Cat lymphoma?

[Huskyforlife]

Our young cat years ago had cancer and had to be put to sleep, my best advice is to not prolong the suffering for them. Also when your mom is ready, I’d recommend her starting a new bond, it really does help.

Condolences to you and your family.

 

[ucp990411]

From someone who is suffering from the rarest of Lymphomas (3 out of a million people) I wish you luck with your cat but……

 

[jibsey]

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.

Those Bengals are amazing, my sister has 2. Inadvertent scratch potential is high.

 

[champs99and04]

I'm far from an expert on the subject and don't want to feign false hope of a miracle or anything like that, but what I can tell you from (albeit limited) personal experience is that the vets get this stuff wrong more than you'd think. My neighbor took her cat to the vet a couple years ago after it'd been attacked by her son's police dogs and they told her it had some sort of internal scarring and probably needed to be put down. Turned out after consulting with a specialist in the Boston area that it was treatable and the cat ended up being fine. Basically, she made it sound like they tried to extort her into getting an emergency procedure when it wasn't needed.

On the other end of spectrum, my parents adopted a cat that was about three years old (or so they thought). After about a year they took her for a routine check-up and were told she needed a tooth removed. They eventually obliged (and paid a fee of close to a grand) only to have the cat die from anesthesia-induced pneumonia two days after the operation.

So, although lymphoma is bit of a different animal with presumably a more straightforward diagnosis, @king conn 's story does sound plausible to me. Much is still not known, even by those who know the most. My best advice is to trust your eyes - if the cat looks like groggy, demoralized, and defeated, then it's probably time (this was the case for my dog of 10+ years - she was so down and out that we made the choice to let her go even before we got confirmation from the test results that the cancer had spread). If the cat looks like it has fight left in it, then maybe it's worth pursuing additional treatment options provided they're affordable.

In the event that you do end up losing him in the near future, just keep trying to comfort and reassure your mom. Believe me, I'm the world's biggest softie when it comes to animals. I get that it can somehow actually feel worse in the short-term losing a pet than a person. But, much as I'd never care to admit it, they are replaceable - at least more so than people. I've done it. They're all quick to win you over no matter how bad you want to resist them and they're all easy to love no matter how many times they inadvertently kick you in the nuts.

 

[superjohn]

From someone who is suffering from the rarest of Lymphomas (3 out of a million people) I wish you luck with your cat but……

Geezus, I'm so sorry.

It puts things in perspective. I'll pray for your health.

I just spent a weekend recently with one of my oldest friends and his wife, they are family with my family going back to when we were little kids. He lost his high school son just a few months ago. I'm sorry I'm talking about a cat.

 

[Dove]

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.

Pets should never pass away alone. Pisses me off hearing that this happens. The imagery is so sad.

 

[JakeTheDog]

Geezus, I'm so sorry.

It puts things in perspective. I'll pray for your health.

I just spent a weekend recently with one of my oldest friends and his wife, they are family with my family going back to when we were little kids. He lost his high school son just a few months ago. I'm sorry I'm talking about a cat.

You don’t have to apologize for anything. Pets are family.

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

My prayers are with your mom and best friend.

-BDH

 

[Coach J]

SJ, I have a soon to be 14 year cat that was diagnosed at age 12 with irritable bowl disease and lymphoma he was near skin and bones and down to 7 pounds once we determined what was wrong. We went to Newtown Veterinary Specialists to see their oncologists (the only one in CT at the time, I'm not sure if that is still true) Welcome to Newtown Veterinary Specialists | Newtown Vet | Open 24/7 and they put our guy on a chemo dose every 2 weeks and an injectable steroid every 2 days. He gets the chemo in a capsule with an appetite stimulant (Mirtazapine 15 mg) and Cerenia 16 mg to help with nausea. He gets a 1/4 dose of each with the chemo.

He was just at the vet last week and he is just shy of 10 pounds, he is crazy and happy as ever and still plays like a kitten daily. I am pleasantly surprised at how well he has done and I would highly recommend the visiting Newtown Veterinary Specialists for a consultation.

