Our Little Mancat - Remembering Beignet

We're being reflective today because we want to remember our little brother, Beignet, who left for the Rainbow Bridge 5 years ago.  He was the only littermate to Truffle and was scheduled to come live with Truffle and Mom Paula, but he left for the Bridge at 11 weeks of age due to cancer.  The photo below was taken when Mom Paula went to visit Beignet on August 20, 2011; three days later, he was gone.

Beignet on August 20, 2016

Mom Paula:  What can I say about the little mancat that wasn't meant to come home with me except that he was loved as much as if he had lived with me 20 years.  I'd lost Sweet Praline due to cancer in April that same year and had decided to get two Persian kittens a few months later.  I knew I wanted two kittens this time, but I was convinced I wanted two females.  When I first went to visit the kittens, Truffle chose me immediately.  When I left that first day, I didn't know who the second kitten would be.

Beignet - 2 days old - June 3, 2011

I'd received several photos of all the kittens (2 different litters) from Mom Terri those first six weeks. It was difficult to know which kittens would be my new fur children based on their photo.  At about 3 weeks old, Beignet's personality began emerging in the photos I received.

Photo courtesy Terri Rogers
Beignet - 3 weeks old

By the time I went to Mt. Pleasant, SC for my first visit, I already knew Truffle was coming to live with me.  She had such an outgoing personality and she immediately showed me I was her new mom. Beignet was a little slower in choosing me, but it was probably because of Truffle taking up all of my attention.  I had debated for over 6 weeks which kittens would live with me, but both Beignet and Truffle chose me that day.  It was so nice to hold kittens in my arms again and I couldn't wait until they would come to live with me in about 6 more weeks.

Truffle (left) and Beignet (right) - July 21, 2011

Once Truffle and Beignet chose me on July 21, 2011, I eagerly awaited photos and videos of the siblings.  Their dark coats were beginning to get lighter with the silver shading and their personalities were definitely developing.  My job took me to Charleston a few times that summer, so I always asked Terri if I could come visit the kittens and she always agreed.  My second visit with Truffle and Beignet happened on August 4, 2011 and Beignet had come out of his shell.  In the video below, Truffle is the kitten sleeping on the left and Beignet is the kitten playing with my hand on the right.

Terri was able to finally get some photos of both Truffle and Brulee together for my weekly photo shoot.  Truffle was the first-born and she acted like it, but I believe she was also protective of her little brother.  One of the photos I received showed Beignet snuggling up next to his big sister and I knew then that I made the right decision by selecting these two siblings.

Photo courtesy Terri Rogers
Beignet snuggling underneath Truffle's chin - 10 weeks

The kittens had their first vaccinations that week and everything was going well until I received an email from Terri several days later, saying she was taking Beignet to the vet because she found a little bump on his side.   At first she thought it may be related to the kittens playing a little rough, but it was growing, so she thought it best to take him  to the vet. The vet recommended its removal immediately since it was growing so fast.  The lump was about 3 cm in diameter and it was near the surface of the skin.  The vet felt everything was okay and it was nothing serious, but Terri insisted the tissue be sent off for testing.  Terri sent me a video of Beignet later that day and said he was doing great.  I think I had a knot the size of a basketball in my stomach, waiting to hear the results.  I asked Terri if I could come visit that weekend to see how he was doing.

Mom Paula holding Beignet with Chloe (Truffle and Beignet's mom kitty), August 20, 2011

Even though Beignet had a large incision on his left side, he was doing great.  He was out with the other kittens and playing.  He tired a little easier, but the surgery had been a few days earlier, but if you didn't see the incision/stitches, you'd never know he'd just had surgery.  I left that Saturday feeling better about both coming home with me in another week.  A couple of days later, Terri sent me the 11-week old photos of Truffle and Beignet and he looked great.  You can see the incision on his left side in the photo below.

Photo courtesy Terri Rogers
Beignet - 11 weeks old

My heart dropped to the floor when I received a message from Terri that Monday morning that the pathology result came back and Beignet had cancer.  The diagnosis was a Vaccine Associated Sarcoma (VAS).  There has been more research about this type of cancer and because scientists have found these type of tumors can occur with almost any type of injection, the name was changed to Feline Injection Site –Associated Sarcomas (FISS). This type of cancer is rare in cats (about 1% of cats), but unfortunately, Beignet fell into that small percentage and needed immediate surgery to remove the tissue areas around the original lump.  I made the hard decision to not bring Beignet home with me because most of the research I'd read said that this type of tumor recurred throughout their lives and it would be an ongoing problem with treatments and surgeries.  I'd just lost Praline a few months earlier to cancer and my finances were tight because surgeries I recently had.  Terri and I both cried that night on the phone and she assured me that Beignet would have a quality life with her as long as he was on earth.  I felt so guilty with this choice and it still haunts me.

Photo courtesy Terri Rogers
Truffle (left) and Beignet (right), 11 weeks old

Beignet was taken to the vet the morning of August 23, 2011. Terri told me the vet said before the surgery that Beignet was going to be fine and that I should still bring him home. Unfortunately, Beignet didn't make it.  He died half-way through the surgery.  We think it was because his body was so little and he couldn't handle the long surgery.  I felt so sorry for Terri because she was the vet technician who was doing the anesthesia.  We were both heartbroken!  It's still hard to talk about it five years later.  I'm sitting here crying the past couple of hours as I write this post and remember.  I posted a short video the day after he died.  You can click on the link to visit the webpage from 2011 or the tab above.  Terri insisted on sending biopsies to feline oncologists and other labs.  The company who made the vaccination paid for all of the tests because they didn't understand why this happened. All of the specialists had the same conclusion:  they didn't know why it happened to Beignet at such a young age and so quickly after the vaccination.  Terri sent me copies of the lab results and I gave them to Truffle's vet to keep on file.  Some of the recent research is showing this type of cancer could be genetic, so we watch Truffle carefully after injections.  Even though I'd only seen Beignet three times that summer, he was my little mancat and he'd already begun filling that hole Sweet Praline left. 

We'd agreed that Truffle should stay with Terri a little longer to see how she'd react after her second vaccination.  Truffle did fine and came to live with me September 4, 2011.  When Terri brought Truffle to me, she began taking special items out of the bag.  She then told me, "I'd hoped to bring Beignet to you today, too, but at least you can have part of him with you." Terri had brought me a small urn with half of Beignet's ashes (she kept half).  I told her that I wanted to ask for them, but since Beignet was technically still hers that I didn't.  He has a place beside Sweet Praline's ashes in my living room.  I have some comfort in believing that Sweet Praline is taking care of him at the bridge and that he is driving her crazy with his little mancat antics.  I'll always wonder what it would have been like to have Beignet living with Truffle and me.  I've wondered if there would have been a closer relationship since they were the only littermates.  I've imagined what he would look like today as a handsome adult. He is missed.

Four days later, Brulee was born...


Special Note:  In the next few weeks, I will share an informative post about Feline Injection Site –Associated Sarcomas (FISS). There isn't a lot of research on it yet, but the research that is out there has impacted decisions I've made about Truffle and Brulee.