Sir Noggin continues to do well. His scar from surgery is all healed up and mostly covered by fur. He has a small spot of scar tissue front & center on his forehead, or you'd barely know he'd ever had an encephalocele.

Cornell University has published a press release on Sir Noggin, which you can visit here.

We spoke with folks from Cornell today and had tears in our eyes as we heard that Sir Noggin is doing inexplicably well. He really is doing better recovering from brain surgery than anything they've ever seen. Sir Noggin is eating a lot, and using the litterbox on his own. He is off of the IVs, taking medicine by mouth, and beginning to act like his old self. He is talking to the doctors, purring, seeking out attention, and playing. We hear he has a bald head, but that the surgeon was able to keep his ears on straight (apparently, there was a good chance they'd end up crooked). Thanks so much for all the well-wishes! Here's to Sir Noggin!

Sir Noggin has a slight fever and is being treated with antibiotics by IV. He is also sedated and being given pain medications so that his body can heal before he gets back to his playful antics. We hear that we'll be getting photos of his time in ICU in the future, though we don't have any to share just yet. The fever is no cause of terrible alarm right now; it is slight and hopefully the antibiotics will fight any infection that would otherwise pose a threat. The surgery was described to us as having gone exactly as intended. We'll keep you posted.

Sir Noggin is out of surgery and recovering in ICU.

He has a long road ahead of him and we'll let you know when there's more information, but for now all we know is that the doctors were able to remove the encephalocele and place the titanium plate.

Thanks again for all your support!

Sir Noggin traveled (with Greta) to Cornell today, where they met Dr. Dewey. After meeting a bunch of delightful veterinary students & the other vets, they talked about treatment plans for Sir Noggin.

As the plan currently stands, Sir Noggin will have blood work, CT scans, and his surgery on Wednesday. At this point, there's a good chance Sir Noggin will not need the shunt, as it seems he may not actually be dealing with hydrocephalus. The team will remove his encephalocele and protect his brain with a custom titanium plate. Hopefully, this will allow Sir Noggin to continue to lead a normal, happy life. He's doing well now, staying in ICU and probably meowing his heart out. If all goes well, he'll be home some time next week.

We miss him! Coming home to an empty hallway was hard enough. Waking up without my face being licked as soon as the alarm clock goes off will be a real challenge.

Thanks so much for your kind words and prayers. Sir Noggin is really lucky to have such a big family to look after him. Love to you all.

The Masters

Thanks for your continued support of our kitten, Sir Noggin!

We are getting very close to Sir Noggin's surgery at Cornell. The doctors are going to have a lot of careful, delicate work to do on our guy and they're going to keep him with them for a week to monitor him closely. It is an anxious time for us because there seem to be so many things that could go wrong. We love him so much and surgery is what he needs to have a safe and normal future, but there are very real risks, too. Your support has been amazing through all of this.

The new estimate for the brain surgery alone is $4,500, so we'll be changing our ChipIn widget to reflect the new goal. Thanks to all of you who have already donated, helped spread the word, or offered us your kind words and prayers. Sir Noggin has a whole family out there, all over the world, sending good thoughts his way, and if any kitten can overcome these odds, it's him. He is growing, learning, and playing every day. His headaches still come every week or two, and when they do, it is very evident that he needs this treatment. We love him so much and are hoping for the best!

Thanks again!
The Masters Family