My cat has mammary cancer.

[cookiebear291]

I am sorry about your cat but glad she made it through the surgery and is doing good.  I wanted to ask you how big was the tumor when you discovered it and was it in her lymph nodes?  It is hard to deal with this.

 

[mariand]

@ cookiebear the tumor has grown. The ulcer is kinda the same but a flat hard area under the skin around it slowly expands. I just do my best to keep away infection. The vets say it's not painful to her necessarily. I think this tumor won't kill her but it will spread to somewhere that will eventually. I loath the idea of putting her down and I'm sure you feel the same. When I first found out about it I looked at her as much sicker than I do today. Animals pick up on that. Try to stay positive, maybe the vet can add more analgesics? Cats are tricky in that regard(painkillers). All we can do is the best we can. Hugs to y'all.

 

[hocuspocus]

Mammory cancer is very aggressive. Not doing anything will allow it to spread quickly. Not many cats make it because most times when you finally find the tumor, its already been in kitties system spreading.
@cookie...I'm not sure if you were asking me but my kitties first tumor was 1 cm. The second tumor was a smidge less than a cm. We caught it in time. They told us about chemo but the travel plus price was no guarentee. Please do some research. Type in Google Mammory cancer in felines. Lots of great information. It allowed me to spend another year with my baby girl and hopefully a few more!

 

[mariand]

@ HocusPocus I am so pleased that your cat is doing well with surgery alone. You must have caught it early and I hope you enjoy each other for many many years!  That is wonderful that you had the resources and credit to afford surgery.  I began this thread because I can not.  Some people can not.  By no means do I discount the seriousness of cancer of the fact there are surgical, chemical, and radiological options available.

 

[cookiebear291]

@ MarianD and HocusPocus:

I hate seeing my cat like this, it tears me up inside knowing that this will eventually take her life.  I also hate that I cannot help her.  Even if i put her through surgery, I feel she would suffer from the pain of it as well.  It is a lose lose situation.  I just pray to god that he gives me more time with her.  I ask the lord everyday to not take her from me.

I hope that both your kitties are doing okay today. 

 

[hocuspocus]

Sorry youre going through this cookie and marian. I cried a lot while it was happening. Hocus is my baby. Shes 11 this year and still sucks on my shirt for comfort. I couldnt imagine my life with out my kitties. I dont have children so I tend to spoil these two!

1072409_10201434029723406_395201715_o.jpg

• hocuspocus
• Jul 21, 2014

 

[barbara brandt]

My cat diddle had a large ink swollen teet and I had no idea about cancer.  I am on Social Security and have several animals, all over 10 years old.  I have put Vetercyn on the area and it stayed the same. She has not shown any distress with this but it has begun to bleed today.  I am trying to see the area to see if this blood is coming from the swelling.  she has several lumps but has had these for years.  My vet has never mentioned tumors.  I would not up her through surgery but it is going to be extremely horrible to put her to sleep.  I was actually going to take  two cats to the vet because we got a discount on our  property taxes this year in NJ.  I have the bill and that was confirmation according to the tax office.  I started with my male cat who had a gum infection which was very costly. then about      6 days before I paid my reduced taxes, the governor of my state said he cancelled the rebate!  So now I am still paying taxes because of his.  Otherwise, diddle would have gone to the vet.  I am hoping to take her in January to see if I can get a payment plan for surgery == of course I am hoping for a plan that is not $4K!  Not sure if  the U of PA Vet Clinic can help.  If anyone knows how these Vet schools help people like me, please let me know.  Meanwhile, I am so very sorry that so many people on this list are having this same situation.  I had no idea how expensive this can be.  I will begin selling things on Craigs List ASAP.

 

[mariand]

I'm so sorry to hear about your kitty.  You sound like a very good cat owner.  I started this thread last yearish and was eyeballing what I might have to sell to pay for surgery for my cat.  Long story short my little cat is still going.  She seems as comfortable, alert, etc.  I am not convinced she would be better if I had gone ahead and had the surgery. See the other stories where people have done the whole gambit of treatment.  It is no guarantee. 

 

[tuxedoontheloos]

My mom's cat was diagnosed with mammary cancer in the spring. She had a lumpectomy but no chemo since she hates being pilled/going to the vet and doing so repeatedly would've been cruel. She's not a people cat. The vet gave her six months but its been overeight and she's still going fine and not showing any signs of illness. She's 11 and I'm hoping that my mom has her a good few more years since she's very attached.

 

[barbara brandt]

Thank you for your kind reply.  It is hopeful for me to hear that your kitty is doing well and when I get to the vet with Diddle after Christmas, I am determined to see if he can focus on pain meds and not euthanasia if she is still doing o.k.  She is eating, giving commands about who should be on the bed, sleeping close to me and purring.  In January I will take her to my old vet and see if he can give me pain meds for her.  He is a good person but quick to euthanize if an animal has cancer. The last vet I visited with a cat that had a mouth infection was a totally different situation and I could no consider that sort of enterprise that focuses on shaking down cliens for huge fees and then claims after you pay, the surgery needed will put the total bill at over $1000.  Totally unacceptable way to run a practice.  So, if my old vet does not want to give ma a plan for surgery, I still have hope he may allow Diddle to stay with me a little longer if she is not in pain.  Like me, she is old.  But I am fairly certain I can tell when she is in pain and must be euthanized.  I did put up the step ladder for my 6 cats in the livingroom and they are having fun with that as winter come here.  Diddle is sitting next to me during the time I am using the computer and is not playing but she never did like being one of the crazies.  They are all related but I think the ladder reminds Diddle of when she was tiny and left on a high storage area in my garage by her mother.  I found her screaming for help and then she and her sisters were in my house in a crate and her Mom came in the front door, found them, fed them and then returned to the porch outside.  This went on a long time.  Diddle and her sister Dee are still here and they have brought me much joy.  Thank you for giving me some hope.  

