A New Pookie Update and a message to all cat owners!!

So Pookie had her check-up today and also got biopsy results. The tiny bit of good news is her cbc levels are now up to 26% from 19% Monday evening - after Sunday's transfusion.
Everything else is bad - definitely the aggressive sarcoma :( - we have our oncology consult next Friday. Surgeon told us today that more than likely, due to location of sarcoma, that it prob was from vaccinations - makes me so angry.I just don't even know what to think, what to do. The surgeon also told us that if radiation or chemo works - it won't cure - she will die from this. He also said that life wouldn't be extended 5-10 years, anything like that.
I just don't know what to do. :(



If anyone can learn something from my little girl, PLEASE investigate before vaccinating your cats. No one ever told me there was a slight chance that your kitty could develop cancer from vaccinations. NO ONE! If I knew this, I would have thought twice. She's an indoor cat and she doesn't get boarded - no reason to get vaccinated. If nothing else, please let little Pookie's story let you make an informed decision on vaccinations - my baby is going to die from this cancer.
Please hug and kiss your babies tonight.

Re: A New Pookie Update and a message to all cat owners!!

I wish you great strength .

Re: A New Pookie Update and a message to all cat owners!!

I'm very sorry this is happening to Pookie.

I've read some opinions on vaccination debates and it's really hard to know what the right thing is to do. Considering the millions we spend on pets per year, you would think they would do more studies to determine the culprit(s) and do something about it.

Which vaccinations did Pookie receive? All of them like rabies, lepto, etc?

Re: A New Pookie Update and a message to all cat owners!!

I wouldn't know offhand without checking her records, but I want to say the "typical" vaccincations - rabies, feline leukemia, etc.

Re: A New Pookie Update and a message to all cat owners!!

Re: A New Pookie Update and a message to all cat owners!!

oh no...I'm so sorry about all of this.

We had our baby vaccinated and he is an indoor cat as well. The vet never made any mention of not having them done. My stomach just turned thinking about this...

Prayers for your little baby

Re: A New Pookie Update and a message to all cat owners!!

any more updates on Pookie?

Re: A New Pookie Update and a message to all cat owners!!

Posted by baghag



any more updates on Pookie?

Re: A New Pookie Update and a message to all cat owners!!

Yeah I have heard that every time they get an injection it can cause a sarcoma or something.
That worries me.
I never got my first cat vaccinated- she was indoor- and she only got the first rounds of shots as a baby.
She ended up dying of cancer anyway- out of the blue- and young- so again, there are no guarantees.

When we went to adopt our new ones- the woman from the rescue made me promise I'd get them vaccinated every year for Distemper. She said rabies is not necessary for indoor cats. But distemper is air borne and can come through open windows, screens etc. She said distemper is a terrible disease in cats and can cause them to die an awful death too. I never had any idea about this before.

So that leaves me in a quandry on what to do with my new cats come next year when the distemper booster is due.

I'm gonna speak with my vet. But I'm very torn.

Continued prayers for your baby...

Re: A New Pookie Update and a message to all cat owners!!

Re: A New Pookie Update and a message to all cat owners!!

Thanks, ladies. Taking the Pook to get her staples out from her surgery in an hour. I'll update after that. Thanks for your continued hugs and prayers. Yeah - it seems like you're damned if you do, damned if you don't with the vaccinations. My in-laws always vaccinated their pets, and their cat died of issues related to Feline AIDS, even though he had the AIDS vaccine - he got it from a street cat who bit him

Re: A New Pookie Update and a message to all cat owners!!

Ohhh I hope Pookie is ok

I just can't believe it about the vaccines. I 'm so upset that we had our baby vaccinated & the Vet knew he was going to be an indoor cat.

I have never heard of distemper...I need to google this now. Oscar is always hanging out at the windows....

I kid you not when I say that DH & I are completely nuts about our baby. We spoil him to no end, & we would be devastated if something happened to him because we had him vaccinated.

Re: A New Pookie Update and a message to all cat owners!!

This is just terrible!! I am so upset for you, and so sorry you and your baby have to go through this.

I wish there was an answer out there, so we could understand how to care for our pets giving them the best chance at a long and healthy life. Chloe was also vaccinated as a kitten, and once again a few years ago because she was going to be living with 2 dogs.
I trusted my vets advice and did what I was told was the best thing for my girl.

We all do the best we can with our dear cats. This is not your fault, and I truly appreciate you sharing poor Pookie's story so we all can make educated decisions and not just do what we are told.

Re: A New Pookie Update and a message to all cat owners!!

Posted by robynfs

This is just terrible!! I am so upset for you, and so sorry you and your baby have to go through this.

I wish there was an answer out there, so we could understand how to care for our pets giving them the best chance at a long and healthy life. Chloe was also vaccinated as a kitten, and once again a few years ago because she was going to be living with 2 dogs.
I trusted my vets advice and did what I was told was the best thing for my girl.

We all do the best we can with our dear cats. This is not your fault, and I truly appreciate you sharing poor Pookie's story so we all can make educated decisions and not just do what we are told.

Re: A New Pookie Update and a message to all cat owners!!

OMG. I'm so sorry. I wish you the best for your cat's recovery.

I have heard that about vaccinations. Especially where they were given. In between the shoulder blades is the worst from what I've read.

I looked into this because my cats had to get rabies shots for the first time in their lives for our move to Germany (we are in Australia and rabies doesn't exist here). I heard certain shots should be given in certain legs. I freaked when the vet gave one of our cats his rabies shot in between the shoulder blades, but at that point there was nothing I could do. The vet then told me in between the shoulder blades is the most comfortable for them. The next cat the shot was given in the leg. All other vaccines have been given by the back legs.

ETA: I wish I could stop with vaccines but my female cat has cat flu (the cat herpes virus), so the other cat needs his vaccinations.

Message edited 9/12/2009 10:14:51 AM.

Re: A New Pookie Update and a message to all cat owners!!

I am so sorry you are going through all this with your little Pookie.

I think what was already said is true - much like the question about whether or not to vaccinate our children, everone has to weigh out the pros and cons.

In an indoor cat, yeah, the Feline Lukemua & distemper wouldn't really be an issue - but imagine your little kitty got out accidentally and came into contact with a sick animal - that is sort of my worry.

I don't remember if we did the Feline lukemia one, but I thought the rabies vaccine was, by law necessary - so ours definately have that. And our dr now uses a distemper vaccine that he does not inject - it's a liquid through their nose. He has mentioned the link b/w the cancer an the injection sites so he tries to avoid it when he can.

Re: A New Pookie Update and a message to all cat owners!!

Regarding shots in the legs - yes, vet mentioned that some will choose to do that because if they do get the cancer, it's an "amputatable" spot He did also mention though that it doesn't mean it can't spread somewhere else though. What horrible choices we have to make!

I thought rabies was just required for dogs?