Ta-Kun



Our Cat and Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Jaw

One of our four cats is a Japanese bob tail named Ta-kun and is the absolute sweetest cat we have ever known.  We obtained Ta-kun from the Animal Refuge Kansai (ARK) in Osaka Japan about two years ago, while we were living in Tokyo. "Ta" is the Japanese word for rice field and "kun" is the suffix referring to a small boy, thus Ta-kun is the rice field boy.  Those associated with the shelter told us that Ta-kun was short for another name, but since no one could tell us what, the picture of Ta-kun in the rice field has stuck with us.  Moreover, a friend we met in Japan from Yokohama was called Ta-kun as a child, which legitimizes the name for us.  Pictured is Ta-kun mugging for the camera prior to our adopting him.  Next picture is Ta-kun in Japan lying comfortably next to his pal Blaze, one of our other cats.  When we obtained Ta-kun in 2006 he was around 6 years old and had spent virtually all of his life at ARK.

In August of 2007 just prior to our leaving Japan, we noticed that Ta-kun was very sensitive to our touching his jaw.  Normally, all our cats love to have their jaw rubbed and Ta-kun was no exception, so this gave us concern, especially since we were in the process moving.  We had already made an appointment for a health inspection of all our cats to be performed at the beginning of September, but we became so concerned that we made an emergency appointment with our regular veterinarian in Tokyo at Daktari Animal Hospital, Angell Memorial International Hiroo Central Hospital.  X-rays and a CT scan were taken and they indicated an abscess that involved Ta-kun's front lower tooth.  It was obvious to us even though we are not radiologists that the entire tooth was in very bad shape and required immediate attention. The tooth was extracted the next day and a biopsy was taken and sent to the United States for evaluation.  The possibilities discussed with us after the procedure were an inflammatory abscess or cancer.  Ta-kun recovered from the tooth extraction within 48 hours and behaved exactly as he had prior to the extraction. 

We moved to Memphis, TN in mid September of 2007 and were staying in temporary housing until we could purchase and move into our new house.  We received the results of Ta-kun's biopsy at the end of September and were very upset to find that Ta-kun had squamous cell carcinoma of the jaw. We were fortunate to learn from Dr. Moffatt at the McGehee Clinic for Animals of Memphis that there was a specialty clinic, MedVet, in Cordova and we were referred to Dr. Royals, a surgeon specialist, and Dr. Hillman, an animal oncologist at the clinic.  The recommendation to us for this type of cancer, which is very aggressive, was to remove Ta-kun's lower jaw, attempting to remove as much of the affected area as possible (hopefully all of the potentially cancerous area) and follow-up chemotherapy to potentially kill off any cancer cells missed by the surgery.  We had an agonizing decision to deal with, as we had to weigh the potential effectiveness of the treatment against the potential pain and suffering of our pet.  We had an advantage in that the cancer was found much earlier than is usual for this particular cancer, but still the removal of the lower jaw is not well tolerated by cats.  With removal of the lower jaw, Ta-kun would be given an esophageal tube from which he would need to be fed.  It was entirely possible that Ta-kun would have to be fed from this tube for the rest of his life.  Without the surgery, Ta-kun would have between 3-4 months to live.  With surgery, we could extend his life either to its full term, or if the surgery and subsequent treatment could not remove all the cancer, then we could extend his life perhaps a year or a little longer.  These were the issues we needed to consider prior to our decision.

Happily, we decided to proceed with the treatment plan as discussed with us by Drs. Royals and Hillman.  Ta-kun's recovery required about two weeks in the hospital prior to our taking him back to our temporary living quarters.  We were still in the process of buying a house at this time.  Our first time trying to feed Ta-kun through the feeding tube took about two hours, as we were woefully inexperienced at the process.  Subsequent feedings took approximately 40 minutes and Ta-kun was very patient through the process.   We learned to buy a blender for mixing the food prior to feeding, as the feeding tube is easily clogged.  Virtually everyone who has experienced feeding cats through the esophageal tube has made at least one visit back to the clinic to have the tube unblocked.  There is a significant commitment of time to feed the cat, as initially feedings were about 6 times per day.  This was eventually reduced to two times per day with larger amounts of food at each feeding.

At some point, while still being fed through the tube, Ta-kun took an interest in wet food and began eating a little on his own.  He also wanted to eat kibble, but he was not ready for that yet as his jaw needed more healing time.  However, after 1month Ta-kun's feeding tube was removed and he has been eating both wet food and kibble ever since.  Most importantly he was able to maintain a stable weight.  He also grooms himself.

The pathology report on Ta-kun's jaw came back negative as no sign of the cancer was found in the sampling of the removed jaw, which was very good news.  As soon as Ta-kun was sufficiently recovered from surgery he was given chemotherapy, which consisted of 5 courses over a 5 month period.  At his last visit, no sign of the cancer could be found.  Ta-kun tolerated the chemotherapy very well, with a bout of nausea and vomiting occurring about 3 days after each treatment lasting only a couple of days each time.  The last treatment led to a diarrhea attack about 4 days after, but all signs of discomfort were gone by the next day.  He never lost his appetite and has been able to maintain a constant weight.

Ta-kun is as friendly and playful as he was prior to his treatment.  We are very grateful for the care and treatment he received from all parties involved in his therapy.  The last two pictures show Ta-kun after his surgery.  He still gets along well with his buddy Blaze.  We cannot express enough thanks to all the good people who helped Ta-kun get to his current happy state and we pray that he has a long full life ahead of him.

With Sincere Gratitude,

Bruce Rosenzweig and Jane Adam

Ta-kun's parents.


       
               Ta-Kun                                          Ta-Kun and Blaze                            Ta-Kun after surgery

   
       Ta-Kun and Blaze resting                One big happy family