Cancer isn’t only deadly to humans. Sadly, animals are also prone to the disease — pets are no exception. If left untreated, the tumor could further develop and cause severe physical changes. The diagnosis is as devastating as with humans. For this reason, pet parents are asked to check with their vets if symptoms start to show. Your dogs and cats can survive if the cancer is only at the early stages of development.

Photo: TikTok/catsofsanbernardino

In California, it was reported that a stray cat was found in poor condition in the streets of San Bernardino. The cat’s physical state was unlike the other strays — it was obviously having health problems. Kindhearted people reached out to Cats of San Bernardino — which they believed would spark hope for the sickly feline.

The animal rescue took the poor creature and named him Santana. “He has had to have been like this for a long time, and it breaks our hearts knowing how many people must have passed him by without trying to help. Luckily, he met a kind family who started to feed him, and they were able to get in contact with us,” explained a rescue staff member.

@catsofsanbernardino Santana Update!We know everyone has been looking for an update on this big boy. We are going to list a few things that are going on with him below both good and bad. After his last vet appointment it was found that his teeth are still very inflamed and that he had ringworm. His ringworm has gotten a lot better and his hair is finally starting to grow back after 4ish months 🤗His antifungal nose meds are working and his nose is cleaing back up again. He chin has started to get swollen and we aren't sure if that is do to the dental deterioration or if the cancer is moving down into his chin 💔 He is going to be at the vet again tomorrow to have his chin looked at and see if we can pinpoint a cause of the inflammation. He is still eating like a champ, and we will be heading to get him more steaks today. He is drinking a lot of water on his own which is newer behavior 😁He is loving his snuggles and will nap on me for as long as I'm available to lay with him ❤️ He is darn near perfect. He had a hard couple of days after the loss of Siren but he is bonding with Theia. Photos to come ❤️Drop a comment below if you want to see more Santana Content. We will be trying our best to put more updates. Both on the feed and in the stories. #catrescue #catsoftiktok #savinganimals #unconditionallove ♬ How Long Will I Love You - Piano Bliss

As soon as Santana was under their care, they immediately took him for a health checkup. Aside from being critically underweight, the poor feline had dental and breathing difficulties, ringworm, and infections. He was provided with medications to make him comfortable, and the vet prescribed him antifungal nose medications to heal his nose. Moreover, Santana has a swollen chin which was either infected by dental deterioration or might be because of his cancer. Santana went through a series of checkups to find the correct diagnosis for his chin.

Cats of San Bernardino will continuously support Santana until his recovery, and they even post updates about the feline on their TikTok account. It was terrific how Santana keeps showing improvements in every TikTok video the animal rescue has shared. “He is drinking a lot of water on his own, which is newer behavior. He is loving his snuggles and will nap on me for as long as I’m available to lay with him. He is darn near perfect,” the animal rescue shared. Santana’s healing journey might take months or a year — thankfully, he is surrounded by loving humans.

@catsofsanbernardino

Santana Update!Our beautiful boy was out early this morning to enjoy his yard time before the scorching got sun came out. It has been so hot lately 🥵Big man is still doing well. He's eating more than ever and can't wait to get and about in the yard to strut around. He doesn't have much more of an update but wanted to say hello to everyone. If anyone missed it we did start a new merchandise campaign. 100% of the proceeds will go towards rescuing more cats in need like our Santana Man. After popular request we did add Santana stickers 🤗 If you already purchased a support pack, don't worry, you will get a Santana sticker too ❤️You can find our new Merch by visiting the link in our bio @catsofsanbernardino

♬ How Long Will I Love You - Top Choice Masters

In their recent TikTok videos, Santana is seen to have the best life — he even has a great appetite. The cat with terminal cancer enjoys the early morning sun in their backyard. It seems that a good recovery is about to happen. To be more updated, you can get in touch with Cats of San Bernardino through their socials. They have pages on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.