IBD and possible lymphoma, my cat is crashing

[BellaBlue82]

Aw, they are absolutely beautiful!!
So glad to hear he's doing better. I totally understand the pet parent anxiety about small things after an enormous amount of time treating a horrible condition. It's a great feeling when the vet says everything is ok.
I hope your black kitty feels better soon as well!

 

[Ocean Planet]

Aw, they are absolutely beautiful!!
So glad to hear he's doing better. I totally understand the pet parent anxiety about small things after an enormous amount of time treating a horrible condition. It's a great feeling when the vet says everything is ok.
I hope your black kitty feels better soon as well!

Thanks! It helps to know things are OK medically, but it's still tough. He had his chemo pill last night too so he is laying around a lot today. Even though the medication is working, its hard to see these type of days.

 

[Terri Moore]

His checkup with the oncologist went pretty well. His blood levels are normal. His thyroid level also turned out to be totally normal. The Dr. thinks his accelerated breathing looks to be anxiety-based. We've checked just about everything else! Like I said, the poor guy is afraid of everything so this makes sense. They said he was 14 pounds! Gained some weight again. I couldn't believe it. He freezes on the scale so its easy to get a pretty accurate reading. Also, no UTI. That sample turned out totally normal too!

He is in such good remission that we are dropping his chemo dose from 5mg to 4mg every two weeks. The hope is that maybe he'll get some more energy. He rarely plays anymore He peps up sometimes but it's short lived these days. He turns 8 in September. Yay!

It's been a stressful year, but the Dr. ended the appointment and said along the lines of "I know this has been hard but I hope you are taking some time to take care of yourself. You cat is doing really well despite the disease"

A Dr. who cares about the owners as much as the animal. Its a blessing to have great doctors for my buddies. I try to tell them after every appointment that I appreciate what they do. Being a veterinarian is not an easy job.

Speaking of that. With all of the craziness, I never put a picture up of my buddies. The cream bengal is the one this post is about. The black kitty has colitis and I'm working with Internal Medicine now to determine if he has IBD because the normal things to try don't resolve his bathroom habits... sigh... They both had appointments this week. Time to relax this weekend.

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Wow that is some Bengal! Beautiful babies!

 

[Margot Lane]

Hi just checking in on you! Hope things are better!

 

[Ocean Planet]

Hi just checking in on you! Hope things are better!

Aw, thanks! I'd say yes...... and no. ha ha. The good news is my bengal is fine. I'm just concerned with my black kitty now. He had a consult with the internal med doctor last week to start on the journey to see if he has IBD vs. lymphoma. I'm going to need to have an endoscpopy done on him as well to confirm how to treat him. I wish I didn't have to repeat this journey two times in the same year

 

[Margot Lane]

One small thing I’ve found very helpful: Mrs. Meyer’s BASIL air freshener, for those VSP’s (very stinky poos). Cats like basil. (But definitely not lavender).

 

[Ocean Planet]

One small thing I’ve found very helpful: Mrs. Meyer’s BASIL air freshener, for those VSP’s (very stinky poos). Cats like basil. (But definitely not lavender).

Ah, OK. I'll have to try. Once I get my black kitty squared away, hopefully I won't need anything like that for a while!

 

[Ocean Planet]

Long term update on my buddy. (I'd say long-term is always good on these types of things!)

First a very note-worthy moment - His B-day was the last week of September. He turned 8!

Medication as of now:
5mg chlorambucil every 2 weeks
5mg prednisolone daily
Cerenia for about 3-4 days after the chlorambucil

That's all he is on. That is what still works. We tried to drop his chlorambucil to 4mg but I felt his stool quality went down by the 2nd week. So I put him back on 5mg. I'm not going to try to mess with it again.

My biggest challenge is he does a lot of behavior-type things that make me think he is sick but I go get him checked out and all is fine. Sometimes he loafs a lot and looks sad. Sometimes he pees frequently and then not hardly at all. This week he decided he wanted a food change out of nowhere. I thought maybe his teeth were bothering him the way he was acting. Again, I go get him checked out and nothing can be found! I just have to accept there will be swings of any sort of thing!

