My Cat May Have Cancer? - seeking some advice!

[domani]

my cat is a 11 year old female - recently she started urinating basically everywhere and anywhere, so I took her to a new vet to have her examined. The vet discovered a mass on what seems to be her intestine - she describes it as the size of two golf balls (don't know how I never really noticed it while petting her, I guess because it's closer to her underside) While I thought her urinating was from UTIs, it appears to be from the mass pressing on her bladder, which makes sense why it seemed like she couldn't control herself lately

We decided to take blood work first - the vet pointed out the things that were abnormal involved her intestine and WBC (elevated)..I was pretty fuzzy headed the whole time in talking to her, I feel like at some points she was calling it cancer and at other times, saying "if it is cancer" - and it wasn't until I started looking up things up online that I realized...shouldn't I get a biopsy to make sure? which, she may have mentioned..but again, I'm so flustered by this whole situation. 

The steroids seemed to have already help with her appetite, as she's eating way more enthusiastically than she was two days ago. It may also help control the mass, bring down the swelling, and help with the urinating - but I'm wondering if I should still get a biopsy? and even further, consider surgery?

It's such a tough situation - doesn't help my mom is making me feel terribly guilty for my cat making a "mess" everywhere

I should add, my cat doesn't appear sick. She does appear uncomfortable at times, but she's still very affection, agile and lively..I don't know, it's just so tough  

 

[ldg]

Oh I'm so sorry. Let's hope it's a non-malignant mass!

The steroids can be of real benefit to a kitty's quality of life when going through something like this.

How did the vet diagnose the lumps? By feel? Were x-rays taken? Was an ultrasound done?

We went through this last year with our Lazlo. I remember that fuzzy headed feeling quite well. Lazlo's mass was called "massive," but his was in his stomach. He was sick, and treated as if it were a virus or infection or something first. And the steroids made him feel better, which made us think he was getting better, but then he got very, very ill. The mass was found on x-ray. He also had bleeding ulcers.

He was given a month to live without treatment. We saw an oncologist specialist the day after the biopsy results came back - it was done at the same time the ultrasound was done. His diagnosis was lymphoma. He was 9 then. Lymphoma is the most common form of cancer.

We started chemotherapy the day we saw the oncologist for the first time, which was the day after his biopsy came back. The oncologist explained that there was a 50/50 chance the cancer would go into remission with chemotherapy. It required weekly trips to the vet for two months. It is given in cycles of four. There is a week "off" between the first two months. After that, the treatments are every-other week. The whole cycle takes 6 months. We did get ultrasounds done after each of the first two months, and then decided that since he was handling the treatment (and the trips) so well, it didn't matter to what extent the mass was responding to the chemo, we were going the full course. And we were very, very lucky. His treatments were from July to January. In February, there was "no detectable mass" to measure on the ultrasound.

It wasn't easy, and there were ups and downs. Now - his mass was in his stomach, and he had bleeding ulcers. So he needed treatment for the ulcers, he needed an anti-nausea medication (though I think that helps most cats on chemo), an appetite stimulant, and the pred, which is typically standard therapy with the chemo.

In cats, chemotherapy is quite different than in people. The same drugs are used, but they are used differently. The goal of the treatment is quality of life, not length of life. So they don't face the same problems with toxicity of the drugs that people with cancer do. And the specialist or vet will change the dose based on information you provide on how kitty is doing. :heart2:

Lazlo always felt... not so great the day after a treatment, maybe a day after that. But then he'd seem fine. The chemotherapy is usually a mix of things, and the last treatment of each 4-treatment cycle (if it is lymphoma) is always a stronger chemo, and it affects them more.

BarB's Toby is receiving chemo now for lymphoma - he had a mass in his intestines. The first few pages of her thread is while he was being diagnosed, and then it documents how things have been going for him: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/243465/toby-vomiting-and-losing-weight-fine-otherwise

And here is Lazlo's journey: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/234030/mega-massive-vibes-for-lazlo-urgent (The vet scared us with thinking it was a different type of cancer than it turned out to be - and in a different location. That's the issue of x-ray vs. ultrasound :lol3: ).

