Pets with Cancer

[crystalstars17]

I thought I would start this thread for anyone here who may have prior experience with this to share their stories and for anyone else who may be going through the same thing.

The last two months have been a rather nightmarish whirlwind. In November we found a lump on our cat's belly. We took her in to the vet as soon as possible and had it aspirated. The cytology came back as malignant. The lump was a 1cm mammary tumor. These tumors are malignant 85-90% of the time in cats, and it's very aggressive. We took the soonest possible appointment for it to be surgically removed.

Surgery day was December 14. The surgeon called me once Kitty (her real name is quite unusual, so for the sake of both our identities we'll leave it at that) was sedated and explained that we had a choice: remove the lump only and risk having to put her through a second surgery in two weeks after the pathology came back, or to do it all now. Everything I had read pointed to the gold standard in mammary tumor surgery being the removal of the entire mammary chain on that side - a radical mastectomy. It was a difficult choice, but we went through with it.

My poor baby came home with a scary looking incision from her armpit to her groin, a necessary evil. I took time out of work to take care of her, and a good thing I did, because with the stress and worry and round the clock care I wasn't getting much sleep. That first two or three days after the surgery were harrowing because though I knew we did the right thing, I hated seeing her in that condition. But she improved by the day, and aside from developing a cold during her recovery (and an extra vet visit to be safe), by Christmas she had turned the corner and was coming around, though still on three meds round the clock. I was back at work, but feeling guilty for not being home every hour with her.

On Thursday we took her for her two-week recheck and the pathology results. Though the tumor, which turned out to be an adenocarcinoma, had been relatively small, because of how fast this type of cancer advances in cats there were cancer cells found in the lymph nodes that were necessarily removed along with the other tissues. She was given a diagnosis of stage three cancer. We were referred to an oncologist, and her next step will be chemotherapy. Without it, metastasis to her organs from her bloodstream would eventually happen, and we would be lucky to have her with us for another year.

It's all so surreal that we have suddenly been fighting so hard for her life. It has all happened so fast. She's our baby. It's all like a bad dream and I want to wake up. 😭

Has anyone here had experience with a pet with cancer? I appreciate any of your stories, or just plain old support, with sincerest thanks in advance. And if anyone else is going through this now, I'm here for you too.

[wolfking]

Jesus, that's awful.  What's the prognosis if you go through with the chemo?  How old is she also just out of interest?

We've never had pets with cancer but knowing when to make the decision for what's best for them is certainly never easy, and we are always selfish in that thinking I think (Not meaning you just us as owners in general).  What do the experts recommend?  You gotta think the state she will be in the whole time and weigh that up also IMO.  It's cold and hard but I'd simply be guided by the experts.

If the success rate is near 100% then you'd think you'd do all you can.  Obviously cost comes into it too.

[Cool Chris]

These stories really move me, and thus I tend not to contribute to them.

A couple years ago out of the blue my wife commented that our (my) cat was looking thin. I stupidly had not noticed, and picked her up and she definitely was thinner than usual. I made a vet appt that wasn't for a couple days, and by then she was acting very lethargic. After checking her out, the vet said it was likely kidney failure. They said there wasn't anything they could so, but I could give her some treatment at home, but would just prolong things for so long. I declined, and did my best to make her comfortable at home. Within 2 weeks she was dead. I still don't know if that was preferable to a drawn out period of vet appts, treatments, medications, and such, as it sounds like you are enduring right now.

Keep taking care of your dear cat, and cherish every moment.

[ProfessorPeart]

Had a Sheltie dog that developed cancer. He was 10 years old at the time and a large tumor was growing on his snout. It took a bit of time, but eventually he stopped eating and drinking. Due to where the tumor was and his age, there was not much that could be done and I can guarantee my Dad would not have shelled out the money even though he was one of the best dogs ever.

I put him down the day before we brought my daughter home after being born. She never got to meet him and that always made me sad. He was such an awesome dog.

Somewhere in the Dog thread you will find the pain we went through with our Australian Shepard that developed diabetes and we put him down at 10 years old as well. The last year of his life sucked hard because before the diabetes he still had the energy of a puppy.

[bout to crash]

I'm sorry, that is hard

I had a cat that was diagnosed with lymphoma when he was 12 (turns out he had most of the risk factors for it- age/sex/breed/lived in a smoking household prior to mine). The vet suggested chemo, but when I did the research I found that chemo would only extend his life by maybe six months. I'm a hospice worker, so have a bit of a different philosophy on this stuff than many- I was not about to spend thousands of dollars and put him through all that stress for a few extra months of life.
Vet put him on steroids to boost his energy and appetite, and I spoiled him the best I could for the rest of his life- a little under 2mos. I had a house call vet come out to euthanize him which was a really awesome experience and how I now prefer to handle these situations when they arise if possible.