 

[janeinwva]

My cat Sweetie Pie has had two mammary cancer surgeries (this type of cancer if very aggressive in cats) on 7/7 and 10/20.  She tolerated both surgeries well.  Now the cancer has come back in less than 2 months.  I had said two surgeries then let her die.  P.s.  I have read fantyl or fentyl patch which is used on humans is a powerful anti-pain medication; 100 x more pain relief than morphine.  I think it can be used on cats also. (sp?),  I am tormented between my desire to lavish more love and affection on Sweetie Pie vs. when is it time to put her out of her misery, as I have carefully watched, (using all the how to tell if you cat is in pain info out here) and the quality of her life seems to be good.  IMPORTANT RE MAMMARY SURGERY IN CATS.  I have read 3 times, if there is a tumor on one mammary gland, surgically remove that whole side of mammary glads.  Surgery piecemeal will allow the cancer to come back.

 

[misterwhiskers]

I am sorry. My cat Tootsie had mammary cancer, I was 26 years old and had just lost both parents to Cancer the previous year. I opted for surgery but the cancer came back aggressively. Oh my, I feel for you. Cats hide pain well--too well. I waited too long to do the hard but kind thing, and still regret it.

That said, is there a veterinary school nearby? Sometimes you can get a little help there. But if this cancer is aggressive, it may be time to make some tough decisions. ((Hugs))

 

[janeinwva]

My vet also has only been taking out the lumps as they show up; even the tiny hard lumps.  I, too, have read 3 places the best thing to do is take out all the mammary glands in line.  It makes for a better prognosis.  I am sitting on a razor blade trying to determine, should me Sweetie Pie go in for a 3rd surgery, and this time I ask the Vet to take out as much of the mammary area as possible?   If, if, if, if, the vet had taken out the whole line of teats (sp?), would the cancer have come back?   I watch Sweetie Pie, even when she thinks I am not looking and the quality of her life seems to be good.  ........ ..........  There is good info online about detecting pain in cats (as cats hide pain as a survival mechanism) and for surgery Onsior is good for 3 days only.  I talked with a Vet at the company that makes Onsior and told her

annectdotally pre-surgery the Onsior reduced the inflammation around the cancerous mammary tumor, and gave Sweetie Pie some real pain relief.......................  

The real question behind all of this is:............., how can I tell when I need to quit being selfish, that Sweetie Pie's life needs to come to an end..............???

How do I balance her quality of life vs quantity of life? ............ especially when she seems to be enjoying life (while on pain med buprenorphine), eats well, snores, and walks around with an upside-down "J" or "U" tail, which I am told means she is happy.  My neighbor a Hindu, told me and it gave me a great deal of comfort, they believe when a being dies, 3 seconds later that soul/spirit is reborn into a higher level.  

I know I am rambling, but I am crying inside, for like most of you, I cannot afford all the love and medical care I'd like to give her, but drawing the line at long-term suffering.  My friend put her cat though thousands of dollars worth of medical care, taking him over to Virginia to a special cat hospital.  My question, how much suffering did he go through so she could have him around longer?  She had him put through extensive procedures................

 

[barbara brandt]

   wish sso much I could do what  you are doing for your beloved kitty.  I will see if a vet I used for years will see me and give me an accurate dx of her pain.  If she can have affordable tratment for pain and remain comfortable, I will of course do that..  I will not be able to afford surgery however.  My own medical bills since I became dependent on Medicare (no job now), are very high because of deteriorating bone and fractures and a bad clinic physician that let this go on and on untreated.  So now I take care of my kitties knowing that within the next few years things are going to change for me and for them.  What I want is to have them as long as possible but not to let them suffer.  I hold on to this house simply because of them. My son thinks this is wrong because he sees how hard this is on all fronts in a high property tax state.  Of course, he has no idea how really hard it is to get reasonable medical for animals or for old people.  I don;t tell him.  Meanwhile, I love them.

 

[mariand]

Here is how our story ends. Denali died in my arms on Feb 1.  I stayed up with her all night.  I never got the surgery.  The last day was not good breathing-wise.  It is rough to be there at the end.  last thing she did was barf all over me-  and it was stinky puke. She had over a year without surgery. That's the story. END

 

[di and bob]

I'm crying as I read your post, I know your heart is broken. You gave your sweet Denali the love and devotion she deserved, and was with her at the end, which I'm sure comforted her greatly, even as it broke your heart. There is never a good time to say goodbye, we are never prepared to let them go. You were a wonderful  cat parent, MarianD, and you did all you could. May you find comfort in your wonderful memories of that precious angel, try not to dwell on the death, it would not be what she would want you to do. Bless you fro loving so much......RIP dear Denali!

 

[paiger816]

Aww, I am so sorry your going through this. Having a sick fur child is always hard. 

 Good vibes your way.

 

[cookiebear291]

I am just reading this now.  I am so sorry for your loss Marian D.  Cookie is still hanging in there, but she is not doing well.  I opted to have her tumor removed in November and she was doing well til now where i can feel a few lumps on her belly.  I opted for surgery because her tumor burst and the vet said I could get more time with if I did the surgery.  I am just thankful ive gotten this much time with her.  I know eventually the time will come to say goodbye.  Once again Marian, I am sorry.  Cancer sucks.

 

[pushylady]

Rest in Peace Denali. You did what you could for her and helped her fight. She knew what it meant to be loved by a caring owner.
Thank you for updating this thread and letting us know she passed away. This thread will be closed now out of respect. If you feel up to it, you may find that posting a tribute at The Bridge can help with the grieving process:

http://www.thecatsite.com/f/19/crossing-the-bridge