For example, he randomly got runny/liquid stool a couple weeks ago out of nowhere. I panicked a little because I thought "he shouldn't have that on these medications". So we gave him tylan powder for 4 days and he has gone back to normal. Could have been anything. Stress, some kind of infection, or just any random reason. *shrug*

Oh, on a side note, his younger brother (the black kitty in the picture) had an endoscope/colonoscopy in August since he showed similar symptoms this year. Thankfully he does not have lymphoma, but has confirmed colitis and mild IBD. 2.5mg of prednisolone per day has got him back to normal.

Anyway, back to my other kitty. He had his checkup on Friday (yesterday) and it went great. His blood counts remain at perfect levels. Still a very nice 14 pounds. Doctor said his stomach and organs all feel normal.

I asked the doctor, "I know we don't have a crystal ball, but do these continued good appointments mean he has a better longer-term outlook?" He says he agrees that he could be one of those kitties who could get a good 2-3 year remission. (Who knows, maybe more??) He says if a kitty doesn't show good signs of remission to treatment, you'd tend to see that within 6 months of beginning. For example, can't handle the chemo, or still losing weight or other major GI symptoms that won't resolve.

On that note, January will be a whole 1 year since all of this started. I am grateful for the whole year, yet the difficulty has been intense.

As for me, this experience (coupled also with a stressful job) has left me a severely depressed and anxious person. I'll probably never be the same person I was before all of this, but I will hang in there for my 2 buddies.

Again, I very much appreciate everyone who has followed along and provided advice this year! Overall things have probably gone better than how my mind thinks they have.... given the situations. If that makes sense.

 

[fionasmom]

Happy Birthday!
This is really a great update and it was very kind of you to let us know. The ups and downs of a cat can be very hard to judge and you have more to be concerned about with the medications and treatment, but these may just be the usual new habits that cats develop out of nowhere. You are leaving no stone unturned in following up with both cats and they are very lucky to have you.

 

[Ocean Planet]

Happy Birthday!
This is really a great update and it was very kind of you to let us know. The ups and downs of a cat can be very hard to judge and you have more to be concerned about with the medications and treatment, but these may just be the usual new habits that cats develop out of nowhere. You are leaving no stone unturned in following up with both cats and they are very lucky to have you.

Ya know, that is funny because his oncologist said yesterday, "if we get another life, I want to be reborn as one of YOUR cats. You're very dedicated to them". We had a good laugh about that.

I just really, really hope he never gets tired of pill pockets. That is the only way I have been able to medicate him so consistently this year! Please let that trend continue!!! ha

 

[daftcat75]

You've probably seen this before. But here's a backup plan (or plans, there's many tips in this video) if he gets tired of pill pockets.

Betty finally got tired of taking meds with Hills A/D. Now I rotate between Hills A/D, Royal Canin PR, and Royal Canin GI Kitten as the "frosting", and ground Hills I/D kibble, freeze-dried rabbit (NW Naturals), or freeze-dried chicken (Boss Cat) as the "sprinkles." I pack all her meds into a single capsule. Frost it with whichever frosting she's not tired of that session and then coat it with one or two kinds of sprinkles. It's the sprinkles that convinces her to take up the capsule and eat it rather than just licking the frosting off. This is our new normal. I'm sure she's going to tire of this at some point and force me to learn a new way to medicate her.

 

[Ocean Planet]

You've probably seen this before. But here's a backup plan (or plans, there's many tips in this video) if he gets tired of pill pockets.


Betty finally got tired of taking meds with Hills A/D. Now I rotate between Hills A/D, Royal Canin PR, and Royal Canin GI Kitten as the "frosting", and ground Hills I/D kibble, freeze-dried rabbit (NW Naturals), or freeze-dried chicken (Boss Cat) as the "sprinkles." I pack all her meds into a single capsule. Frost it with whichever frosting she's not tired of that session and then coat it with one or two kinds of sprinkles. It's the sprinkles that convinces her to take up the capsule and eat it rather than just licking the frosting off. This is our new normal. I'm sure she's going to tire of this at some point and force me to learn a new way to medicate her.

