of life. I'm also very thankful for a great vet, Dr. Jill Nogrady, who is excellent as both a doctor and a compassionate person. She not only treats the illnesses of the animals but is also very concerned and conscientious for the animals and the people they own. Thanks!

December 6, 1999
This past Friday, Dec. 3rd, I had to take Whitey to a new veterinary practice where his vet Dr. Nogrady is temporarily employed. He had a pre-chemo CBC blood test. She called on Saturday to tell me his white cell count is only 3,000 which is pretty low. Average is 6,000 to 30,000. She wants to hold off on next week's chemo to give his white cells a chance to build back up and to try to see if the low count is due to the chemo or his FIV. She also wants to check with Cornell University to see if there is a feline form of Neupogen which is used on humans to build up white blood cells. So until I see her next week for another blood test, I am giving him 1 tablet a day of Baytril, an antibiotic, to help keep away an new secondary infections now that they have all finally cleared up. He just finished his week of Interferon and will now be off it a week. He still gets his two Prednisone tablets every other day. He's also being very devilish and playful and seems to be the old self we knew before he got sick back in January. The trip to the new vet was shorter and in the other direction but Whitey still managed to vomit and defacate about half way there. Luckily I found a spot to pull over and change his cage. The scale at the new vets office was different than the one we were used to but he clocked in at about 9.5 pounds so he held his own since a few weeks ago and might have gained a smidgen.

Why Whitey had to go to a new location.
Knowing that you are animal lovers like me I wanted to pass this information on to you concerning my vet of the past several years. On Saturday, November 20th, Dr. Peter Poggi of the Pleasant Valley Animal Hospital died. He was a great vet and a truly dedicated, caring human being. He was buried on Tuesday, November 23rd. The morning after his funeral his long time associate, Dr. Jill Nogrady (who was in the process of buying the business from Dr. Poggi prior to his illness), was met at the doors of the Pleasant Valley Animal Hospital in Gestapo like fashion by two of Dr. Poggi’s sons. She was informed that they had sold the business out from under her to someone else, that she was fired and was asked to leave the premises immediately. As a 28 year client of the Pleasant Valley Animal Hospital I feel this action was a slap in the face to the memory of Dr. Poggi and his wishes. Just like Dr. Poggi was, Dr. Nogrady is a hard working, dedicated, caring and warm professional. If it hadn't been for her dedication and long hours when Dr. Poggi started slowing down and became ill, there would not have been a business for the family to sell. Because of this grave injustice done to Dr. Nogrady, after being a client for 28 years, I am taking my business elsewhere. I feel that Dr. Nogrady is responsible for my cat Whitey being still with us and acting like a normal cat since coming down with cancer in January. It is only through her extensive effort and caring enough to learn all she could so she could treat him with chemotherapy that I feel he is still here and enjoying a good quality of life. Wherever she hangs her shingle is where I'll be taking Whitey and my other two cats. I will miss the great staff at Pleasant Valley Animal Hospital, especially Sherry, Mary Ellen and Diane. I hold no ill will toward the new owners but do feel the Poggi family did a great disservice to Dr. Poggi, Dr. Nogrady and all the clients and animals who loved them. Oh, and when I went out to get a copy of my records I found the Poggi family had hired a rent-a-cop to keep Dr. Nogrady off the property like she would come back to steal something. This idiot rent-a-cop looks to be in his late teens or early 20's, is not a big guy and from what I observed all he does is sleep all day in plain view of the customers coming in. Not only that, he doesn't have a clue as to what Dr. Nogrady looks like and she could probably kick his ass and so could the other women who work there. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if Whitey could kick his ass. When asked what he was doing, he said his job was to keep females driving a Bronco off the premises. That means he'd be tossing out a lot of customers since many clients are women who drive Bronco's. Boy, he was money well spent. :-)

