Am I a monster for not wanting to operate?

[LuLudwig]

I hope you guys can give advice without judging me. It's really hard for me since vets and friends have already condemned me for it.

Years ago I adopted a stray cat after she was hit by a car. Her life was hanging by a thread, her body was shattered and she went through two months of surgery (broken ribs, broken legs, neutering and removal of one side of mammary glands). There's virtually no place she hasn't been cut and that was one of the most stressful periods of my (and probably hers) life.

Five years have passed since then and we've been really happy together.

6 months ago a lump appeared on her lower abdomen - doctors think it's mammary cancer (why didn't the previous vets remove the other side of glands is beyond me!!!) and of course, they are pressing me to biopsy and then operate. I think I don't want to do it. Not again.

It's absolutely not a question of money. But I don't want to put her through being cut and opened up all over again, not to mention she is now older (I don't know her exact age, but by vet estimates she's currently around 8-10). I know some cancers spread quicker after a biopsy. What if she deteriorates faster after that...

I have lost a pet to surgery before. I am very wary.

She is still lively and is eating well most of the time (1 or 2 days a month she refuses food). I do take her to the vet for blood screening but every time I do, I get shouted at for being irresponsible for not removing the tumor. I feel it's better to care for her as long as she has and when the moment comes (whenever that is), put her to sleep while she's in my arms, and not at the doctor's cabinet.

Does this decision make me a horrible person? Has anyone else ever decided not to go for it?

 

[Pjg8r]

Did the vet give you any kind of prognosis with or without treatment? It’s harder for me to give you my opinion without any idea about that but here goes- We as humans plan ahead and anticipate events in a month or a year or longer. Cats don’t do that. They live for the moment, the sunbeam to rest in, their next meal. If your cat has a good quality of life now and you make the decision not to do the surgery, your cat will enjoy each day with you for as long as it lasts until you need to make the hard decision that the quality of life has diminished too much. As long as you don’t begin to second guess yourself and regret making that choice when treatment options may no longer exist, I understand making that choice.

 

[LuLudwig]

Did the vet give you any kind of prognosis with or without treatment? It’s harder for me to give you my opinion without any idea about that but here goes- We as humans plan ahead and anticipate events in a month or a year or longer. Cats don’t do that. They live for the moment, the sunbeam to rest in, their next meal. If your cat has a good quality of life now and you make the decision not to do the surgery, your cat will enjoy each day with you for as long as it lasts until you need to make the hard decision that the quality of life has diminished too much. As long as you don’t begin to second guess yourself and regret making that choice when treatment options may no longer exist, I understand making that choice.

Thank you for this reply.

The two vets I have visited don't want to give prognosis before biopsy. "We have no way of knowing until we understand what type of growth it is" they say and I kind of understand that, but... well, you know. They are not liable for anything and it's up to me to take the risk and live with it.

It has happened to me before that I took my pet to get operated, they opened her up and called me to say "Well, things are bad, there's nothing we can do. It's best to not wake her up at all" which was absolutely devastating.

 

[stephenq]

My understanding is that mammary cancer if caught early enough has treatment options, surgery is the primary treatment and that cats can live 3 years post surgery if its small enough when caught. According to the article below almost all mammary tumors are malignant.

If it's malignant and it hasn't spread, I think the question you could ask yourself is do i put my cat through a little discomfort now (and it will be a little post-op discomfort for probably 2-3 days managed with quality pain medication i.e. minor discomfort (We had a cat who had a 6" incision for a major operation and he appeared to be fine if a little groggy for 1 couple of days after) vs, if I don't have biopsy/surgery and it's malignant (again the stats say it probably is), how will I manage her discomfort once it becomes advanced? In other words, let's say she's fine for 6 months and then one day she stops eating and becomes lethargic, do you take her in, have an exam and if it's spread (say its visible on xray or ultrasound) euthanize her right then (1-2 days of moderate to significant discomfort) or do you try and manage it a bit longer with pain meds and maybe achieve a few more days, maybe weeks with mild to an unknown degree of discomfort?

What my question is really trying to get at is what's your plan for end of life care? When you found her, surgery was traumatic because of the extent of her injuries. Surgery now shouldn't be very bad at all. You didn't say how old she is and that's a big factor. We also don't know if she has been fully evaluated for surgery from a safety point of view.

Mammary Tumors in Cats | Manhattan Cat Specialists

 

[kittyluv387]

For a possible tumour I might not go for biopsy if the cat in question is really old, like 15+. At 8-10 she still could have a lot of life left in her because a lot of cats do tend to live quite a bit longer than that. And the hard part is you really can't plan her end of life care unless you know the prognosis from biopsy. I don't think you're a monster, you obviously care about your cat. But I don't think you really can make the best decision without knowing what you're dealing with. Just because you do a biopsy doesn't mean you have to go further with treatment.

 

[Willowy]

At this age I think I'd do it. But I'd have the entire thing removed, no biopsy first. It has to come off whether it's malignant or not. They can biopsy it afterward, or just call it good because it's gone. I wouldn't do chemo though.

I do understand about being worried about them getting her open and finding out that the cancer has spread everywhere, and having to put her down without saying goodbye. Would your vet allow you to be present when she's sedated for surgery so you can be with her while she falls asleep?

 

[fionasmom]

You are not a monster for not wanting to operate. I lost a dog once during a surgery that he should not have had under the circumstances, so I understand what you are afraid of happening.

When I say that the dog should not have had the surgery though, I mean that I was an idiot for being talked into it as he was in the late stages of Cushings. He was also older than your cat.

Pulling together some of what others have said, if you are afraid of the extent of the tumor and fear that you would not see your cat again, I would ask to be present for the sedation before surgery. They might tell you that liability does not allow you in the operating room, but it would seem that they could give the sedative shot in an examining room.

Did the vet feel that your cat is up for having surgery in the first place, use of anesthesia, etc? Ever since my loss of Frankie, that has been tantamount in my mind any time anyone needs surgery. If the cat will easily tolerate the surgery, that might be another consideration.

I have done biopsies without proceeding to surgeries, and have done surgeries without biopsies. Those are both valid positions and your vet should be able to help you make that choice.

Can you consult with other facilities? Specialty surgery centers or oncologists, or teaching hospitals. Of course, this depends on where you live and how easily you could get to another facility. It does not mean that your vet is not competent and referrals are very common in cases where they are needed.