post surgery: day 13

Paper is one of my favorite things to play with, and lucky for me, we got some paper pom-poms in the mail today for mom + dad's wedding!  I just couldn't resist!

post surgery: day 11

I got my stitches out today!!!  I'm excited to have them out because they were starting to get kind of itchy.  Mom threatened me with an elizabethan collar (why can't we just call it a good, ole fashioned "cone" anymore?!?) so I made sure not to scratch at it too much.

I was not looking forward to having to get back into the pet crate, but the doctors' visit was quick and painless.  Dr. Olivero said that my eye has healed perfectly, and he's glad that I won't have to worry anymore about the melanoma.  With the stitches gone, my eye looks way less gnarly.  And it doesn't hurt at all anymore either!

post surgery: day 8

Today we got a call from Dr. Olivero with the results of my pathology test.  He said that my eye tested positive for malignant iris melanoma, which means that the tumor was cancerous.  The good thing, though, was that there were no signs of metastasization, which means that there were no cells that spread outside of my eye to other parts of my body.  He said that we caught the cancer early, and removed the eye at the right time, and we should not see any other effects or problems from here on out- we're in the clear!!!  Yippee!!!

I'm feeling great, and have been back to my old self, chasing my sister around the house (I can still beat her up with one eye) and chilling out on the floor.  Although, I wish my hair would grow back more quickly, cause it's looking kinda dorky...

post surgery: day 5

It was a very sunny morning today, and I spent most of it sitting in the sunbeams in the kitchen window.  I love looking outside now because I can see in the bright light again!  I'm feeling much like myself, and as you can see the bruising has gone way down on my eye.  It's all uphill from here, folks!

post surgery: day 3

I got lots of cuddle time again today, you can see me with my dad in one of the photos below.  I had to take off my pain medication patch, and now I have a big square bald spot on my side.  I don't feel much different, though, because the medication is stored in my body and so I'll still feel the effects of it for 2 or 3 more days.  But, I'm getting more active and getting back into my daily routines.

post surgery: day 2

I'm feeling a bit better every day.  Although I slept for most of the day today, I got up and played when I smelled some catnip sitting out on the floor.  I even jumped up to the top of my cat tower for the first time since surgery, which is my favorite spot to sleep, but it was too high off the ground for me to reach right away.  My mom was home all day today so we did lots of cuddling which made me feel better.

post surgery: day 1

I had to take an antibiotic when I woke up this morning, and I have to continue to take them for the next three days.  My eye is showing more bruising, which the doctor said is normal, and the swelling has gone down in some parts of my face, but is still really swollen around my eye and nose.  My sister, Myrtle, keeps trying to lick my stitches, but I don't like it when she does it because it is still really sensitive there.  I've been feeling pretty tired today, and have spent most of the day sleeping.

surgery day

I can't believe that today is actually here- the day we have been preparing for for so long.  I left for the vet around 7:30 this morning and had an exam before going into surgery.  Afterwards I stayed there for a while as I was waking up from the anesthesia.  Mostly I was hiding in my carrier under the blanket, but when my mom came to pick me up in the afternoon I got really excited when i heard her voice.  The vet said I did really well, and that I should be on a quick road to recovery.  The green bandage on my leg was from an IV, and I have another bandage on my right side.  They shaved the hair beneath it, and it is slowly releasing pain medication to me through my skin.  I am supposed to leave this on for 48 hours, and once it is removed it will still give me medicine for 2-3 more days.  My eye is pretty swollen, and so is the right side of my face.

When I got home today my sister, Myrtle, was really excited to see me.  I was so excited to be home, and I kept walking circles through the house exploring things, and I even tried jumping up on furniture.  I could jump up on everything, and my hind legs only slipped once, but I think it was because I feel funny from the pain meds.  After eating dinner (I hadn't been able to eat since dinner last night so I scarfed a bunch of food down) I am ready for bed.

one day to go

Well, it's Leap Day today, and even though I feel like I'm taking my big leap tomorrow, I did want to take a few "before" shots to remind myself of why I'm getting surgery tomorrow.  You can see the difference in my two eyes really well in the third photo, and I am excited to be able to look out the window again!  Right now the sun shines too bright for my dilated pupil to tolerate. 

taco party

Tonight we hosted a taco benefit at our house!  We served made-from-scratch vegan tacos and sold the XO Kitty toys we've been working on.  We had a great turn out, and it was wonderful to hang out with everyone.  Thanks to everyone who came, and here are some photos of us getting ready.

play time

hi folks!

I spent lots of time this weekend sewing up some more cat toys and I finally have enough to sell!  My paws are sore from sewing, but not too sore to play with 'em, cause they're full of cat nip and really cute :)  Visit our support page for more info on buying, but here are a few sneak peeks.

xo,
Vishnu

10 days until surgery!

cat toy in ACTION!

I made a prototype of the cat toys I intend to sell to help raise money for my eye surgery today.  It's shaped like a cat head with one good eye and one bad one-- just like me!  I was so excited to play with a new toy that I could hardly wait until I was finished sewing!  I ran around the house with it, doing back fllips and batting at it through the chair legs in the dining room.  After a good long workout, and a real good buzz, I can sincerely tell you that it is cat tested and approved!   So be on the look out for the real-deal to be on sale real soon! 

i blog / eye blog

Hello everyone!  My name is Vishnu and I'm a tuxedo kitty who lives in Minneapolis with my mom and dad, and my sister, Myrtle.  I have been having some problems with my right eye for about two years now, where the iris has been slowly turning dark brown, and my pupil is no longer able to contract with the light.  I have been seeing an animal opthamologist for a while, and he performs tests on my eye to find out what is happening.  He told me that I have a disease called melanoma, and it has recently progressed into a tumor.  While we are unsure if the tumor is cancerous or benign, we do know that we have to have my eye removed so that it does not spread to the rest of my body and make me sick.  I am holding a fundraiser to help pay for the surgery, so stay tuned for details on the cat toys that I plan to make and how you can help!

ps... the second photo is of me and my sister, Myrtle.  In the other photos you can see how my right eye is darker than my left.

in this photo you can see how my right eye is darker than my left eye

This is me + my sister, Myrtle

camoflage!