December 12, 1999
Friday, Dec. 10th, Whitey and I took our road show to a new veterinary practice where his vet Dr. Nogrady will be employed starting Jan. 1st. She drew blood for a followup CBC blood test and some extra for a CD4+ test. She called on Saturday to tell me his white cell count had fallen even lower and was at 1700. Average is 6,000 to 30,000. She checked with Cornell University and some others to see what more we can do for Whitey and what suggestions they might have. Monday she will overnight the extra blood to North Carolina State University for a CD4+ blood test. NCSU is the only veterinary place that currently does this test. Hopefully it will tell us if his FIV is active so that we can treat him correctly. Right now his mediactions are kind of a balancing act between the cancer and the FIV. He is skipping this round of chemo since everyone consulted felt that would be a good course of action. I am still giving him 1 tablet a day of Baytril and his Interferon every day now instead of one week on and one week off. He still gets his two Prednisone tablets every other day. He was also weighed Friday and that continues to do well. He was between 9.5 & 9.6 pounds so is still holding his own. It's really a shame that now that he is doing and looking so well externally that now he is having problems internally with his blood and possibly bone marrow. He is still maintaining a good quality of life and is acting the same now as before he got sick almost a year ago.

December 16, 1999
North Carolina State University told Dr. Nogrady they couldn't do the CD4+ test because Whitey's white cell count is so low. The low count would keep them from getting accurate results. So based on that news Whitey will be going to the vet this Saturday for another CBC blood test and general checkup since his last chemo treatment was skipped. She also wants to check the lymph node he has left on his neck to make sure it hasn't started swelling again. Because of the low white cell count, the toxicity of the Cytoxin plus the possible damage to his bone marrow from the drugs, Dr. Nogrady may try a different mix of drugs for his next chemo treatment. Otherwise the little guy is going great. His appetite stays good and he's being the little devil. I occasionally have to yell at him because every once in awhile he starts feeling his oats and attacks TC or poor Winter.

December 21, 1999
On Saturday, Dec. 18th, Whitey went for another CBC blood test and TC got his 90 day after Radioactive Iodine treatment blood test. The trip out to the new location wasn't too bad this time. My wife accompanied us this time. Whitey still urinated & defacated on the way out to the vet but this time held off vomiting until he was almost home. TC luckily travels well. He meows for about 5 minutes and then just settles down. Anyway, Dr. Nogrady called this afternoon with the results. TC's test was in the normal range. She said she's like to check again in six months. Whitey's white cell count was a little better. It went from 1700 last week to 1900 this week. Still well below normal but at least it wasn't worse. One of the other numbers from the test that indicate resistance/immunity to diseases was a bit lower. Since Whitey has been doing so well and the fact that two Oncologists that Dr. Nogrady has consulted give conflicting views on treatment, we'll skip this week. This is week five since his last chemo treatment (he normally gets it every three weeks). Dr. Nogrady and one of the Oncologists thought it would be a good idea to skip one chemo cycle. So his next chemo will be next Tuesday, Dec. 28th. This time she will not administer the Cytoxin but only the Vincristine. Today was his last Baytril tablet so for the next week it'll be down to a little Interferon every day and his prednisone tablets every other day.

December 28, 1999
Whitey had his chemo treatment today. This time he only was administered the Vincristine. It was his first chemo treatment in 6 weeks. He has also gained a little more weight and was up to 9.8 pounds today. He spared me the vomiting on the way to the vet but did do his other usual business. He saved the vomiting for the ride home. Dr. Nogrady also took another blood sample for another CBC test. I'll get the results tomorrow. We'll do a followup next Wednesday, Jan. 5th. Whitey has been very lively and playful lately. It's good to see him like this again even if it means sometimes he's a pain in the butt. Especially when he's feeling a bit frisky and stalks and attacks the other cats or jumps up on the dresser at 5:30 AM to wake us up. Still, I'd rather have this than a little guy who is feeling sick and moping around. He made a real little pig of himself at Christmas and had everyone feeding him ham. He also go a little more cheesecake. What a mooch. :-) Anyway, Whitey and the other cats had a good Christmas as did I and my wife. Hope you all had a good holiday too. With just a few days to go it looks like Whitey will make it into the year 2000. We really had our doubts many times during 1999. I'm really hoping 2000 is a much better year. Next week will make a year since we discovered Whitey's cancer and started treating him.