Cats and chemotherapy

Hinni

I've had my cat to the vets today for blood tests and a biopsy. She's 9 yrs old and both of her kidneys are enlarged. The vet suspects that its lymphoma but we won't know until the test results are back on Tues.
Anyway, my question is - the vet suggested chemo and I wondered whether anyone else had gone with this treatment for their cat. Any info you have would be gratefully received.
I love my cat dearly and want to do the best for her and if I can extend her life without her being in pain then at least we will have a bit more time together.
Thanks for listening.

MRSTITTLEMOUSE

My cat Thomas,had lymphoma.He became very down over a couple of weeks and then within two days a lump(half the size of his head) came up at the side of his neck.On removal of the lump the biopsy diagnosed lymphoma.
Thomas started chemo,he had it weekly and we gave it to him ourselves,which was no problem just a couple of pills..He was checked weekly then fortnightly in between chemo sessions by the vet.
You do have to be careful with the pills they give you.Our vet nurse was not allowed to touch them as she was pregnant as they are obviously very toxic.The medication Thomas had was exactly the same drug human cancer patients take for this condition,we were told.
We were also told never to handle the pills without rubber gloves and to not let the cat dribble on you in the week during chemo and to wear gloves when emptying litter trays and empty food and water bowls.
Thomas did'nt realy seem to be affected by the treatment his fur did'nt drop out but his whiskas did and when they grew back they were all curly.He was on steroids at the same time and these made him eat and eat.He was a big cat to start with but ended up as our vet put it "a very big lad indeed".
We were told that the prognosis for Thomas was anything up to 3 years.He lived for 3 months from diagnosis and I can assure you showed no signs of pain.He would probably have lived a lot longer however his brother and constant companion,George was also diagnosed with another form cancer after him.When his brother George stopped eating during the last stages so did Thomas.Sadly they both died on the same day aged 15.
I am very sorry about your cat,I realy do feel that chemo is something to consider though.It will give your cat a chance and it did'nt seem a big deal for Thomas,honestly he seemed totally unbothered by the whole thing.Let us know how you get on.Good luck.xxx

Hinni

Thanks so much for your reply. I'm sorry to hear about your boys but it was nice to hear your story - thank you.
I'm dreading Tues when we get the results. If chemo is an option, I'm definately going to go for it. The strange thing is that she seems fine at the moment. Last week she was moping around, you could see that she wasn't happy but since she's had the biopsy, she seems back to her old self. Normally when she comes back from the vets she goes straight upstairs and sulks under the bed but this time she was fine. She ate, drank, went outside to roll in the dust and was generally in good form. I don't know, maybe I'm building a bit of false hope here. Fingers crossed for Tuesday.
I'll keep you posted on what happends. Thanks again.

Hinni

I've report you john_jsr ! Go away! How insensitive! Tut!

snowman2_2

Please bear in mind that there are other explanations for enlarged kidneys, kidney disease in older cats is very common and it is not necessarily cancer. The blood tests and biopsy should give you and your vet a much better idea of what is going on.

Hinni

Had the blood test results which show that she has renal failure. She has been given a renal diet (she doesn't like the wet food so have ordered some dry) and some Fortekor tablets. Won't know details of biopsy for another couple of weeks. She seems a bit brighter in herself though which I'm really pleased about.

Hinni

Just a quick update.
My poorly puss is now on a 24 hr drip as she hasn't eaten for 3 days. We are hoping that she will be well enough to travel the 2 hr car journey for her chemo referral check up this week. Keeping everything crossed but not very hopeful. I'm really upset but there's not much more I can do.

Hinni

Quick update.
Poorly puss has just come back from her first chemo session. It only took 2 hours and she has eaten a hugh bowl of meat for the first time in a week! Really pleased that it has gone well - so far. The treatment is for 25 weeks and although it won't cure her, it can prolong her life for anything up to 3 years. Will keep you updated.

kaflinkle

Our cat was diagnosed with Lymphoma and was given 6 weeks to live.

the first vet we saw suggested we put her down as it wasn't cost effective to treat her with Chemo. I suggested to him that I put him down.

Cat's respond to Chemo very well and do not really suffer side effects either.

We also used homeopathic treatment as well.

The only problem with Chemo is the (second) vet recommended it be given via drip or whatever they do but our cat was very feisty and would growl, spit, scratch or bite, etc so my OH had to administer the pills.

Between the homeopathic treatment and the chemo, she went on to live for another 18 months which was fantastic.

Hinni

Hi Kafinkle.
I agree with everything you said. I just had to give my cat a chance - she's like my surragate child so I couldn't have her put down unless it was really necessary. I also have insurance so that helps.
Can I ask what homeopathic treatment you used? I want to help her as best as I can.
Thanks,
Hinni

kaflinkle

I cannot remember exactly what treatment she was on but this is the place I went to https://www.naturalmedicinecentre.co.uk/

The vets name is Richard Allport who used to be a conventional vet before becoming treating with homeopathic renmedies so I knew he wasn't going to be some type of mad quack!

I'm not sure where you live though, Potters Bar might be too far from you.