Update on my cat

I'm only posting this here because a couple of you actually sent me messages saying you hope Tucker is feeling better. Thank you for being so thoughtful!

Monday, I was able to get him to the vet. They said the infection in his ear was gone, but there was obviously something still wrong. They tried to open his mouth and Tucker flipped out - almost literally - and let out a chilling cry in anger. The vet tried again with a nurse and Tucker just wouldnt let them look. He said the only way to get a good look and find out whats going on is to sedate him.. which for a 20 year old cat with a heart murmur is very risky. But him dying under sedation is better than enduring the pain and starving. So he went back to the vet for the procedure at 7:30 Tuesday morning.

The verdict: He does have a mass in the back right side of his throat that is also affecting his ear and could be why tucker is still shaking his head a little bit. They took a sample from it but we decided not to send it off for testing.. positive or negative, the results would not affect what we can do for Tucker. There is an infection in the mass, but we dont know if its the cause of the mass or just secondary to it. So he'll be on liquid antibiotics for the next ten days. If it goes away - hurray! If not.. then the mass is probably cancer and there is nothing I can do. That diagnosis is unfortunately common for old kitties.

He was pretty wobbly and out of it yesterday, but woke up very hungry at almost 6pm. He ate quite a bit so I thought he was doing better. This morning, he seemed hungry but kept turning his nose away from his food. So.. we're back to the syringe feeding. He's sleeping a lot today - currently on a heating pad, and I've fed him twice. A friend also suggested getting Nutri-Cal which is a high calorie gel for cats who aren't eating. He did lick that off my finger, but he went back to sleep.

So, although he is not well, he is alive! I'm just trying to make him as comfortable as possible and I feed him a little bit any time he is awake. My poor little kitty.