Within a span of just over two weeks, both our sweet boy Oxford and our feisty girl Maggie were diagnosed with lymphoma.

Sadly, after some ups and downs, and after a few days of thinking Ox was doing a little better, he took a turn for the worse and we had to make the decision to say goodbye to him on Monday, June 23, 2025.

These kitties are our family, our babies, and we love them so much. The news that they both have cancer and then losing Oxford so quickly has been devastating and has taken a huge emotional toll.

Maggie seems to be doing pretty well right now. She is active and has been eating better and gaining weight since her treatment began. We are hoping that with continued meds and frequent vet visits that we will have a decent amount more time with her. There is no way to know how long she might have left, but our vet has told us that with the meds she is on, some cats can live for another 2 or 3 years.

A little bit of information on the beginning of this ordeal:

Oxford had been having some gastrointestinal problems for a while, but after putting him on Prednisolone in the last quarter of last year, he had been improving. But after months of doing better, he started getting worse again and was losing quite a bit of weight and vomiting more frequently. Blood tests revealed that he was in the gray zone for hyperthyroidism, so he was put on a low dose of thyroid medication, which seemed to stabilize him somewhat. But on the Saturday morning of Memorial Day weekend, I awoke to Oxford vomiting and then collapsing on the kitchen floor, breathing very heavily. We rushed him to an emergency veterinary clinic and spent a few hours there until he stabilized with some medication and some time in an oxygen cage. We had a follow-up appointment at our regular vet a few days later and after a focused ultrasound, he was diagnosed with lymphoma.

In the last few weeks of dealing with Oxford’s health problems before Memorial Day, we also noticed that Maggie’s appetite was decreasing and she seemed to be losing weight as well. Her initial vet appointment and bloodwork were inconclusive, so she was scheduled for an abdominal ultrasound. Unfortunately, she was also diagnosed with lymphoma.

We did everything we could to give Ox as much quality time as possible and continue to do everything we can for Maggie. I bought a baby scale and had been weighing both of them, and now Maggie, every day. There are frequent vet visits and lots of medications. Maggie is on Prednisolone, Cerenia (anti-nausea), Mirataz (appetite stimulant), and the chemo med Chlorambucil. I also give her a weekly B-12 shot.

All of the vet visits, testing, and medication have added up to quite a lot of money and we know there will be more to come. So far, since April, the vet visits have added up to over $4600. And that is not including all of the medications (some of which are quite expensive), prescription foods, trying different foods to try to get them to eat, and endless Churus to make sure the pills go down.

We have paid what we can out of pocket and with credit cards, but right now we owe the vet over $2300 and with the chemo medication that Maggie is on she will need to see the vet and have bloodwork done every 2-4 weeks. Based on Oxford’s first follow-up after starting chemo, we are expecting another $200-$300 vet visit every 2-4 weeks and she will need to stay on all of the meds she is on.

What we owe the vet right now and what it is going to cost to keep Maggie healthy going forward is more than we can afford so we are asking for help. I know times are tough for everyone now, so if you can contribute anything, even a few dollars, to our vet bill and the ongoing care for our baby girl Maggie, it would be greatly appreciated. If you can’t contribute financially, we completely understand. Please feel free to share this with anyone who might be able and willing to help. And whatever your faith, beliefs, or lack thereof, please send Maggie your prayers, good wishes, healing vibes, or whatever works for you.

Thank you,

Kat Gatzke & Larry Harris