At North Shore Animal League America, we believe in caring for all animals in need, for however long or short a time that may be. Through the support of our Comfort Pet Hospice Care, a part of our Foster Care Program, we are able to provide animals with terminal illnesses the compassionate care they need to live their final days surrounded by love. For a loveable senior tabby named Cutie, the program has been a blessing.
Cutie was initially taken in by our North Country Initiative team — our feline rescue and adoption center in upstate New York. To look at this sweet girl, she seemed like any other cat, as she purred her way into the hearts of everyone she met, rolling and stretching for chin scratches and belly rubs. However, Cutie was suffering from respiratory distress and was transferred to our Pet Health Centers for urgent medical care.
A preliminary examination revealed a buildup of fluid in Cutie’s chest, but further investigation led to a more concerning discovery: a life-threatening tumor was detected on Cutie’s thymus gland.
Dr. Marina Tejada, Animal League America Supervising Veterinarian, explained the situation, “The thymus is a gland that sits on the trachea in the chest. As the mass gets bigger, it can impinge on the blood vessels there and affect lung and heart function.”
The hope was for Cutie to undergo a complex surgery to remove the tumor. It’s a high-risk procedure that would involve not just exceptional surgical skills, but also advanced diagnostic tools, including a CT scan to provide a detailed three-dimensional view of the mass. Sadly, the CT scan showed not only a very large, invasive thoracic mass, but also multiple, smaller lung tumors, which indicated a metastatic disease. Surgery would not be a viable option.
The plan now is to make Cutie as comfortable as possible. This includes placing her in our Comfort Pet Hospice Care Program, where she will spend her final days with one of our kind-hearted foster parents. Happily, it wasn’t long before Cutie was placed in a very special Foster home where she is getting all the chin scratches and belly rubs she could want. While in their care, Cutie will also receive holistic care to slow down the cancer’s progression, and enjoy the simple joys of a soft lap, tasty treats, and perching in a sunny window.
Our no-kill mission means doing everything we can to provide all companion animals with the best quality of life, for as long as humanely possible. Through your support of our Foster Care Program, you can help give animals like Cutie the compassionate care they deserve and make a difference in their final days.