I hope your baby gets a lot more time, but I would definitely recommend doing some research about the odds/potential outcomes before you do everything possible. Quantity doesn't mean much if there isn't a lot of quality.

[Orbert]

Our first kitty, Samantha, started hiding behind the couch more and more, not eating, and a trip to the vet revealed some kind of tumor on her ear that I'd hope we would've noticed if she wasn't always hiding.  We also had a newer kitty, Josephine, who was a typical tabby and full of energy, so Samantha hid behind the couch to get away from her, and we didn't realize at first that Samantha was just plain not hanging around at all.  She basically spent all her time behind the couch.  We scheduled surgery to remove the tumor, which was malignant, and they were "pretty sure" that they got it all, but you can never be 100% sure.  Or so they told us.  Our son had been born, my new job was not panning out the way it was supposed to, and my wife was having trouble finding a job after taking time off to have our son, so money was very tight at the time.

After the surgery, Samantha was better for a while, but after a few months she started hiding behind the couch again.  The tumor had grown back.  Newborn son, a total of five mouths to feed on one income, and having another surgery would really hurt us financially, so it was pretty much out of the question.  We put food and water behind the couch so she could stay back there all the time, which I'm sure sucked, but somehow putting her down seemed even worse.  One night she came out and my wife picked her up and carried her into my office crying, asking if there was any way we could afford the surgery.  Well, the vet takes credit cards, and what the hell, it's only money.  We decided to call the next day to schedule another operation.  Samantha died overnight.  She had come out the night before to say goodbye to us.  That's the only thing that makes sense, as she'd stayed back there for a month straight, but came out for some last pets, then passed away.

[crystalstars17]

Jesus, that's awful.  What's the prognosis if you go through with the chemo?  How old is she also just out of interest?

She's 11. Without any further treatment, the prognosis is fair to poor (less than 1 year). With treatment, 3 to 6 years, which, on the higher end, at her age is at or close to a normal lifespan.

What do the experts recommend?  You gotta think the state she will be in the whole time and weigh that up also IMO.  It's cold and hard but I'd simply be guided by the experts.

If the success rate is near 100% then you'd think you'd do all you can.  Obviously cost comes into it too.

We still have yet to see the oncologist (the referral came last week and waiting for an appointment is driving me nuts because I just want to take her in yesterday), but as I've reached a point where I've done everything on my end to get the ball rolling, our vet is reaching out to expedite the intake process. I pray her efforts have wings. There's also a second choice hospital (only second choice because it involves more traveling) that, if they can get her in sooner we could consider but the glowing reviews from both vets and colleagues for the nearby hospital make me want to stick with it.

Of course I have already been told that chemo, radiation, etc in animals is meant not to cure the pet (the treatments are less aggressive than in humans) but to control the disease. Best case scenario is that we could achieve remission.

[crystalstars17]

I still don't know if that was preferable to a drawn out period of vet appts, treatments, medications, and such, as it sounds like you are enduring right now.

What I'm trying to avoid honestly is a second surgery. I don't know what's more cruel, doing the often-suggested second radical mastectomy, or not doing it. I'm inclined to only do this as a last resort, only if another mass is found on that side. I feel that doing it prophylactically would just be putting her through hell again unnecessarily, especially at her age. My gut just says no, unless it becomes apparent that the second surgery would be the only way to save her life.

Keep taking care of your dear cat, and cherish every moment.

Yes, indeed 💙 We're spoiling her rotten. New (smaller, so she doesn't need to jump as high) cat tree, new bed, blankets all over my house, and all the toys from her toy box out on the floor at her disposal, like a kid on Christmas morning. I'm basically letting her take over my house, lol (we have an adorable video of her rolling around in toys 😻). Thank you for sharing your story.

[crystalstars17]

Somewhere in the Dog thread you will find the pain we went through with our Australian Shepard that developed diabetes and we put him down at 10 years old as well. The last year of his life sucked hard because before the diabetes he still had the energy of a puppy.

Thank you for your story. I relate to the "energy of a puppy" part because our lovely girl still thinks she's a kitten. She doesn't act 11 at all, you would think she's no older than 3 or at most 5. She's so full of life. You'd never know she was a sick cat. 😿 I'm hoping this means she's got the fight in her to kick this thing.

I hope your baby gets a lot more time, but I would definitely recommend doing some research about the odds/potential outcomes before you do everything possible. Quantity doesn't mean much if there isn't a lot of quality.

Thank you (and for sharing your experience). I'm researching incessantly, to the point where my husband and my friend are saying "stop", but I want to be as armed with the facts as I possibly can be. I want to keep the reality of what we're fighting against in mind, but I also know that if I didn't do everything in my power to help her then my conscience wouldn't ever let me have peace. Yet at the same time, I don't want to put her through any unnecessary suffering. My goal is to strike a balance between doing enough and not doing too much. I also realize that there may come a time when the best choice is palliative care only, though I'm hoping that's not very soon.

