January 25, 2007
I found Tigger at a mall pet store on November 4, 1996. Normally, I would never purchase from a pet store, but they had a litter of kittens that someone had dropped off and they were giving them away with a $30 purchase of food and toys. I couldn't resist the tiniest ball of fluff in front of me (it’s hard to imagine that he was the runt of his litter). I brought him home and became the anxious mother. One night, a few weeks after I got him, I noticed he was limping. He was so small and I thought he may have fallen off the steps and hurt himself. I rushed him to the emergency vet and when the doctor examined him, his limp was gone. It turns out that he had strained his leg while trying to get out of the litter box which was too big for him. In fact, the little guy was so small that he could squeeze underneath closed doors to be wherever I was; a regular Harry Houdini.
He didn't stay that size for long though. As a Maine Coon mix, he currently weighs in at almost 18 lbs. He also has the Maine Coon trait of being very vocal. I talk to him and he answers back, especially when the word "chicken" is spoken. He taught a former roommate's cat Zooey to speak. Zooey was a big cat who LOVED his food but never meowed, but he picked up on the fact that Tigger would get fed after meowing so he learned to do the same. It was quite funny.
In his younger days, Tigger was a bit of a scrapper. He was the instigator of several fights, from cats and dogs to raccoons, but he always emerged victorious. He loved to play fetch with his purple catnip mouse and would often wake me at 4 a.m. to do so. He is a mama's boy, always sitting on my lap or cuddling up next to me when I am sleeping. He loves his little sister, Meiko, and he can often be found spooning her, wrestling with her, grooming her, or giving her access to his food bowl.
A little less than a year ago, I noticed Tigger limping again. I called a vet friend of mine who came to look at him and she said that it was probably just arthritis. However, his limp became worse and the lump in his leg had gotten much bigger. I took him to the vet and it was determined that he has osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer. Apart from the tumor (and being a tad chunky), he is in good health. It does not appear that the cancer has spread anywhere else yet, so he can be completely cured with the amputation of his leg. Tigger still loves to eat and play and I have no doubt that if the surgery can be performed in time, he will live for many happy years to come.
Tigger's vet bills are going to be nearly $3,000, which I simply cannot afford. He is a wonderful, loving, beloved companion and I can't face euthanizing him because I don't have the money to heal him. So, I will be auctioning many of my possessions (including my record and cd collection) on Ebay in the coming weeks. I'll post the link here when the auctions are live. Please bid generously on these items if you can afford to do so. Otherwise, if you can make any sort of donation, please do. Anything helps, even if it's only a dollar or two. Donations are being accepted via paypal:
Tigger and I thank you for your generosity. I will post updates here to keep everyone abreast of his condition.
Sincerely,
Rani A. Lee
January 27, 2007
In just 24 hours, we have raised over $1,000. I am amazed and touched. We still have a long way to go to reach our goal but you have all been a TREMENDOUS help. Thank you again to everyone who has contributed so far and for all of your encouraging and supportive emails. They really mean a lot. Extra special thanks go out to my dear friend, Marc Bianchi from the band Her Space Holiday, for spreading the word on his message board and to all of his wonderful fans for their help. I would also like to thank Cats Rule for the gifts they sent. Check out their website for really cool litter boxes, food bowls, and accessories. Also, the box they ship the litter box in makes a great cat house. Tigger absolutely loves his!
On Wednesday, Tigger has an appointment with a surgeon to have a second biopsy, this time a biopsy of the bone, which is supposed to be a very painful procedure. This is to confirm that they will, indeed, have to remove his leg. Poor little guy, this is his second biopsy in a week. I will let you know what the results are as soon as I know.
January 30, 2007
So far we've raised $1,482 for Tigger, so we're nearly halfway there. We're dreading Wednesday. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Putting the cds up is going to be a daunting task. If you would like to see a list of the cds I'll be putting up, please email me and I'll send it to you. Instead of cds, we started with something pretty simple to list. Tonight my roommate Leigh and I put up a bunch of Threadless shirts on Ebay. You can find the auctions here: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZpopkissedQQhtZ-1
Leigh is organizing a couple of auctions of items donated by artists and crafters. These auctions will hopefully go up early next week. Thus far, comic book artist Jeffrey Brown, Sarah Coyne of Egg-A-Go-Go, Charlie of A Minor Thread, Val of Make-Out Goods, Susan of Future Cougar, Kate of Pencil Shavings and others are donating goods to the cause and we love them to pieces. Additionally, Marie Kare of The Sampler is donating a one-month subcription to the Sampler (March) for one of the auctions.
and another of him and his sister Meiko kissing:
February 1, 2007
Tigger had his bone core biopsy yesterday. I was told that it would be a very painful procedure but Tigger took it like champ. I am sure the hallucinatory sedatives he was given helped a bit, as he spent the rest of the afternoon completely stoned. We will know the results early next week.
Also, Tigger's cause has gone global! Earlier this week we received donations from Australia and Scotland! We have raised over $1890. Thanks to everyone who has contributed so generously and to everyone who has sent emails of encouragement and spread the word to their friends. I can't even begin to express my gratitude.
And don't forget, if you are a Threadless fan, there are still shirts up for auction on eBay!
February 8, 2007
Well, we got the results back from Tigger's bone core biopsy and they appeared to be negative for cancer which was great news. This news came from a Vet that had offered to do the biopsy and amputation for a discount. She feels that Tigger just has very severe arthritis. However, Tigger's Vet told me that a bone core biopsy could be inconclusive so today, I took Tigger to the Oncologist for a decisive opinion. She has no idea what is going on; she does not believe that he has osteosarcoma and feels that there is a slim possibility that it may just be arthritis but she thinks it is more likely that he has some other form of cancer. According to her, the only way we can really be sure is to do a $2000 exploratory surgery. I am feeling very confused and frustrated and I can only imagine what Tigger must be going through with the constant poking and prodding. He won't have anything to do with me after a Vet visit.
If there is anyone who has any experience with this sort of thing, please email me with your advice because I am feeling extremely discouraged right now. With donations and my eBay auctions, we have currently raised about $2660 but Tigger's vet bills have already cost $900.
P.S. If you were interested in the arts + craft auctions, those will be going up early next week since my roommate Leigh and I have been like ships crossing in the night lately.
February 19, 2007
This is Leigh updating for Rani. I just finished all of the artist/crafter auction lots on eBay. You can find them here. Thank you once again to the awesome artists and crafters who donated items for these auctions. Rani is still feeling really frustrated that no vet she has seen knows exactly what is wrong with Tigger's leg. If anyone has any suggestions, please contact her. Tigger has another vet appointment on Friday, February 23rd and we're hoping that a definitive course of action can be made. Keep your fingers crossed, friends.
April 6, 2007
Sorry this update is so long in coming but nothing has really progressed with Tigger's diagnosis yet. He had a blood test a few weeks ago to make sure the anti-inflammatory medication he's on is not damaging his kidneys and the Vet said that his protein levels were really high so he believes that something is systemically wrong (suggesting cancer). We will be doing a second round of X-rays at the end of this month and if the lump in his leg has changed at all then it definitely is cancer and we will proceed with his treatment from there. This has been an incredibly difficult process just determining what is exactly wrong with him. Please continue to keep us in your prayers and I will post another update when he has the X-rays done. Thank you again for all of your support!
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