A cat can be near death and appear fine. Regular check ups, and wet food helps to keep teeth healthy. I selfishly let my 18yr cat go too long and well, never again.
cats and cancer
- Thread starter redhat
- Start date
We lost my 11 yr old babycat and 8 yr old dog guardian to spleen cancer. According to some there is a chance of pets getting spleen cancer from some shots they get.
I’d try fenbendazole for the cancer.
(Click above to see Dr. John Campbell video.)
It’s showing promise in various human forms of cancer.
(Click above to see Dr. John Campbell video.)
It’s showing promise in various human forms of cancer.
It doesn't work. The drug isn't absorbed by the digestive system of cats.
Thank you all for sharing your thoughts and your experiences. We are pretty well keeping in touch with our vet and keeping him close by. He is eating something every day, albeit not what I think is enough but he seems comfortable. He'll walk around for a little bit, with his tail up and meow for us to come by him close and pet him a little bit. Then he'll wander off and sleep for a while then come out.
That's our plan for now just to keep him comfortable unless we see a major decline or change. It is just so sad seeing him and the thought of him gone kills me. But it isn't about us and our feelings but making sure he isn't suffering. Ugh.
My other two cats, Clem and Bella must be super in tune to what is going on. Clem who normally gravitates towards my wife has been by my side every chance and Bella more frequently hopping up on my lap sitting with me at night. They also go up to Charlie and check on him but don't stress him out or try to cause him any trouble (the usual playing or banter cats do to one another).
It is pretty wild to me to see how these two are coming up to me to almost comfort me. God bless them both, I wonder how they feel.
Thank you all.
That's our plan for now just to keep him comfortable unless we see a major decline or change. It is just so sad seeing him and the thought of him gone kills me. But it isn't about us and our feelings but making sure he isn't suffering. Ugh.
My other two cats, Clem and Bella must be super in tune to what is going on. Clem who normally gravitates towards my wife has been by my side every chance and Bella more frequently hopping up on my lap sitting with me at night. They also go up to Charlie and check on him but don't stress him out or try to cause him any trouble (the usual playing or banter cats do to one another).
It is pretty wild to me to see how these two are coming up to me to almost comfort me. God bless them both, I wonder how they feel.
Thank you all.
He hadn’t eaten since last Wednesday besides some small scraps of chicken and a couple table spoons of cream. Sunday night he tried jumping up on the bed and was too tired and missed a couple of times. He was still mobile but just looked tired.
Unfortunately yesterday, Mr. Charlie crossed over the rainbow bridge.
He was always the first to greet any company and had no problem butting his head up to their hand. There wasn’t no one whom visited that didn’t know him.
He’s at peace now.
Unfortunately yesterday, Mr. Charlie crossed over the rainbow bridge.
He was always the first to greet any company and had no problem butting his head up to their hand. There wasn’t no one whom visited that didn’t know him.
He’s at peace now.
When it's time, it's time. You were fortunately to have had such a great pet.
I'm so sorry.
I know how devastating it can be. You gave him a great life and his gift to you was his companionship.
We just put down our 15-year-old Cat. He was always great to have around, and we miss him dearly. He was starting to suffer, and we thought it best to put him down instead of putting him through a bunch of stuff that would have made him unhappy. Our Vet even recommended it.
I totally agree with your decision...sorry. No need for him to suffer needlessly. I hate parting with any pet...its one of the hardest things to do, for me, in this life.
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2025
- Messages
- 632
A Cat with kidney disease (failure) can often benefit from daily fluids. We've had several live up to 3 years past their expected "expiration date" by flushing their kidneys daily with proper fluids. Your Vet would give the best advice. It has to be done properly.
If you ever have a Cat go into seizures....
Remember that the electrical discharges in the brain that result from the seizure can result in devastating brain damage in long duration seizures. Keep their head cooled with ice wrapped in damp hand towel until they can get to medical attention.
I've lost my share of beloved Cats I call my "Kids".
It's always heart breaking.
If you ever have a Cat go into seizures....
Remember that the electrical discharges in the brain that result from the seizure can result in devastating brain damage in long duration seizures. Keep their head cooled with ice wrapped in damp hand towel until they can get to medical attention.
I've lost my share of beloved Cats I call my "Kids".
It's always heart breaking.
I read somewhere that the rabies shot gives 1 in 10000 cancer. If that's true I believe it to be much more common than reported. We lost my 9 yr old baby cat to that same cancer about 4 years ago.
It's called an injection site sarcoma and a variant of the rabies vaccine can cause it along with a variant of another vaccine (Feline Leukemia?). The cat we lost last year had this type of cancer.
Vets can order the version of the rabies vaccine that doesn't have this side effect.
His brother also has cancer. He has a couple of weeks remaining. The tumor is weeping so we're constantly blotting fluid. Our cat cleans it himself most of the time and he's in okay spirits but the tumor is causing him to waste away
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2025
- Messages
- 632
So sorry to hear about your kitties.
Spot on about the vaccines. I think the risk of cancer is significantly greater than the advice vets give.
We've lost our share to injection site sarcomas. We do not let our kids go outside so there is no exposure risk.
We avoid the vaxes for that reason.
The vets that absolutely insist on giving them will not provide free care when cancer develops.
The risk reduced vaccine version is THE ONLY one they should be administering imo.
From what I read over a year ago you want the non-adjuvant-containing vaccine. Our cats maybe received the shot 2x-3x during their lifetime. Yet one develop FISS. Unfortunately with our cats they were predisposed to developing cancer as their father died of cancer sometime in the end of the last decade.
From a public policy perspective the state is heavily incentivized to make sure rabies is controlled. While there's no reason why cats and dogs need a vaccine every year I can see why the state would instruct vets to recommend it so as to insure adequate immunity within the population.
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2025
- Messages
- 632
Yes. Rabies is a nasty disease.
If I had my way, they would only be allowed to give the safer vaccine.
I'd rather see more of my tax dollars going to beings that actually contribute something.
FIV is the feline analogue to HIV in humans, and it causes feline AIDS. The virus is rampant in feral and stray cats in much of the US. An FIV vaccine had been available, but was pulled off the market several years ago because (1) it wasn't very effective and healthy cats kept indoors didn't really need it, and (2) it caused injection-site sarcomas too.
Our 12+ year old Cheesy (aka "old man") used to be an indoor-outdoor cat for most of his life. He got in his share of skirmishes and ended up FIV-positive. He got very sick a few times before he was diagnosed. At that point, we forced him to be indoor only, which really pissed him off. Despite being fixed at a young age, he started spraying in the house. We tried opening up the basement to him (it's unfinished) and that helped a little (he sprays down there about half the time). We also let him out on our two screened-in porches for extended "outside" time (it's not the same, he tells us.) Recently, I'd say in the past 6 months, I started taking him outside on supervised backyard walks. He usually just smells the bushes, rolls in the dirt and catmint, and sprays wherever the heck he wants. Sometimes he watches the squirrels. He will occasionally try to hop the fence, but I stay close enough to discourage it and if necessary, take him inside. Just this afternoon, we spent 30 minutes patrolling the backyard and he had a blast! It does make him happier in his twilight years. He seems to be fairly healthy at such an old age, with FIV. We count our blessings, because we know his time could come at any time. He is a few months from his 13th birthday and other than being a bit slower, and having a gravely throat (his meows sometimes are silent, sometimes a "smoker's meow") is still the same Cheesy from a few years ago. I'm trying to give him the best possible life for his remaining time with us.
