cats and cancer

R

redhat

Joined
Dec 7, 2012
Messages
3,931
We have three cats - Charlie and Bella, a bonded pair (brother and sister from the same litter) about 10 years old, both grey DSH; and Clem a black DLH almost 7 years old. Bella and Clem are both very healthy.

We unfortunately found out this past Friday that Charlie has cancer, lymphoma. He has a mass near his stomach and it is into his lymph nodes. In January 2022 he had dental surgery to remove some abscessed teeth. He has been great since then until this past January. He again seemed like he was having mouth issues and was loosing weight. We took him to an ER vet and our normal vet followed up and he had another dental surgery. From February to the beginning of this month he had been doing well. Not a ton of weight gain but some and we chalked it up to him being older. Around the beginning of this month, maybe a week into April he seemed to start getting lethargic and really dropping weight. We scheduled an appointment with a new vet in town (our usual vet is a mobile practice and they take a long time to get to you) and the tests showed through X-Rays, blood tests, etc. — visible masses and high WBC counts.

They prescribed prednisone via pill on Friday and for the life of me I could not get any in him. I felt so horrible holding him while he was resisting, his small fragile bony body I just did not want to hurt him. We called first thing this past Monday morning and got him in. They administered a depo-Medrol(?) injection and have a follow up appointment in a few weeks. Allegedly this steroid (as would the pill) will help him perk up some and should make him want to eat more. They said if he’s responding well they’ll consider a liquid form next time. I guess provided he starts eating more.

I’m coming here to ask you all, anyone ever been through this? Did you notice a perk up or eating increase a few days after, etc.? As dumb as a question this is, has anyone found anything that’ll help a cat with cancer beyond medications or anything vet prescribed. I’m reading that this steroid — it could take few days to kick in. He is starting to SLOWLY eat more and I’m giving him anything he’ll eat… but it is a slow process. Boiled chicken, all kinda of pate food, kitten soft treats, tuna puree, literally anything he’ll eat I’m down for it (as long as it is safe). Historically (and currently for Bella and Clem) he eats and likes his dry Hills Science Diet kibble. He is normally a 13-14lb cat and now weights 8.4lbs. He seems OK, still very tired, not running around, still enjoying some attention and what not but he is very much so lethargic.

I know his time is limited and we’re now in him autumn weeks of his life. But I want to keep him comfortable and give him the best he can get. I do think he still has time with us but I want to pull out all the stops to give him a fighting chance without pain, suffering and or misery for him.

Man this one is tough, we’ve had him and Bella since they were 6 months old and he’s my buddy. I feel so bad as 3 weeks ago, I got home late as I usually do on Friday nights and his go-to is to hop up on me and want to be affectionate. I kept pushing him off/brushing him off as I wanted to look up ATV parts on my phone. Sometimes you never know when the last moments or times for things may be. Just want to go back a few months.

Here is a pic of my buddy.
IMG_5293.webp
 
It's sad when they decline.

Our 18 year old jet black cat would take his after-breakfast nap in a shaft of sunlight.
If he stirred, he'd return to wherever the spinning of the Earth had relocated his patch of warmth.
At 3 PM, while making lunch, I noticed I didn't have an audience.
The poor guy was gone; curled up in his morning spot.
His death came out of the blue as he was jumping up on the counter as usual that morning.

He sure made it easy for us.

Our four foots now are both well under 4 years old.
 
Your medical questions are best left to a professional vet. Plan for what is inevitable.

I'm sorry this is happening to you and your cat and its absolutely unfair. They can the best of friends and bring joy. It took me a good year before i was ready for another after my last one passed from chronic issues. Since then we have helped raise a few litters and adopt out to loving families and kept the rest. Our household is now quite busy with furballs, and zero bugs.
 
Ask your vet, but when our little cat failed (kidney failure) the vet suggested chicken baby food. I actaully thinned it out a little even with water. He ate that for quite a while. Was the only thing he would eat.

When your sick do you really want solid food? Makes sense to me.

We also put him on a electric heated pad. He had multiple places to sleep and always chose it - so clearly staying warm was comforting.

Sorry to hear your issues.
 
He liked baby food a few times. I did chicken and gravy, turkey with gravy and ham. It’s like he gets bored of it then wants something else. The pulled boiled chicken he went nuts for. He preferred to eat it out of my hand which was cool.

They (vet) said the steroid should also help reduce the pressure /size/inflammation of the mass near his stomach their thoughts that it’s putting pressure on his gut when he eats and then stops eating. I’m hoping that it does just that and he can get some good meals in him.
 
redhat said:
We have three cats - Charlie and Bella, a bonded pair (brother and sister from the same litter) about 10 years old, both grey DSH; and Clem a black DLH almost 7 years old. Bella and Clem are both very healthy.