Best wishes to your Mom and her guy.

 

[Edward Sargent]

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.

View attachment 109652

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

As I suspected. Pure breeds like these often carry any number of disease susceptibility genes. We are dealing with this now with our black lab who has developed cataracts at age 6. I’ve had a number of shepherds over the years all with hip dysplasia. You might want to consider a non pure bred. There is always a selection for adoption. Just be sure to have a vet give it a thorough exam

 

[Deepster]

Pets should never pass away alone. Pisses me off hearing that this happens. The imagery is so sad.

Hmm. Interesting food for thought. How does the pet know they are there to be euthanized? Per ChatGPT a cats brain couldn’t understand the concept of euthanasia or death and has the IQ of a human 2 year old at best.

Additionally the drug that euthanizes them is administered with a sedative first so their senses are really dulled or they’re asleep when it happens.

That said, I understand the whole human concept of grieving and coping. Like when someone sees a cardinal and thinks it's a visit from a beloved departed person from their past.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

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.

As the owner of two rescue cats, all I can say is that this whole situation sucks and I feel for you and your mother and will be thinking of you both. All I know is that if I were in this situation, I'd be a mess, especially coming off my wife's breast cancer diagnosis/surgery/recoveries this year makes me extra empathetic.

 

[Waquoit]

Hmm. Interesting food for thought. How does the pet know they are there to be euthanized? Per ChatGPT a cats brain couldn’t understand the concept of euthanasia or death and has the IQ of a human 2 year old at best.

Nobody is going to tell me Caramel didn't know what was up. Not even AI.

 

[Deepster]

Nobody is going to tell me Caramel didn't know what was up. Not even AI.

It did say, cats can be sensitive to changes in environment or reactive to their owner's state. I guess my "too deep for a Sunday morning" thought was more if they could tell they were about to be euthanized.

 

[Hunt for 7]

Nobody is going to tell me Caramel didn't know what was up. Not even AI.

The last thing my Rotty did before passing was kiss my hand. Then her eyes closed due to the sedative and she was gone 30 seconds later. My girl knew and wanted to say good bye. Thus 10 years later I have not been able to get another dog.

My two boys seemed ok with cats but they have asked for a dog a few times. The oldest is about to end his jr year in high school and the youngest is graduating elementary school on Tuesday.

I might just break down and get them a dog. Of course my wife will have her say about that since I still travel some for work. Then of course there is the integration with our two cats one being a Bengal and a known hater of dogs. Me thinks we can make it work, why wife is not as optimistic.

I hope SJ has found some solace and reasonable advice in the thread he started. But as with all things BY this thread has kind of gone off the rails.

Probably because we can all relate and then decide to share our stories even though it was not what was originally the main point of the thread.

I found myself doing it and it felt selfish so I deleted a previous post.

To SJ I am hoping for the best possible outcome for you, your mom and her best buddy. If nothing else we have read that with cats especially 6 months can be equal to or greater than 2 or 3 years. Maybe there is something to that 9 lives theory……..

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Hmm. Interesting food for thought. How does the pet know they are there to be euthanized? Per ChatGPT a cats brain couldn’t understand the concept of euthanasia or death and has the IQ of a human 2 year old at best.

Additionally the drug that euthanizes them is administered with a sedative first so their senses are really dulled or they’re asleep when it happens.

That said, I understand the whole human concept of grieving and coping. Like when someone sees a cardinal and thinks it's a visit from a beloved departed person from their past.

I don't know that Chat GPT is the authority on this. Anyone who's had a close relationship with a dog or a cat can tell you how intuitive and perceptive they are. I've been in the room where I've been absolutely certain by his behavior my dog knew what was going down.

 

[Scoe]

I'm very sorry to hear this @superjohn, my condolences to you and your mother. Saying goodbye to a pet is heartbreaking there is no feeling to describe it.

