(Just so we’re clear, this is not the Tabby after which Tabby’s Place is named. You can read about that Tabby here.)

Tabby was owned by a kindly, older woman who made it a practice to adopt special needs cats.Several months ago, this woman was diagnosed with liver cancer and her only hope for survival was a liver transplant. Realizing the precariousness of the situation, she began making plans to find homes for all of her cats.

She found homes for most of the cats, but Tabby was 20 years old, which made her particularly to find a home for, as you can imagine.Because Tabby’s Place does not refuse cats for age, we were the only option for this sweet cat.Fortunately, the woman was able to find a foster home for Tabby for the months it took for a spot to open up for her.During Tabby’s intake exam our vet drew blood for analysis, which is our standard practice for cats that are nine years or older.Our vet also felt what appeared to be a mammary tumor.The tumor was small and very near the surface, which made it a good candidate for surgical excision.Even better, Tabby’s blood work was excellent.So our vet performed surgery to remove the tumor.The surgery went well and analysis of the tumor showed that it did have cancer cells, but that its removal would probably halt the cancer.Unfortunately, several days after the surgery, we noticed that Tabby was not feeling well.Blood work showed that she had gone into severe kidney failure, probably brought on by the surgery.

Tabby spent a week at the emergency vet.Her kidney function improve somewhat, though not as much as we would like.Tabby now gets daily subcutaneous fluids and several medications, which help her kidneys to function better.After several days of tweaking her regimen, we have gotten Tabby to start eating on her own (lack of appetite is a common problem with cats in kidney failure).

Tabby is a sweetheart and we are very happy to have her.Given her age and medical condition, we felt it best that she not be available for adoption.We will see to it that she lives her life out with the love and care she deserves.