We unfortunately found out this past Friday that Charlie has cancer, lymphoma. He has a mass near his stomach and it is into his lymph nodes. In January 2022 he had dental surgery to remove some abscessed teeth. He has been great since then until this past January. He again seemed like he was having mouth issues and was loosing weight. We took him to an ER vet and our normal vet followed up and he had another dental surgery. From February to the beginning of this month he had been doing well. Not a ton of weight gain but some and we chalked it up to him being older. Around the beginning of this month, maybe a week into April he seemed to start getting lethargic and really dropping weight. We scheduled an appointment with a new vet in town (our usual vet is a mobile practice and they take a long time to get to you) and the tests showed through X-Rays, blood tests, etc. — visible masses and high WBC counts.

They prescribed prednisone via pill on Friday and for the life of me I could not get any in him. I felt so horrible holding him while he was resisting, his small fragile bony body I just did not want to hurt him. We called first thing this past Monday morning and got him in. They administered a depo-Medrol(?) injection and have a follow up appointment in a few weeks. Allegedly this steroid (as would the pill) will help him perk up some and should make him want to eat more. They said if he’s responding well they’ll consider a liquid form next time. I guess provided he starts eating more.

I’m coming here to ask you all, anyone ever been through this? Did you notice a perk up or eating increase a few days after, etc.? As dumb as a question this is, has anyone found anything that’ll help a cat with cancer beyond medications or anything vet prescribed. I’m reading that this steroid — it could take few days to kick in. He is starting to SLOWLY eat more and I’m giving him anything he’ll eat… but it is a slow process. Boiled chicken, all kinda of pate food, kitten soft treats, tuna puree, literally anything he’ll eat I’m down for it (as long as it is safe). Historically (and currently for Bella and Clem) he eats and likes his dry Hills Science Diet kibble. He is normally a 13-14lb cat and now weights 8.4lbs. He seems OK, still very tired, not running around, still enjoying some attention and what not but he is very much so lethargic.

I know his time is limited and we’re now in him autumn weeks of his life. But I want to keep him comfortable and give him the best he can get. I do think he still has time with us but I want to pull out all the stops to give him a fighting chance without pain, suffering and or misery for him.

Man this one is tough, we’ve had him and Bella since they were 6 months old and he’s my buddy. I feel so bad as 3 weeks ago, I got home late as I usually do on Friday nights and his go-to is to hop up on me and want to be affectionate. I kept pushing him off/brushing him off as I wanted to look up ATV parts on my phone. Sometimes you never know when the last moments or times for things may be. Just want to go back a few months.

Here is a pic of my buddy. View attachment 276461
Click to expand...

We went through something similar to this over a decade ago. The pred will increase his appetite however iirc there's an ideal time of day (Morning or Evening) to administer it. I just don't remember when. The liquid is much easier to give. As you know he's on borrowed time so try not to make him wait too long for his one bad day. Martazipine (kitty prozac) will encourage eating. Give it in the morning.

I know how you're feeling. Something like 1/3 cats over 10 develop cancer. Our current cat is having a tumor removed in a couple of weeks. His brother had a tumor this time last year and he died last August.

GL.
 
In the last 15 yrs or so I have put to sleep 3 dear pets...I absolutely hate it. Every part of it....trying to read their minds...gauging how they may feel...(especially difficult in cats). I sometimes made the appt for euthanasia and cancelled when they would perk up. Its awful...do whats best for your good buddy....be kind to yourself. They are not here long but they offer companionship hard to come by in this world..
10-15 yrs of unconditional love in exhange for a few months of grief?...yeah, I'll take that deal.
 
redhat said:
We have three cats - Charlie and Bella, a bonded pair (brother and sister from the same litter) about 10 years old, both grey DSH; and Clem a black DLH almost 7 years old. Bella and Clem are both very healthy.

We unfortunately found out this past Friday that Charlie has cancer, lymphoma. He has a mass near his stomach and it is into his lymph nodes. In January 2022 he had dental surgery to remove some abscessed teeth. He has been great since then until this past January. He again seemed like he was having mouth issues and was loosing weight. We took him to an ER vet and our normal vet followed up and he had another dental surgery. From February to the beginning of this month he had been doing well. Not a ton of weight gain but some and we chalked it up to him being older. Around the beginning of this month, maybe a week into April he seemed to start getting lethargic and really dropping weight. We scheduled an appointment with a new vet in town (our usual vet is a mobile practice and they take a long time to get to you) and the tests showed through X-Rays, blood tests, etc. — visible masses and high WBC counts.

They prescribed prednisone via pill on Friday and for the life of me I could not get any in him. I felt so horrible holding him while he was resisting, his small fragile bony body I just did not want to hurt him. We called first thing this past Monday morning and got him in. They administered a depo-Medrol(?) injection and have a follow up appointment in a few weeks. Allegedly this steroid (as would the pill) will help him perk up some and should make him want to eat more. They said if he’s responding well they’ll consider a liquid form next time. I guess provided he starts eating more.