Yes! I remember you showed me this earlier in the year. I actually used it a lot lately to medicate my other IBD kitty! But now he has taken onto pill pockets for now. I always keep a can of this around in case! This was a huge help this year. Thank you

 

[Ocean Planet]

Wow. It's been a year since this all started. I guess you can look at it that my buddy has been in remission for a year now. Success, of course! I'm grateful for that and I've spent so much time with my two buddies the past year.

He just had his checkup with his oncologist on 1/12. Doctors notes say he is doing beautiful.

The good news is:
- healthy 14 pounds
- perfect blood work
- abdomen feels great on physical exam

However, there are things I worry about on year 2:

- I mentioned before that I've been giving him all his meds (Cholrambucil/Prednisolone/Cerenia) via pill pockets for a year. I'm still worried he may start to get tired of all this. The other night it took a random 3 hours to get him to take his pred dose. I don't know if his stomach was still upset from his Friday chemo pill or what. Didn't want pill pockets, this bacon wrap I bought or the Hills A/D food. I've thought about looking on a website like rover that has petsitters. Some of them are vet techs and can help administer pills if I ever get in a pinch. Its an idea. As you know, a 14 pound cat can't be pilled by one person. He goes ballistic!!!! Literally impossible feat for me anyway.

- TEETH - He eats his dry food strangely sometimes. He picks it up out of the bowl and puts it on the floor to eat it (he has done this for years). Which can be a kitty instinct thing but sometimes I've noticed it takes him a try or two to fully eat a kibble or a pill pocket. At times he will leave kibble on the floor. It almost looks at times like he scoops too many kibble into his mouth at once and some fall out. I've tried different bowls. Nothing matters. In the past 2 weeks I've had his oncologist and his primary vet look at his teeth. They both see where there is some gingivitis along his gums (slight red around the teeth) but they don't see any absorptions or lesions/decay, etc that would be super serious. However, I worry that discomfort will increase on his teeth over time as I'm sure this doesn't correct itself on its own. I mean, I still hear him crunch food at times as well. I don't know, it could be behavior/psychological issues too. His primary vet said if he didn't have what he has that she would definitely recommend a cleaning this year based on his age (he'll be 8.5 soon). However, because of his treatment, it isn't an immediate priority.

I didn't talk to the doctor yet on the details but has anyone heard of a cat stopping chlorambucil temporarily to get a dental? Is the risk too great like the lymphoma would come back much worse if treatment is paused? At what point would you say, OK, his teeth are bad enough to do one if it were your kitty? I'd hate to wait to the point that he just stops eating because it gets too painful, ya know?

In a way things are OK, but I still worry about him every..... single.... day. (sigh...)

 

[fionasmom]

His primary vet said if he didn't have what he has that she would definitely recommend a cleaning this year based on his age (he'll be 8.5 soon). However, because of his treatment, it isn't an immediate priority.

I have been told this in the past in regards to some of my pets who had an overriding condition which was being treated. Of course, that does not give you any answer.

You probably need a determination of how bad his teeth are or potentially might become and a discussion with the oncologist about pausing chlorambucil. My cat who was on it did not have any other procedures for the duration.

 

[Ocean Planet]

I have been told this in the past in regards to some of my pets who had an overriding condition which was being treated. Of course, that does not give you any answer.

You probably need a determination of how bad his teeth are or potentially might become and a discussion with the oncologist about pausing chlorambucil. My cat who was on it did not have any other procedures for the duration.

No, totally understand. I just feel it is something brewing and could get worse over the year. He is still eating good but has these moments at his dish sometimes. I'll just have to keep an eye on if they keep increasing in frequency. I have cameras on their food dishes so it is easy to monitor him even while sleeping or at work.

I am having thoughts of introducing a nightly can of wet food to see how that goes too. Historically, he doesn't really care about wet food. Just eats some and walks away for it to dry up hours later. I've had thoughts of trying different dry food as I'm wondering if he is getting tired of his current food too.... (trying to think like a cat here)

It's leaving knots in my stomach that I potentially have to wait until it bothers him so much he stops eating to do something about this. So unfair to these little guys....

