Help Give Princess Pumpkin More Time
Princess Pumpkin is only four years old, incredibly affectionate, and happiest when someone is nearby to give her attention and head scratches. Behind that sweet personality, however, is a serious diagnosis and months of treatment still ahead to save her life.
Princess Pumpkin came to Animal League America through our Community Outreach Program after a Good Samaritan found her wandering outside. For several weeks, she had been fed and cared for, but her left eye had become enlarged and was clearly painful. After she was brought to our Pet Health Centers, our veterinary team determined that her eye needed to be removed. Princess Pumpkin healed well after surgery, but a follow-up biopsy revealed something far more concerning: lymphoma.
“When we find lymphoma in the eye,” explained Dr. Mark Verdino, Chief of Veterinary Staff, “it usually means the disease is elsewhere in the body as well.” Removing her eye relieved Princess Pumpkin’s pain, but it did not address the cancer. Without treatment, lymphoma can fatally spread to other organs.
For a cat as young and otherwise healthy as Princess Pumpkin, our team believes she deserves the chance to fight it. Now we are preparing to begin an intensive chemotherapy protocol that could stretch over nearly six months. For the first nine weeks, Princess Pumpkin will need weekly chemotherapy treatments and bloodwork. After that, treatments will continue every other week through approximately 25 weeks.
It’s going to be a long road. Her blood counts will need to be monitored closely throughout treatment, and medications may need to be adjusted depending on how her body responds. We are also working to place Princess Pumpkin in a foster home nearby, where she can enjoy the comfort of a home while returning regularly for the care she needs.
Through it all, she remains unmistakably Princess Pumpkin. “She’s a happy, happy little girl,” noted Dr. Verdino. Sadly, there are no guarantees with lymphoma. Even if the treatment puts her in remission, the cancer can return, and Princess Pumpkin may need continued medical care in the future. But maybe a fairy-tale ending for Princess Pumpkin doesn’t mean that cancer disappears forever. Maybe it means giving this sweet young cat as many happy, comfortable years as we possibly can — years filled with affection, security, and all the love she so eagerly gives in return.
Your gift to Help Me Heal can provide the chemotherapy, bloodwork, medications and ongoing veterinary care Princess Pumpkin needs. Please donate today and help us give this little princess the best ending we can.