Cat lymphoma?

[superjohn]

My mom got news her Siberian cat who is around 4 years old has lymphoma. He wasn't peeing and they performed surgery to remove a bladder stone. They found he has lymphoma in his urinary tract and small intestine. I'm in CT with my mom and she's devastated. It sounds like with chemo he only would have around a 50% chance of living another 6-9 months.

Has anyone else gone through this with a young/younger cat. My mom lives alone with him and loves him more than anything, so we're trying to figure out the best course of action. This is devastating news. If anyone can chime in it would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Waquoit]

When I stated courting my sweetie, her cat loved me. She used to wait at the top of the stairs when she heard my car pull in. She would come sit in my lap as soon as I sat down on the couch. Being vetted by the cat is a big plus in a new relationship. Anyway, a year or so later she was diagnosed with cancer and was only 7. I was there when the vet ended her life. It was rough. It's still rough, that was 20 years ago and I still miss Caramel even though we have the great Shadow now. Unfortunately, I think we all know what the best course of action is. I feel for your mother, saying goodbye is the worst part about having a pet.

 

[Hunt for 7]

Most of us who have had pets have encountered this situation. I have with a dog and a cat. My dog passed ten years ago and she was so much a part of me I really have not been able to get another dog because of her memory.

I realized after our cat got sick that there just comes a time that you have to decide if it is fair to keep them alive if they have no quality of life. I stretched my dogs life out spending thousands in vet bills but her last 6 months was not the same as the 11 years she lived before that. She was a Rottweiler and just living pat 11 was a long live.

My cat was a sphinx and she developed brain cancer when she was just 1.5 years old. They could have kept her alive for another year maybe but I did not want to see her suffer like my dog did in her last 6 months. So I made the decision to have her put down. Not easy but it was the right thing for her.

Now I have a Bengal cat and they are almost wild. We gave her some temptations and she just could not digest them. We actually had her cut open and the vet massaged the poop out of her digestive track. She made it and now three years later is healthy and a great cat who gets more domesticated every day.

It really comes down to putting the animal first. If the vet can tell you they will have a chance at a quality life do what you can. If the pet is going to suffer my opinion is that you have to do what is right for the animal and limit the suffering.

Yeah it stinks I get it but if there is no chance for a full recovery, or some type of quality of life after surgery, it is better to end the suffering when you can.

 

[Luckyhusky81]

My mom got news her Siberian cat who is around 4 years old has lymphoma. He wasn't peeing and they performed surgery to remove a bladder stone. They found he has lymphoma in his urinary tract and small intestine. I'm in CT with my mom and she's devastated. It sounds like with chemo he only would have around a 50% chance of living another 6-9 months.

Has anyone else gone through this with a young/younger cat. My mom lives alone with him and loves him more than anything, so we're trying to figure out the best course of action. This is devastating news. If anyone can chime in it would be greatly appreciated.

Did you go to a general practitioner or a veterinary oncologist?

 

[Hunt for 7]

Know the question was not directed to me but my cat situation occurred when I lived in Chicago and we brought her to an animal oncologist, who only handled cats. It was him who advised me euthanizing was probably best. Trying to remember who the vet was but it was on the north shore somewhere on route 41.

 

[superjohn]

When I stated courting my sweetie, her cat loved me. She used to wait at the top of the stairs when she heard my car pull in. She would come sit in my lap as soon as I sat down on the couch. Being vetted by the cat is a big plus in a new relationship. Anyway, a year or so later she was diagnosed with cancer and was only 7. I was there when the vet ended her life. It was rough. It's still rough, that was 20 years ago and I still miss Caramel even though we have the great Shadow now. Unfortunately, I think we all know what the best course of action is. I feel for your mother, saying goodbye is the worst part about having a pet.

I love the cat so much and the void my mom is going to feel is tough to deal with. She's even crying more than I remember her crying when her husband of nearly 50 years/my dad passed away. She wouldn't go on vacation for nearly 4 years because she couldn't spend a night away from her cat and he slept every night on her pillow next to her since he was a kitten.
Now he has a recovery collar around his neck and we made the bathroom as comfortable for him with a plush sleeping arrangement because he's not supposed to jump on the bed for fear of tearing the post surgery stitches. It sounds like we're going to stop doing this and let him sleep next to my mom in bed starting tonight.

I think she's deciding no chemo, I want to tell her it's worth fighting the lymphoma but it really doesn't seem like it is. I can't stop crying.

