Cat has lymphoma and three months max

TBeckett100

took the cat in with a cough on saturday and vet found a lump. Cat has FIV virus from his former life locked in akitchen with 60 cats and it seems to have moved on. cat is looking miserable today

the vet gave me three options

1) pallative care - daily pill of anti inflammatory to ease his irritation
2) take a sample of the tumour and diagonse (£250) and then a course of chemo each week for 8 weeks and then less frequently. Option 2 will add they say more months to his life, yet i think it is prolonging what is going to happen to the 10 year old cat and make him more miserable.
3) put him down there and then, but was advised against this.

As a responsible cat owner i feel i have a dury to provide whatever care i can (irrespective of cost). However, i have taken option 1 (no point having the inevitable diagnosed as vet was pretty sure)

part of me thinks I should prolong his life, but if he is going to die anyway, i may as well give him the pills until the day he stops eating and then take him back in.

do you think I am doing the right thing?

jess1974

I think you are doing the right thing,i would have gone with option 1 aswell xxx

Sagz_2

Yes, I would (and have in the past) gone for option 1 - it just seems the sensible way to me.

Option 2 may buy you some time, but at the cost of putting kitty through the stress and discomfort of vet visits.

Option 3, it's just not time yet.

So sorry to hear about your cat x after the start he had in life he was lucky to find his way to you where he is loved and looked after. I hope he enjoys the summer xx

bluebeary

im very sorry to hear about your cat, i think your doing the right thing though, sounds like youve got a very good vet, all the best x

TBeckett100

the horrible thing is this is the second cat from the same house of horrors that hasnt made it.

the first was ok until we went away for a weekend, came back and he was smelling bad ad lost weight. found out that he had kidney problems and we were given a choice between putting cat to sleep or having an operation with 10% chance of survival. he survied the op but i knew at 9pm that evening when the vet number flashed up that was that. at the time it was upsetting but when i look back it is in the past so i know that time puts things in perspective.

we had to put a cat to sleep on holiday in greece two years back. it was midnight and we saw a car hit a cat and basically broke its back, its chest was inflated heavily and he crawled off through to a villa's garden. the girl promised she would check back the next day and take him to the vet, but when we drove by (accidentally on purpose) i found the cat still alive where we had left him, we drove for an hour and i remember standing in the vet surgery with my bermuda shorts and sunnies on being asked "would you like to bury him".

err no.

the vet said mine may have 3 months, but looking at lolo tonight, i dont think he will manage that. Animals eh, who would have them - followed closely with the words "no more pets"

tcr_3

We lost a cat to FIV in the early 1990's. We went for option 1 too.

Looking back, I wish we'd been a bit more "proactive" (is that the right word ? I don't think it is). The cat deteriorated beyond the point where she was living a happy life. She started sleeping a lot, went off her food ... still managed some food here and there but started to lose weight. She seemed pain free, just sat on the windowsill on her blanket, watching the world go by.

But we let that continue for another couple of weeks, we shouldn't have. The vet didn't suggest she be put to sleep during those weeks, either. He said afterwards that every owner knows when the time's right. Looking back, I don't think he was right ... we should've intervened a bit earlier, can't speak for OH but I know it's been on my conscience a bit ever since.

geri1965_2

tcr wrote: »

Looking back, I wish we'd been a bit more "proactive" (is that the right word ? I don't think it is). The cat deteriorated beyond the point where she was living a happy life. She started sleeping a lot, went off her food ... still managed some food here and there but started to lose weight. She seemed pain free, just sat on the windowsill on her blanket, watching the world go by.

But we let that continue for another couple of weeks, we shouldn't have. The vet didn't suggest she be put to sleep during those weeks, either. He said afterwards that every owner knows when the time's right. Looking back, I don't think he was right ... we should've intervened a bit earlier, can't speak for OH but I know it's been on my conscience a bit ever since.

I went through similar with Spook last year when she had cancer. I was desperately looking for guidance from my vet, but every time we took her he would say "Well, she still seems quite bright..." and give her more injections/tablets. In the end her legs gave way, she stopped eating and we thought "now is the time" - however, he still thought she had some time left, which amazed me, but he said he understood why we wanted to let her go.

I think most people have doubts about whether they did the right thing time wise, but we can only do our best, and with the best intentions.

calmspirit

sending hugs, how lucky was that cat to find someone as caring as you......and who cares enough to consider the options.

I would also say option 1 as I am not sure I could put my pets through the stress of that treatment for the sake of a possible few months longer ....... pets eh ?! so very hard but you know in your heart you will do the right thing for him when the time comes.

words dont quite cover it do they?

hugs

Dizzy_Ditzy

I'm sorry to hear the prognosis :-(

I think you are right to go with option 1. You will know when its time for option 3.

orlao

I'm so sorry.

FWIW, I think you are doing the right thing - I have no problem with option 2 if it would provide a possible cure or even a substantial amount of extra time but for a few months? I don't think I would do it either.

IME, some vets don't like to suggest PTS, maybe because they're afraid of being "blamed" by the client? But I firmly believe the maxim of better a month too early than a day too late and I also believe that all we can do for our pets is our best and that the guilt afterwards is normal....

loulou123

I think your doing the right thing (its exactly the option i chose when my dog got unoperable cancer) its my opinion that option 2 is only an option if there is a real chance of the animal getting better, not just to prolong its life for a few weeks/months.

Also agree that at time vets can be almost too pushy that you should try X Y and Z before even thinking about PTS your pet, but i agree with orlao above that its better to always wonder if you did it too early, rather than wish you had done it sooner.