I’m coming here to ask you all, anyone ever been through this? Did you notice a perk up or eating increase a few days after, etc.? As dumb as a question this is, has anyone found anything that’ll help a cat with cancer beyond medications or anything vet prescribed. I’m reading that this steroid — it could take few days to kick in. He is starting to SLOWLY eat more and I’m giving him anything he’ll eat… but it is a slow process. Boiled chicken, all kinda of pate food, kitten soft treats, tuna puree, literally anything he’ll eat I’m down for it (as long as it is safe). Historically (and currently for Bella and Clem) he eats and likes his dry Hills Science Diet kibble. He is normally a 13-14lb cat and now weights 8.4lbs. He seems OK, still very tired, not running around, still enjoying some attention and what not but he is very much so lethargic.

I know his time is limited and we’re now in him autumn weeks of his life. But I want to keep him comfortable and give him the best he can get. I do think he still has time with us but I want to pull out all the stops to give him a fighting chance without pain, suffering and or misery for him.

Man this one is tough, we’ve had him and Bella since they were 6 months old and he’s my buddy. I feel so bad as 3 weeks ago, I got home late as I usually do on Friday nights and his go-to is to hop up on me and want to be affectionate. I kept pushing him off/brushing him off as I wanted to look up ATV parts on my phone. Sometimes you never know when the last moments or times for things may be. Just want to go back a few months.

Here is a pic of my buddy. View attachment 276461
Click to expand...
I'm very sorry and know how this feels. His mouth may still be an issue with him.so see if he will, better, eat the softer foods he likes. If he is still not eating, enough, perhaps nutritional IVs could help him get more calories. God bless you and Charlie
 
When they find some quiet corner that is hidden and not their usual place, and curl up and don't want to come get treats or water, it time. They know when it's their last hours, and seek to find a safe spot where no other animal will attack them.
 
Not to get into it because it still upsets me, we lost our cat to cancer of the upper GI tract going on three years ago. The vet put her on prednisone and it certainly helped but it wasn't a cure. We were told it would just stop working in 2-3 years and they were right. Aiko eventually went downhill quick so it made the decision to put her down easier.

Anyway, giving her the prednisone was difficult at first. Initially it was in liquid form and we (it was a two-person job) had to squirt it in her mouth with a syringe which she absolutely hated. My wife looked into it and she was able to get it in a paste form instead that a measured amount was applied to the inside of Aiko's ears and absorbed that way. That made it very easy and she really didn't mind it.
 
Sorry to hear about your sick little buddy. It's amazing how attached we get to our pets sometimes.

My cat had a cough, and the doc prescribed prednisone, in tablet form. Talk about painful to administer. More so for me, than him. Anyway, I had to practically stuff the pill down his little throat, otherwise he would spit it out. And the little stinker learned to hold it in his mouth, and spit it out when I wasn't looking.
 
I’ve had cats all my life. They have passed with different ailments. The one I had with cancer that died did not improve on her eating. We knew she had little time so we let her pretty much do what she wanted. We just made her as comfy as possible and always showed her love. One night, she walked out the open garage door, heading for the big field across the srtreet. She made it to my neighbors open garage and passed away in there. It is really hard when they go, no matter the cause. She never seemed to change after her meds, for better or worse. Just the last day of her life she was lethargic.
 
Sorry to hear about your kitty. Had a few pass and one disappear (fireworks inconsiderate neighbor)

Care and comfort only to end and you gave them a great life.
 
It seems that when cats develop dental problems, it's usually a sign of something bigger going on. In other words, the dental problems won't be the only thing going on with the cat, but are a symptom.

Very sorry about your buddy. I've been through the same sadness several times.
 
Had my cat that was around 20yrs old put down a few years back. They came to the house to do it and i was with her till she took her last breath. Hit me like a freight train. I didnt think it would bother me as much as it did. I want another but im just not ready still.Maybe someday . Good luck to you with your kitty.
 
I didn't even really like cats much until the wife brought home a couple ferrel kittens that were born in a garage from some random passerby cat. One of them turned into my best little buddy. I'm sorry to hear this and I wish I could say something that would help. Enjoy the time you have with your friend and try to make they as comfortable as possible. I think that's about the best you can do for them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

C
Meet Winston the kitten
Replies
11
Views
487
Chris142
slo town
End of life experience during my Dad's passing
2 3
Replies
49
Views
2K
bbhero
9
Saved co-worker from "I want to buy your car" scam
2
Replies
22
Views
831
02SE
A
Putting a Dog to Rest Forever, our journey will come to a close this month
4 5 6
Replies
116
Views
4K
alarmguy
P
Uninsured motorist rant
2 3
Replies
53
Views
1K
Sumboodie
Back
Top Bottom