 

[NJHusky]

So sorry

Would def recommend going to a specialist

Don’t have any experience with cats/lymphoma but when our 3yr old dog had a mast cell tumor we went to

smith ridge veterinary in south salem, ny. Founded by Marty Goldstein a very famous vet that uses some non traditional remedies. Dr Jenna kept him alive for 8 more years!

Animal Medical center in NYC did the surgery. They have a full oncology section of the hospital

Prayers for you and your mom

 

[Luckyhusky81]

I love the cat so much and the void my mom is going to feel is tough to deal with. She's even crying more than I remember her crying when her husband of nearly 50 years/my dad passed away. She wouldn't go on vacation for nearly 4 years because she couldn't spend a night away from her cat and he slept every night on her pillow next to her since he was a kitten.
Now he has a recovery collar around his neck and we made the bathroom as comfortable for him with a plush sleeping arrangement because he's not supposed to jump on the bed for fear of tearing the post surgery stitches. It sounds like we're going to stop doing this and let him sleep next to my mom in bed starting tonight.

I think she's deciding no chemo, I want to tell her it's worth fighting the lymphoma but it really doesn't seem like it is. I can't stop crying.

I am a general practice veterinarian but would just urge you to talk to an oncology specialist if you haven't. They would be best to stage the lymphoma and discuss prognosis with you. We would never give a pet chemo that makes them feel bad- it is all done with quality of life in mind, and if the chemo isn't well tolerated, we would switch gears. Often times just prednisolone can improve quality of life, but only for a short time. Depending on the staging you may be able to get a while with a great quality of life, but I would definitely defer to an oncologist to discuss options. For reference, I took my own dog to a specialist when she got cancer.

 

[king conn]

I am a general practice veterinarian but would just urge you to talk to an oncology specialist if you haven't. They would be best to stage the lymphoma and discuss prognosis with you. We would never give a pet chemo that makes them feel bad- it is all done with quality of life in mind, and if the chemo isn't well tolerated, we would switch gears. Often times just prednisolone can improve quality of life, but only for a short time. Depending on the staging you may be able to get a while with a great quality of life, but I would definitely defer to an oncologist to discuss options. For reference, I took my own dog to a specialist when she got cancer.

Prednisolone.

Got this diagnosis 2 years ago and the cat is still going two years later good quality of life except for occasional vomiting, which he had previously so don't know if connected or not.

 

[NH Husky]

Two universities I know of have great vet schools. Colorado State and University of Florida. I’m sure there are more. Florida has some feline oncology experts. If you are near one it may help.
I went through that with a 14 year old cat and opted to let him enjoy his quality of life and did not do the chemo. Prednisone did give him two more years

 

[superjohn]

Prednisolone.

Got this diagnosis 2 years ago and the cat is still going two years later good quality of life except for occasional vomiting, which he had previously so don't know if connected or not.

@Luckyhusky81 He got Prednisolone for after his surgery. I'm giving him 1.5 pill of Prednisolone every 24 hours in a pill pocket. The news of the lymphoma is from the oncologist at the Newtown, CT Veterinary Specialist.

@king conn Your cat has lymphoma for two years and is still with you? That's amazing. Do you remember the exact diagnosis? Where the cancer was?

No chemo? Just Prednisolone?

They're making it sound like without chemo he has just weeks to a couple months to live? It's hard to take because he's so young and seems so healthy at the moment.

 

[NJHusky]

@Luckyhusky81 He got Prednisolone for after his surgery. I'm giving him 1.5 pill of Prednisolone every 24 hours in a pill pocket. The news of the lymphoma is from the oncologist at the Newtown, CT Veterinary Specialist.

@king conn Your cat has lymphoma for two years and is still with you? That's amazing. Do you remember the exact diagnosis? Where the cancer was?

No chemo? Just Prednisolone?

They're making it sound like without chemo he has just weeks to a couple months to live? It's hard to take because he's so young and seems so healthy at the moment.

You should talk to the vet about how animals tolerate chemo. I’ve read in several places that animal doses are low enough that it generally doesn’t negatively impact the quality of life.

 

[king conn]

@Luckyhusky81 He got Prednisolone for after his surgery. I'm giving him 1.5 pill of Prednisolone every 24 hours in a pill pocket. The news of the lymphoma is from the oncologist at the Newtown, CT Veterinary Specialist.

@king conn Your cat has lymphoma for two years and is still with you? That's amazing. Do you remember the exact diagnosis? Where the cancer was?

No chemo? Just Prednisolone?

They're making it sound like without chemo he has just weeks to a couple months to live? It's hard to take because he's so young and seems so healthy at the moment.

