Blockhead's Story

We called him "Blockhead" when we first noticed him in the neighborhood because he was a big Tom cat with a big square head. He lived down the road, and seemed to be happy enough.

We often saw him lying in the middle of the street, and had to beep the horn and wait for him to saunter out of the road. He was fearless.

One day, we noticed a wound on his head, tried to get close enough to take a good look, but he ran off.
A few days later, we saw him again, with a growth forming on the top of his head. At that point, I began working each day to approach him and befriend him and gain his trust.

When I finally got close, I took these pictures to send to a friend who has a friend that's a vet.

That vet thought that the growth was likely a tumour and unrelated to the wound. It also looked like the growth had been shaved, so I assumed he had been to see a vet, and vowed to just continue to keep an eye on him.

One day recently, I saw him while driving and he looked different. I approached and saw that it was an abscess and it had burst... What a mess!

I ran home to grab a carrier, got back, and he was nowhere to be found.
The next night, I saw him again - still untreated with a gaping hole in his head. I grabbed him and took him home.
We went to the vet first thing in the morning, and he had to have surgery that day.

Luckily, everything went well, and he was healing nicely.

Unfortunately, there were complications with the healing process, and all of the reactive tissue was not removed. Blockhead grew another large mass on his head which required surgery and a biopsy to be sure he gets the appropriate treatment. The biopsy results showed that the growth was a cancerous one. To remove it would have required the removal of one of his ears, extensive skin grafting, and would still have only offered us a 50% chance that it wouldn't grow back.

We decided after much agonizing that we would not put him through the trauma of another surgery and all the attendent skin grafting, etc. with no guarantee it would be a success. We spent a wonderful two or three weeks with him after the biopsy, serving him favorite food items, and giving lots of love.

All too soon, the tumour caused a large wound to form again on the top of his head, and we had to let him go before it started to cause him pain and suffering.

He was a wonderful, sweet, and gentle boy who deserved so much more. I miss him every day. Even though he only shared my life for a short time, he made a place for himself in my heart, and will remain there.

We received emergency vet assistance from two wonderful organizations - LifeLine Grants from United Animal Nations, and Feline Veterinary Emergency Assistance Program (FVEAP). Please consider donating to these compassionate and life-saving charities - they assist people financially, allowing them to save their beloved companions, helping people when they most need help.

To donate to the organizations, visit
Feline Veterinary Emergency Assistance Program:   http://www.fveap.org/sys-tmpl/door/
LifeLine - United Animal Nations:   http://www.uan.org/lifeline/

Please email bluetabbyrescue@yahoo.com or mail Blue Tabby Rescue donations to:

Minn Jordan
Blue Tabby Rescue
8334 Elm Road
Millersville, MD 21108