 

[fionasmom]

I would be on edge about this as well, but I think that you have a plan for monitoring what goes on. Will he eat any treats like Hartz Delectables or any of the many other pouch type treats out there? They are not complete nutrition, but I have a cat who will eat wet food (constipation problem) if I put some on top.

 

[Ocean Planet]

I would be on edge about this as well, but I think that you have a plan for monitoring what goes on. Will he eat any treats like Hartz Delectables or any of the many other pouch type treats out there? They are not complete nutrition, but I have a cat who will eat wet food (constipation problem) if I put some on top.

I have tried some of those churo treats and he would take them at times. He is SOOOO picky its frustrating. ha. I did try a can of Friskies Ocean Fish last night between him and his housemate and he did go at it and finish about 90% of his bowl before it dried up. Took about an hour or two but it is an option!

I think when he has his next Oncology appointment in March I'll ask the doctor specifics on what this all entails so I have the whole picture to decide. Hopefully things stay steady for a while.

He actually sent me a quick email response yesterday and said basically it will come down to a comfort thing vs. the stress and anesthesia risk. I honestly thought that it was a blood clot problem with the Chrolambucil as to why you couldn't do dentals right away. Maybe its both really....

He is right that I have to take into consideration his stress. He has been so brave but he is so skittish and afraid to death of everything. I'll never know why unfortunately

 

[Ocean Planet]

Its hard to believe it has been over 3 months so its time for another long-term update. (I like this long-term thing.) I guess that is how crazy busy life gets....

First, I will say my buddy is in bad shape and I'm super worried about him. OK, now that that is out of the way and the universe sees we are struggling, on to the update.

He is actually doing quite well. He goes about 7-8 weeks in between oncology checkups and each one is great. Perfect blood work, a smooth abdomen and good weight between 13.5 to 14 pounds!

I asked the oncologist, how is he doing so well in his 2nd year when the 1st was such a struggle?

A. We messed with his medication dose a couple times to try to find out if he would be stable on a lower amount. Since his GI symptoms came back we had to bounce back up. So a roller-coaster year there.

B. Now that we have left things alone, the 5/5mg combo of pred and chlorambucil is his magic dose that works for him and flat out has him in a strong remission.

To try to minimize some of the pill pockets, we tried cerenia as a transdermal from wedgewood. It does work! It may not be as strong as the pill but it does minimize any episodes of him throwing up. If a cat is very sick the pill is ideal but for chemo treatment, give the transdermal a try!

He still may need a dental later this year or next year. We'll take it as we go for now.

In a couple months it will be 1.5 years of remission. Besides a few outings the past year, I pretty much spend all my evenings with my buddies. This disease is unknown so all of the hang out time we get is amazing and I make sure to cherish it.

Thanks for following along!

 

[TabbyCatandMe]

Not much I can add to the great advice others have given. Just wanted to let you know you are not alone in this! I am going through a terrible flare with Oliver at the moment. I’m trying budesonide for the first time as he can’t tolerate prednisolone (herpes virus cat). He was not eating and extremely lethargic for 2 weeks and it got really bad yesterday. I gave him Cerenia for vomiting and nauseous followed by Mirtazapine tablet. He ate like a horse. But the Mirtazapine also put him in a semi hyper mode so he was more active then he has been the last 2 weeks. I’m just waiting to see how he is today. It’s a terrible disease to manage and is exhausting for us too.

 

[Ocean Planet]

Not much I can add to the great advice others have given. Just wanted to let you know you are not alone in this! I am going through a terrible flare with Oliver at the moment. I’m trying budesonide for the first time as he can’t tolerate prednisolone (herpes virus cat). He was not eating and extremely lethargic for 2 weeks and it got really bad yesterday. I gave him Cerenia for vomiting and nauseous followed by Mirtazapine tablet. He ate like a horse. But the Mirtazapine also put him in a semi hyper mode so he was more active then he has been the last 2 weeks. I’m just waiting to see how he is today. It’s a terrible disease to manage and is exhausting for us too.

I get it. There were times where I thought i'd get in trouble at work for being sleep deprived or taking him to so many vet appointments. I don't know how I survived some weeks but I know I have to push on to help him. I hope your Oliver gets back to a stable place! Eating like a horse sounds great though