Yea I'm wondering if they misdiagnosed it. But they were adamant to put him on chemo after the ultrasound. It was only me asking if there was any other alternative that they mentioned the pred, and when I asked how much time it would give him she said maybe a year. Then she said I'm so sorry but that was good enough for me at that time. Yet here we are over 2 years now. We use a cream every other day placed on the skin inside his ear for optimal absorption. Supposedly it was all over his intestine. I've always wanted to get another ultrasound but I figure if it aint broke don't fix what we are doing.

From what I see you have nothing to lose here and gives you some hope. I'm not a fan of chemo obviously because an animal can't tell you how he feels.

 

[HuskyNan]

Two universities I know of have great vet schools. Colorado State and University of Florida. I’m sure there are more. Florida has some feline oncology experts. If you are near one it may help.
I went through that with a 14 year old cat and opted to let him enjoy his quality of life and did not do the chemo. Prednisone did give him two more years

Tufts University in the Boston area has a highly regarded veterinary hospital

 

[superjohn]

Yea I'm wondering if they misdiagnosed it. But they were adamant to put him on chemo after the ultrasound. It was only me asking if there was any other alternative that they mentioned the pred, and when I asked how much time it would give him she said maybe a year. Then she said I'm so sorry but that was good enough for me at that time. Yet here we are over 2 years now. We use a cream every other day placed on the skin inside his ear for optimal absorption. Supposedly it was all over his intestine. I've always wanted to get another ultrasound but I figure if it aint broke don't fix what we are doing.

From what I see you have nothing to lose here and gives you some hope. I'm not a fan of chemo obviously because an animal can't tell you how he feels.

That's great for you and your cat, keep doing what you're doing!

My mom is 100% she's not doing the chemo with him. She's just going to love him as much as possible for the time she has left with him and make him as comfortable as possible. I know a girl in my hometown who is a vet and she just does holistic at home pet care so I'm going to be in touch with her.

 

[Edward Sargent]

Lymphoma is one of the more common cancers in cats. Probably viral. Without treatment life expectancy is months. Treatment may give the cat a few years if it works. I am not sure about treatments in terms of cost and effectiveness. If you are thinking of another be careful if you are using a breeder they may have a gene for cancer. Consider a non pure bred cat as they are less susceptible. Sorry for your Mom❤️

 

[Vancat]

Sorry superjohn. That’s pretty awful.

 

[superjohn]

Lymphoma is one of the more common cancers in cats. Probably viral. Without treatment life expectancy is months. Treatment may give the cat a few years if it works. I am not sure about treatments in terms of cost and effectiveness. If you are thinking of another be careful if you are using a breeder they may have a gene for cancer. Consider a non pure bred cat as they are less susceptible. Sorry for your Mom❤️

Well, I've been looking into it and found this...this is the exact type of cat he is (white Siberian) and she brought him in to the vet because he would just sit in the litter box lately and couldn't pee. He's recovering from surgery and peeing now and he has cancer. Turns out it's genetic.

I wish they had a lot longer together but they were so great for each other.

 

[superjohn]

Thanks for all the responses.

 

[Scrutineer]

About 20 years ago we had a Maine Coon female that was my girl from when we got her from the shelter when she was about 8 weeks old. She always would join me in the kitchen when I was making a sandwich because she knew there was some ham or roast beef or turkey in it for her.
One day she was sitting patiently by my side, loudly purring as I was putting meat on the bread, so I gave her a piece and she dropped it from her mouth to the floor. It was odd that she did that so I picked it up and gave it to her again and again it fell from her mouth as if she didn't like it. But she stayed there purring loudly. My wife told me she noticed that the day before and then we noticed that night that she didn't eat the canned food we gave the cats every evening.
I told our veterinarian at our Rotary meeting the next day and she asked me to bring her in for a checkup. She found a growth in her mouth and biopsied it and sent it to Tufts Veterinary School for evaluation. Turned out to be an inoperable oral cancer (can't remember if we ever knew the exact kind) and our veterinarian told us to make her as comfortable as possible and when she's too weak to care for herself it would be time to put her down. That was really tough. We had her nine years and our favorite photo was her at about 10 weeks sitting on my knee on a Sunday morning as I was reading the paper spread out on our coffee table. Looked like part of me.
When I asked the veterinarian why the cat was purring if she was in pain from the oral cancer she told us that purring is not just a sign of content but can indicate stress.
We lost our 19 (almost 20) year old tuxedo a year ago. He was the best cat ever. He had a hyperactive thyroid we opted to treat with radiation when he was about 10. He had a great almost 10 more years after the treatment but we really missed having a cat around so, after a few months, we went to our local shelter and adopted a 10 and 1/2 year old stray that was very shy but you should see him now. People want kittens but this guy is a piece of work. Took him a couple months to relax but now owns the house and is a real treat to have around.
I do a lot of volunteer work at the shelter and know it's not the time to suggest adopting to your Mom but, if and when the time comes, there's lots of great older cats out there waiting to be adopted.