 

[Fishy]

I'm far from an expert on the subject and don't want to feign false hope of a miracle or anything like that, but what I can tell you from (albeit limited) personal experience is that the vets get this stuff wrong more than you'd think. My neighbor took her cat to the vet a couple years ago after it'd been attacked by her son's police dogs and they told her it had some sort of internal scarring and probably needed to be put down. Turned out after consulting with a specialist in the Boston area that it was treatable and the cat ended up being fine. Basically, she made it sound like they tried to extort her into getting an emergency procedure when it wasn't needed.

On the other end of spectrum, my parents adopted a cat that was about three years old (or so they thought). After about a year they took her for a routine check-up and were told she needed a tooth removed. They eventually obliged (and paid a fee of close to a grand) only to have the cat die from anesthesia-induced pneumonia two days after the operation.

So, although lymphoma is bit of a different animal with presumably a more straightforward diagnosis, @king conn 's story does sound plausible to me. Much is still not known, even by those who know the most. My best advice is to trust your eyes - if the cat looks like groggy, demoralized, and defeated, then it's probably time (this was the case for my dog of 10+ years - she was so down and out that we made the choice to let her go even before we got confirmation from the test results that the cancer had spread). If the cat looks like it has fight left in it, then maybe it's worth pursuing additional treatment options provided they're affordable.

In the event that you do end up losing him in the near future, just keep trying to comfort and reassure your mom. Believe me, I'm the world's biggest softie when it comes to animals. I get that it can somehow actually feel worse in the short-term losing a pet than a person. But, much as I'd never care to admit it, they are replaceable - at least more so than people. I've done it. They're all quick to win you over no matter how bad you want to resist them and they're all easy to love no matter how many times they inadvertently kick you in the nuts.

Keep in mind that animals do not show pain the way a human would - animals with an illness or injury would be singled out by predators or ostracized from their own. Pets still have that persistence of instinct - by the time you see your pet struggling, it’s likely gone on for too long.

 

[superjohn]

I'm far from an expert on the subject and don't want to feign false hope of a miracle or anything like that, but what I can tell you from (albeit limited) personal experience is that the vets get this stuff wrong more than you'd think. My neighbor took her cat to the vet a couple years ago after it'd been attacked by her son's police dogs and they told her it had some sort of internal scarring and probably needed to be put down. Turned out after consulting with a specialist in the Boston area that it was treatable and the cat ended up being fine. Basically, she made it sound like they tried to extort her into getting an emergency procedure when it wasn't needed.

On the other end of spectrum, my parents adopted a cat that was about three years old (or so they thought). After about a year they took her for a routine check-up and were told she needed a tooth removed. They eventually obliged (and paid a fee of close to a grand) only to have the cat die from anesthesia-induced pneumonia two days after the operation.

So, although lymphoma is bit of a different animal with presumably a more straightforward diagnosis, @king conn 's story does sound plausible to me. Much is still not known, even by those who know the most. My best advice is to trust your eyes - if the cat looks like groggy, demoralized, and defeated, then it's probably time (this was the case for my dog of 10+ years - she was so down and out that we made the choice to let her go even before we got confirmation from the test results that the cancer had spread). If the cat looks like it has fight left in it, then maybe it's worth pursuing additional treatment options provided they're affordable.

In the event that you do end up losing him in the near future, just keep trying to comfort and reassure your mom. Believe me, I'm the world's biggest softie when it comes to animals. I get that it can somehow actually feel worse in the short-term losing a pet than a person. But, much as I'd never care to admit it, they are replaceable - at least more so than people. I've done it. They're all quick to win you over no matter how bad you want to resist them and they're all easy to love no matter how many times they inadvertently kick you in the nuts.

It's weird how people process this stuff. I was a mess when my dad died, he wasn't only my dad he was my best friend. I got to be with him his final week or so and we were all there with him around his own bed as hospice helped him go comfortably which was a blessing...

I cried uncontrollably around that period of time while my mom was pretty stoic. I remember weeks after his death I was out for the evening having drinks and I started hyperventilating/having a panic attack thinking about his passing. That whole year was difficult for me. It was obviously extremely difficult for my mom but she didn't really show it with outward emotion.

