On this Feline Friday, we’re anxious about Ms. Annie.

We took her to the vet last Friday to check on a little sore on her chin. Of course, Annie wasn’t happy when I picked her up and deposited her in the cat carrier, and then placed it in the car. She sang plaintively during almost all of the 15 minute drive out to the Hawaii Kai Vet Clinic.

Our primary vet, Ann Sakamoto, started with a general exam. She was concerned that Annie had lost nearly half a pound since her last visit, just a few months ago. She asked about her appetite, and any other possible symptoms. Then she proceed to closely examine the small sore.

She gently prodded and poked at it, looked up. “I would like to take that off,” she said neutrally. It was near the end of the afternoon, and she said it would only take a short while. No more than an hour before we could take Annie home.

“Should we biopsy it, just in case?” I asked.

“I think that would be a good idea,” she said, again with her voice in neutral.

So we went off for a quick run through the nearby Costco, and Ms. Annie was taken down the hall for a short surgery session.

It was probably only about 35 or 40 minutes later that Dr. Sakamoto called and told us that Annie could go home. We had just checked out of Costco, so it was perfect timing. We hustled back to pick up Annie, who was still pretty woozy from the surgery. Dr. Sakamoto said she would call us with the biopsy results, which probably wouldn’t be available for several days. Then we headed home. Annie didn’t make a sound the whole way.

We got the news on Tuesday. The bad news: It was a carcinoma. The good news: The lab reported that the edges were “clean” and that it did not appear to have spread to surrounding areas. However, it is possible that it will return. Three days later, we’re still digesting the news.

We have the option of consulting a veterinary oncologist at VERC, the Veterinary Emergency and Referral Center near Ala Moana Center. We are probably not going down that path. Annie is 15 years old. Cancer treatment is difficult for people, and I expect would be equally hard for a cat to endure, and unlikely to improve her quality of life.

For now, at least, we’ll try to closely monitor the area, and hope for the best. In the meantime, we’ll give her a lot of TLC.

It’s just another rude reminder that our cats are senior citizens and getting older, as are we.