 

[storrsroars]

Most of us who have had pets have encountered this situation. I have with a dog and a cat. My dog passed ten years ago and she was so much a part of me I really have not been able to get another dog because of her memory.

For @superjohn, sorry to hear about your mom's cat. Just be there for her.

For @Hunt for 7 - I'm on my fifth dog. Aldo was my wife's first. We'd had him since he was 8 weeks old. He was my constant companion. Died at 10 due to blood cancer - after we spent several thousand to have his cancerous spleen removed (his prognosis was 6 weeks to 6 months, unfortunately it was the shorter of the two, and he died at home, which I would never, ever, recommend).

My wife wouldn't think of getting another dog. Absolutely, positively against it. Then, a neighbor was going thru a separation as his wife wanted his 12-year old Aussie Shepherd gone. So he ended up with us just a few months after Aldo's passing. Wife was OK with that as it was simply a kind act of not letting an old dog go to a shelter. I never really got attached to him, but she did. He passed a couple years later. And at that point, my wife wanted to get another dog soon afterwards. So we adopted a foster dog and he's been with us almost 10 years. Him, I'm attached to just as much as I was Aldo. He's 12 now and still going strong for a big dog.

So I think that if you're afraid of the pain of losing another pet, think about the love you'll be able to give (and get back) from a dog who could really use it. End of day, the love willl outweigh the pain.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

I got nothing to add but condolences. I've been through this with dogs and cats and it's never easy.

I was an avowed cat-hater until we had one and I loved the guy as much as any dog we've ever had. I cried like a baby when he crossed the rainbow bridge. I remember a vet telling me once that nothing made her madder than when people wouldn't be in the room with her when the pet was euthanized because it was "too hard." I don't know if this is scientifically verifiable but she said that she could always tell that the animal knew their people weren't there at the end - that's always stuck with me. We owe it to them to make the end as comfortable and loving as possible.

Pets are the best.

 

[superjohn]

I got nothing to add but condolences. I've been through this with dogs and cats and it's never easy.

I was an avowed cat-hater until we had one and I loved the guy as much as any dog we've ever had. I cried like a baby when he crossed the rainbow bridge. I remember a vet telling me once that nothing made her madder than when people wouldn't be in the room with her when the pet was euthanized because it was "too hard." I don't know if this is scientifically verifiable but she said that she could always tell that the animal knew their people weren't there at the end - that's always stuck with me. We owe it to them to make the end as comfortable and loving as possible.

Pets are the best.

I love both but I feel an even stronger connection to cats. I'm a mess right now and he's not even my cat but he's the sweetest guy and it destroys me he doesn't have much time left.



My brother just rescued a couple of kittens a month ago. A cat was living outside a pizza place and the owner would leave food and water out for him and then she gave birth in the alley. He called into a rescue and my brother was able to adopt the two brother kittens and they're inseparable and so much fun. I'll probably look into adopting.

 

[Jaydumo20]

I love the cat so much and the void my mom is going to feel is tough to deal with. She's even crying more than I remember her crying when her husband of nearly 50 years/my dad passed away. She wouldn't go on vacation for nearly 4 years because she couldn't spend a night away from her cat and he slept every night on her pillow next to her since he was a kitten.
Now he has a recovery collar around his neck and we made the bathroom as comfortable for him with a plush sleeping arrangement because he's not supposed to jump on the bed for fear of tearing the post surgery stitches. It sounds like we're going to stop doing this and let him sleep next to my mom in bed starting tonight.

I think she's deciding no chemo, I want to tell her it's worth fighting the lymphoma but it really doesn't seem like it is. I can't stop crying.

Man. This is heartbreaking. I understand what you guys are going through. My relationship with my cats and family cats over the years have transformed me in so many ways and only for the better. The love you and your mom have for the cat is what we need more of in the world. Sounds as if the cat has had as equally a profound effect on you guys as you have had on him. That connection is everything and is felt in lasting ways. Whatever you decide to do I have no doubt that the rest of the cats life will be just as it should be.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

My condolences SJ. Give your mom an extra hug or two just because.