My mom is so broken up about her cat that I flew home to be with her. She thought he was just getting a routine surgery (the cost of which is crazy) and then was blindsided by the cancer news. The Newtown vet clinic seems to be really good and they basically told her there was no use in fighting the lymphoma so she's just going to love him and keep him as comfortable as possible at home until the end. The cat can't really express his pain so she doesn't want to put him through chemo when the vet flat out told her he only has a 50% chance of 6-9 more months with the chemo treatment. If they told her it would prolong his life a couple more good years she would do it.

He's eating a lot, still gets excited about all his treats. He's jumping on his favorite chairs and the bed now which he's not supposed to but his surgery stitches are internal so we're just letting him do that because the alternative is keeping him in the bathroom which wouldn't be fair to him. His tail is up, he still got by me when I opened the door this morning to put him in his carrier bag and he sprinted down the stairs so he seems his old self at the moment.

My mom will turn 81 in August and she is so attached to the cat that she wouldn't even leave him for a night for close to the 4 years she's had him. News he doesn't have much time left stinks but she'll again be able to travel to see friends out of state, visit me in Chicago. Take a couple of big vacation trips if she wants to.

Also my mom had terrible back and hip pain for about a year where she was using a walker and a cane, the cat got her through that with a little help from me and my brother. She's pretty much pain free now, waking freely again, doing pilates...

The cat has been her life for these 4 years which has been great for her and the cat but her attachment to him may not have been the most healthy thing in the world. Like with most things there's a flip side to it.

 

[Deepster]

I don't know that Chat GPT is the authority on this. Anyone who's had a close relationship with a dog or a cat can tell you how intuitive and perceptive they are. I've been in the room where I've been absolutely certain by his behavior my dog knew what was going down.

I’m not arguing anyone’s relationship with a pet and I know how strong those feelings can be.

It is more likely you’re imprinting your pain or your difficulty processing the situation on an animal incapable of many of the thoughts and understanding of a situation that a human can have.

 

[Waquoit]

Keep in mind that animals do not show pain the way a human would - animals with an illness or injury would be singled out by predators or ostracized from their own. Pets still have that persistence of instinct - by the time you see your pet struggling, it’s likely gone on for too long.

Yup, especially cats.

 

[Spaceman213J]

From someone who is suffering from the rarest of Lymphomas (3 out of a million people) I wish you luck with your cat but……

In 2003, my brother was diagnosed with Large B cell lymphoma (stage 3). Ever since his treatment, he's been cancer free. I hope you have similar results.

To the original poster. It's hard to lose them, but that's part of having pets and making them part of your family. We were once up to 8 cats. We had one, who had been so feral that the vet had to throw a net over him when he woke up early from being fixed and escaped his cage, who became my buddy. He was odd shaped and walked funny from suffering a broken pelvis from a coyote attack when he was still feral. Our neighbor saw him scurry by once and thought he was a pet pig.
Anyways, he would sit on my shoulder and chest and headbutt me over and over. He suddenly lost a lot of weight and the vet found cancer in his jaw. He only lasted a few days and died in my arms. Ironically, we were taking him the next day to be put to sleep, but our vet isn't open on Sundays.
Best wishes to you and your mom.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

I’m not arguing anyone’s relationship with a pet and I know how strong those feelings can be.

It is more likely you’re imprinting your pain or your difficulty processing the situation on an animal incapable of many of the thoughts and understanding of a situation that a human can have.

Yeah again we can go back and forth on this but your "it is more likely" seems to be conjured out of thin air. I'm going with what a vet who's done this thousands of times has told me. But reasonable minds can differ.

 

[Dove]

Yeah again we can go back and forth on this but your "it is more likely" seems to be conjured out of thin air. I'm going with what a vet who's done this thousands of times has told me. But reasonable minds can differ.

Deep feels the only reason dogs lick us is because our skin is salty. Only reason.

 

[Waquoit]

Deep feels the only reason dogs lick us is because our skin is salty. Only reason.

That one stuck with me, as well.