After the surgery, Samantha was better for a while, but after a few months she started hiding behind the couch again.  The tumor had grown back.  Newborn son, a total of five mouths to feed on one income, and having another surgery would really hurt us financially, so it was pretty much out of the question.  We put food and water behind the couch so she could stay back there all the time, which I'm sure sucked, but somehow putting her down seemed even worse.  One night she came out and my wife picked her up and carried her into my office crying, asking if there was any way we could afford the surgery.  Well, the vet takes credit cards, and what the hell, it's only money.  We decided to call the next day to schedule another operation.  Samantha died overnight.  She had come out the night before to say goodbye to us.  That's the only thing that makes sense, as she'd stayed back there for a month straight, but came out for some last pets, then passed away.

I'm so sorry for your loss 😪 and thank you for your post. Just two months ago I was ignorant to the fact that cancer in animals was so common. I never dreamed we'd be so suddenly fighting for her life.

I already know that I want to start being active toward the cause of preventing cancer, especially breast cancer, in cats. It's apparently so common that I believe they need to find better methods of early detection, like we have for humans. If my kitty could've had a mammogram last year, who knows, we may not be where we are with this today.

[wolfking]

She's 11. Without any further treatment, the prognosis is fair to poor (less than 1 year). With treatment, 3 to 6 years, which, on the higher end, at her age is at or close to a normal lifespan.

If you're prepared for it emotionally and financially, that's not a bad trade off honestly.  At worst you get what, an extra 2 years, that's a good outcome.  As you mentioned though, you've done all you can for your specialist appointment, all you can do is wait until then.  The waiting I know would be excruciating.

[lightningbolt]

I'm so sorry, I know exactly what you're going through.  Within the past 4 years, we've had two dogs and two cats die from cancer (3 of those were within a gut wrenching 6-month period).  One dog was my wife's favorite pet of all time and one was the cat I referred to as my best friend.  Fortunately, our first child was born during that stretch, which helped take some of the sting/focus away from what went down.  It would have been very bleak otherwise.

We've never had the option to do chemo, but have had surgery done on two of our pets to remove tumors and radiation therapy on one dog.  None ended up having the life expectancy anticipated post surgery (not even the low end outcome, not close) and the vet botched the surgery for one of our dogs.  I know this isn't universal, but my experience is that the veterinarians are overly optimistic regarding what to expect life expectancy/quality wise.  I don't think we're ever going to go to extreme measures for a pet ever again.  It just doesn't seem to be worth while financially or emotionally, and the animal doesn't really understand what is going on.

I hope you do get several more great years with your kitty and things work out as well as possible considering the circumstances.

[crystalstars17]

As you mentioned though, you've done all you can for your specialist appointment, all you can do is wait until then.  The waiting I know would be excruciating.

Thankfully, we got a call this morning. She's going in on the morning of Jan 18. 🙏

One dog was my wife's favorite pet of all time and one was the cat I referred to as my best friend.  Fortunately, our first child was born during that stretch, which helped take some of the sting/focus away from what went down.  It would have been very bleak otherwise.

She is my favorite pet of all time. And we don't have (and never will have) children, so she's it.

I know this isn't universal, but my experience is that the veterinarians are overly optimistic regarding what to expect life expectancy/quality wise.  I don't think we're ever going to go to extreme measures for a pet ever again.  It just doesn't seem to be worth while financially or emotionally, and the animal doesn't really understand what is going on.

It's already been financially and emotionally taxing, but it doesn't feel right to deny our baby every humanly possible chance at life. That said I feel morally responsible to do whatever is doable. Still, I understand what you're saying and I definitely don't want to put her through too much suffering, especially because of what you say - they don't know what's going on, or why. With a human child you could at least communicate why they need to go to the hospital, that it may hurt, that they may feel sick for a while, etc but that it's for their own good. Not so with fur kids. I still feel terrible having put her through such a ghastly major surgery, but I had to trust the doctors. When I see the specialist I will definitely explain to them all of the things I'm considering and going through. 

I hope you do get several more great years with your kitty and things work out as well as possible considering the circumstances.

Thank you, and for sharing your experience as well. My heart goes out to you as you've had to face this four times. I'm sorry. 💔

[lightningbolt]

It's already been financially and emotionally taxing, but it doesn't feel right to deny our baby every humanly possible chance at life. 

I totally understand.  That is why we did what we did in the past (hell, we may in the future too in spite of what I said earlier).  It is very difficult for us not to try if the means are available to do so.

Best wishes to you guys and your fur baby.

[crystalstars17]

Best wishes to you guys and your fur baby.

Thank you 💙