Cat Has Cysts. Freaking Out. Does She Have A Chance?

[alybo5]

Hi guys.

I have a persian cat who is three years old (human years) and lately she's been behaving really weird. When we got her neutered the vet left some part which still enables her to go in heat. This time she was on heat twice in a month. Her nose was runny and her voice became hoarse. We called the vet, he checked her and said this could be cysts in her abdomen/etc.. And to get an ultrasound tomorrow. I am freaking out. She was my mum's cat until I lost my mum to cancer last year.. If our cat goes through the same it'll be very painful. Vet says if she has cysts we'll need surgery.. But what are the risk factors? I really can't imagine losing her If someone here has had a cat who went through the same please tell me what to do.

 

[arouetta]

Take a deep breath.

First, cysts are not cancer. They are these little fluid filled sacs (or sometimes air filled). Often they can be left alone, unless their location is causing pain or other issues. If removal is needed, there is surgery, there is also needle aspiration. Ask why surgery would be needed instead of leaving them be or needle aspiration; is he planning on removing whatever was left in her from the spay?

Second, get a second opinion. It is highly doubtful that an abdominal cyst would cause a runny nose. You want to make sure there's not a URI going on. And maybe a different vet would have a different take on such an invasive procedure (surgery). Also if surgery is needed, a different vet might have more experience in removing reproductive tissue and will be able to stop the heats from happening at the same time as cyst removal.

Get a copy of the actual ultrasound so if you seek a second opinion, the vet has all the diagnostic information. Not just the report, the actual images. Also get more information. You did say an abdominal cyst, but the abdomen is a pretty big place with a lot of different organs and muscles and fat for a cyst to be latched onto. That information will come from the ultrasound.

A three year old cat is a good candidate for surgery. Don't skip the pre-op blood tests unless you absolutely can't afford that and surgery, as on the off chance there's a problem that will reveal it. But three years old, not likely there is a problem. Schedule the surgery between the heats so there is less blood in the lower abdomen; I've known vets who flat out will not do a spay during a heat because of the bleeding risk.

 

[denice]

If they are ovarian cysts then the issue is easily fixed by surgically removing the ovaries. A feline version of polycystic ovarian syndrome is actually common in cats Cystic ovarian syndrome - Cat I would think that a cat that still has ovaries and doesn't mate would be at greater risk given how the cat's reproductive system works. Mating stimulates ovulation. If the cat doesn't mate then there is no ovulation which I would think would increase the chances of cysts forming.