Mongo Jerry is a 2-3 year old Siamese stray cat that someone in our community was feeding when they noticed that Mongo Jerry was having some difficulty with his ears. When his ears got worse instead of better, Mongo Jerry was taken to see Dr. Daily, a feline oncologist at Heart of Texas Veterinary Hospital, for x-rays, evaluations, and consults.
Unfortunately, Dr. Daily had bad news: Mongo Jerry has squamous cell carcinoma in both ears, on top of his head, and little patches on his legs. And, in advanced stages, it can move to cats’ lungs. Blood work and healthy lungs and heart, thankfully, make Mongo Jerry a prime candidate for chemotherapy. For cats, this means 3 pills a week for two weeks.
On October 24, we received an update on Mongo Jerry’s journey to good health! His appetite has been lower than usual, but treats like ground turkey and sardines entice him to eat a little. But it was tamales that really helped him get some good nutrition! Apparently, tamales were a regular part of his diet in his Tom Catting Street Days because he loves them! (We wholeheartedly agree, Mongo Jerry, that tamales are delicious!)
At his most recent check-in, Dr. Daily said that Mongo Jerry has improved beyond her expectations, thus reducing the chemotherapy dose to help with his appetite but to continue the medication for another month.
You can see the marked improvement in the before picture and the most recent picture.
Thank you to everyone who reached out after Mongo Jerry’s story was first shared on our Facebook page. Your generosity has helped us provide the care that Mongo Jerry needs!