Ruby

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Quack

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Born
May 2008

Adopted
October 2020

Likes
Catnip, Solitude

Dislikes
Those Darn Kids

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The very first resident of Holly’s Manky Moggies is Duck, a 12-year-old tortie with possible mammary cancer and urinary issues. She arrived on Halloween 2020, into the just-finished cat room full of beds, toys and treats.

I was expecting Duck to be pretty shy and hidey for the first few days, but she’s been a revelation! 

Firstly, it turns out she LOVES catnip. Can’t get enough of it. She’s claimed one of the catnip mice as her own, and rolled around extravagantly while she nibbled on it.

Whenever I go in to see her, she’s full of chirps and cuddles, and seems really delighted to see me.

My vet gave her a really thorough examination, including all the basics: teeth (good!), claws (now trimmed), eyes (clear), heart (good), weight (healthy) and fur (clean and flealess). We did the usual new-cat routine: flea treatment, worming treatment, vaccinations and a microchip.

And then it was time to investigate the nipple with the lump.

Back in summer, when the lump was first found, it measured 2cm by 2cm. This time, we struggled to even find it. The vet examined every nipple to make sure the notes weren’t just wrong about which one it was, but the affected nipple just had a bit of thickening underneath. Rather than a massive lump, it was more like a grain of rice.

Honestly, if it hadn’t already been an issue earlier this year, we’d never have found it.

Mammary cancer is rare in spayed cats (which she is), but we thought because she’d been spayed later in life perhaps that had increased the risk. But my vet is pretty convinced that it wasn’t cancer back in summer (they weren’t able to do a biopsy to check, because her kidney issues meant she couldn’t be put under anaesthetic), but perhaps an infection or something similar, which then cleared up with her antibiotics for the UTI.

In short, he doesn’t think Duck has cancer. Which is the most amazing news.

I’ll be keeping an eye on the affected nipple, and we’re going to check it again when she goes back for vaccination top-ups, but she’s looking and acting healthy and I’m hopeful. She’s an oldish lady at 12, but hopefully Duck has even more time at her new forever home than I’d hoped for.