BATON ROUGE – LSU football coach Les Miles shared a tender moment Thursday with the university's live tiger mascot, Mike VI. 

Miles shared a picture on his official Facebook page of him touching the glass at Mike’s habitat as the Tiger swam in his pool.

“Coach Miles is thinking about his buddy Mike as our beloved Tiger is going through a tough time,” Mile’s post reads. “Coach and Mike have always had a special bond!”

LSU veterinarians reported Monday that Mike has been diagnosed with spindle cell sarcoma. Mike’s attitude and demeanor haven’t changed and veterinarians say he is not in any pain due to the cancer.

Mike’s veterinarian, Dr. David Baker, and his veterinary student caretakers said they noticed swelling on the right side of Mike’s face recently. Last Thursday, Mike was sedated in his night house so he could be brought to the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine for a physical exam and further diagnostic tests.

At the vet school, Mike was put under general anesthesia and given a CT scan to determine the cause of the swelling. Multiple specialists at LSU and other institutions reviewed the results and determined that it was a tumor near the big cat’s nose.

According to Mike’s official Facebook page, live mascots from both the University of Arkansas and University of Texas at Austin sent flowers to LSU after the diagnosis.

“Get well soon! We are pulling for you to defeat this foe just like you have all athletic opponents in the past 9 years as the Tigers’ live mascot. Take care, see you soon,” a message from Tusk IV, the Arkansas Razorback live mascot said.

“Best wishes to one of the very best. We are thinking of you and all of your many fans. Geaux Mike!” a message from Bevo, the Texas Longhorn’s mascot, said.