Ode to Emily

I got Emily my freshman year of college. I was living in the dorms at the time, so was not looking for a pet to adopt. However, an unkempt youth with a guitar and a box full of kittens got my attention, and the teeny kitties won my heart.

Emily lived in my dorm for a week (much to the delight of everyone on my floor), then stayed with my parents until I lived in an apartment the next year. She learned to be a hardy cat, and would sit in the middle of a living room when a crowd of college students would pour in, bang around and shout, and then would leave. One of my roommates persisted in feeding her bacon even though she wasn't allowed table scraps, and another called her "Killy." (long story.) She drove up and down the state of California with me whenever I went on vacation, riding on the back of the bench seat in my pickup truck. When I got another kitten at the end of college, she took it well.

She came with me to law school, and left with me, moving back into my parents' house. She has seen me through breakups, changing jobs, and nine years. When I got married, she would come and find me whenever the tumultuous life of a newlywed made me sad, hurt, or something else fairly silly, and would snuggle me while I cried.

Emily moved up to Portland with us, and tried to understand why I didn't want to hold her when I was so nauseated from being pregnant. She hasn't left us yet, which I always joke I expect--she tolerated Selah from the beginning, and now will even sometimes rub against her (okay, and sometimes nip at her or scratch).

Emily has cancer; she has a huge tumor in her shoulder's bones. It may be because of a low-cost vaccination clinic we brought her to last year instead of going to the more expensive vet. Apparently leukemia and rabies vaccines have aluminum in them, which may be why they occasionally cause cancer. Reputable vets vaccinate the hind leg, which can be amputated if a tumor grows, and do not give all cats all vaccinations. The clinics at Petco, etc., shoot the animals in the neck skin, which is faster, but a tumor is much more difficult to remove from this area. My vet also said she probably would not have given an older cat a vaccine for leukemia, because they are less likely to get it unless they fight often, and the vaccination carries a higher risk. Do not bring your pets to these clinics.

I am really sad about my kitty. I will know by next week which particular kind of sarcoma she has--caused by the vaccination or not. Either way, the tumor would have to be removed by a fairly major surgery. One producer of the vaccine is fairly helpful as far as helping to treat the animals who develop the cancer; the other is not, The surgery costs thousands of dollars.