We're here for help, support, questions... anything. :heart2: :rub:

 

[domani]

thanks so much for the response!

it seems I should ask the vet about a biopsy..I'm just being careful with what procedures/tests I decide to do because I can only spend so much money :\ 

unfortunately, chemo isn't an option..I can't even imagine how much that costs..it's not even like I'm being cheap about it, I just don't have the money. I'm recently graduated from college, only working part-time, paying off student loans..while I could possibly afford surgery, chemo just isn't possible :\ and even if, I'd feel bad since everyone in my house is always working, I'd hate to leave her alone while she's recovering from sessions. 

I came home today to a mound of cat puke..my cat Twiggy (the one who's sick) puked up the first morning after her steroid shot and FINALLY eating..the vet suggested maybe she ate too fast..the puke I found today looked the same, not a hairball..but just vomited up canned food..however, it's on a ledge my other cat, Cammie, has been sleeping on lately..I don't think I've ever seen Twiggy on that ledge..so I'm wishful thinking it wasn't her and she's keeping the food down..if she's going to keep throwing up, I hope I can know for sure it's her. 

she's still urinating around the house, always in large amounts..not sure if that's good or bad. 

It just really stinks I hate the thought of watching her deteriorate..especially since my mom doesn't like her in my room or on couches, I don't really have spaces to lay down with her and really enjoy her :\

Oh, and if I keep her on the steroids - how long will that really be effective for? a few months? and then the disease will 'take over'? 

 

[ldg]

Aw, I'm sorry about the situation. Yes, chemo treatment is expensive - and so many opt not to do it because kitty doesn't do well with trips to the vet anyway, and in the end, the decision has to be based on the quality of their lives. :heart2: :rub:

I would consider doing the biopsy - just so you know whether it is cancer or not. If it's not, you might want to consider the surgery. I don't know where you live, but it might only be $300 - $700, and you might consider family donations, CareCredit or something like that.

As to how long the steroids will help, that's really a question you need to ask the vet. If it is cancer, it's not a cure, just something to help them feel better.

 

[domani]

thanks for the reply  

the vet estimated the surgery to be around $1000 - we didn't talk about it in detail, so I'm not sure what it included. I'd lean more towards the surgery if I knew it wasn't cancer, because if it is, I hate the thought of putting her through that, only for the cancer to spread. But, if it's not malignant, I would feel so much better knowing the mass was out of her and she was much more comfortable  

I also failed to answer the question in the first response - the mass was discovered by a physical exam. However, about 5-6 years ago, my sister took her to a different vet for the urinating issue and I believe they discovered a small mass at the base of her bladder through an xray? or maybe it was her intestine..she was given meds and since it didn't seem like she was getting any worse, I never thought much of it. I just thought the urinating were a series of UTIs. I was also younger and had even less money, so there wasn't much I could do. I have no idea if this could be the same mass. However, when I brought her to the same vet that discovered the mass recently (like, within the last year) both times, they didn't feel anything during a physical exam, nor did they even refer to her old xrays..and in hindsight, I should've been more aggressive about it, but I guess I assumed they knew what they were doing. 

Anyway, I'm trying to give her as much love and attention as I can. Her appetite has me thrilled. I just wish she'd stop urinating everywhere but that might also be behavioral  at this point, since she's marked in some spots so often, I know it's hard to break the habit. Any tips on that would be great, too. 

 

[ldg]

Well if the problem is a mass pressing on her bladder, that's not behavioral.

 

[domani]

From what I understand, when a cat starts marking an area, it's hard to break that habit of their marking because of the smell. She always goes in the same areas/corners - even urinating right outside the box is one of her habits, so I would think it's somewhat behavioral

she's had the urinating issue for awhile..I always thought it was UTIs or stress (or both)..my mom use to scold the cats a lot for going in places she didn't want them, and while one never cared, the other would get very frightened, so I thought that may have been a cause. I should've asked the vet if a UTI could still be an underlying issue

she seems to be doing better..it used to take a lot of coaxing to get her to hop on my lap, which broke my heart because when she was younger, she LOVED being on my lap..she actually slept on my lap the whole way home from the shelter. Last night she hopped up within a couple of seconds of patting my leg and I can't tell you how happy it made me. I just hate to think the steroids will only be a temporary fix

 

[ldg]

Well, the spots do need to be properly cleaned! I didn't know about Fizzion when I wrote the article, but it gets excellent reviews: (Sounds like you may need to buy quite a few refills to get at everything!!)

Here's the article: How to Remove Cat Urine