Complete Care for Your Aging Cat - Amy Shojai [79]
In early November, Judy and her husband Fred traveled to the school for Phantom’s appointment, and Dr. Klopp gave the cat a full neurological exam. Dr. Klopp still found nothing, but she recognized that Judy and Fred knew Phantom best, and that something was surely wrong. “She offered to do an MRI on him to see what we’d find,” says Judy. The test would cost $380.
They left Phantom overnight for the test and drove home. The next day, Dr. Klopp called that she had the results, and Judy returned to the clinic, this time with her daughter, Denise, for moral support. “Denise is an RN, and she loves this cat, too. And she knows how I feel about my cats.”
The MRI—magnetic resonance imaging—clearly showed that Phantom had a tumor in his brain. “My daughter and I both sat there and cried. It was terrible,” says Judy. The tumor was also producing fluid that encompassed three times the space of the tumor itself. “It was pressing his brain outward into his skull,” says Judy. Phantom’s tumor, shaped like a cone, was located between the two spheres of his brain. The fluid it produced filled the space between and was splitting the two spheres apart.
Certain kinds of brain tumors have a better prognosis than others, but the MRI didn’t diagnose what type Phantom had. A biopsy—analysis of tissue from the tumor—would be required and that would require surgery. At the same time, as much of the tumor as possible would be removed. “Dr. Klopp said the surgery would cost between $2,000 to $3,000.”
The proposed expense rocked Judy, but she was more concerned about potential surgical risk to Phantom because of his age. “So we thought hard about it for a short time, but then we said yes. Do what you need to do. See if you can help him and give him a chance.”
Phantom stayed overnight, and his surgery was performed the next day. Unfortunately, the tumor was in a position that made it impossible to remove. Only enough was taken for the biopsy, but Dr. Klopp was able to extract all of the fluid and relieve the pressure on the cat’s brain. “We had to wait for the biopsy tests to come back,” says Judy. It was good news. “It was a meningioma. And it was nonmalignant.”
The whole family was relieved at the news. Phantom stayed in the hospital for only three days and was ready to come home. Dr. Klopp explained the further treatment options available to address the tumor. Radiation treatment was suggested as the best option. It would include anesthesia each time to ensure the exact same spot was targeted.
The radiation would run $1,300 to $1,500 on top of the surgery. The estimated final bill, including surgery, radiation, medications and exams, would be about $5,000. “My husband and I said, absolutely. Go ahead. Let’s see if we can stop the growth of that tumor and the production of the fluid.”
Radiation treatments began right after Thanksgiving. Phantom stayed at the hospital, undergoing 16 sessions of radiation, one for every day of the week—and came home to be with Fred and Judy on weekends.
Being away from home was rough on everyone. Phantom didn’t want to eat when he was at the hospital, and he dropped from 10 pounds down to 6 ½ pounds during the treatment regimen. “Dr. Klopp would bring him turkey and ham, feed him baby food and try to get him to eat,” says Judy.
The final treatment occurred right before Christmas. Before Phantom went home, Dr. Klopp did a second MRI to check the status of his tumor. It was the same size, but the treatment had prevented any return of fluid.
Judy worried that with all