- Joined
- Jan 29, 2014
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Hi Guys...
I don't usually open new threads but I felt that I needed to do this...There is no where else I can go to talk to kind, empathetic cat lovers who have been to hell and back for their cats and will understand my situation.
And I want to add up front that none of these decisions I have to make has to do with money, because we have very good insurance on my cat, with a cancer rider. Its about a cancer guessing game and ultimately her quality of life.
My 13 year old kitty Lola ( see avatar, when she was a little younger) had a small 1.5 Cm ( very small ) cancerous mass, a mammary tumor, on one nipple, that we discovered a month ago.
( btw she was spayed at 8 weeks old, so she doesn't fall into the category of a late or adult spay, which can sometimes contribute to this mammary cancer in cats ) She has been a healthy beautiful indoor cat for years, gotten the best of love and care and is a very sturdy, loving little girl.
We went to the veterinary oncologist and the oncologist's board certified vet surgeon did a radical chain mastectomy on one side. It sounds like a lot but it was just the skin, didn't involve muscles etc. and was less invasive than a spay. So in two weeks she has almost healed up.
Its amazing how fast she bounced back. We had to keep her in a giant dog crate with her bed and portable litter box for two weeks, but she had the stitches out today and she is doing remarkably well. She is eating well, etc. And in a good mood.
But I am just heartsick. I have had her since she was two months old and of all my cats over the years, she has been my favorite. She is fine, doesn't know she is basically dying and I am sitting here crying my eyes out.
Her diagnosis is Adenocarcinoma with some "early lymph node involvement" in one node ( the one they removed ) Unlike with people and dogs, most cat mammary tumors are aggressive and take them down a lot faster.
The oncologist said that although the tumor was small and we got it early, because of the lymph node involvement, the protocol is chemo.....one treatment of adrimycin chemo every three weeks for five weeks. If we had no lymph involvement, she would be at stage 2 but b/c of the lymph situation, she is a stage 3.
I am very mixed about whether or not to have this chemo because I understand that without chemo, she has a chance of it coming back within 4-6 months, possibly in the same area, like a nipple on the other side ( at which point she said that we might just be able to remove the mass and keep going, at that point ) or , on the other hand, we could find that in four-six months, rather than presenting as another small tumor, it could simply have spread to her lungs, which is a death sentence.
In the literature I have read, the likelihood of it recurring at the same area ( the other side chain of nipples or one nipple ) is the usual case, but its all a guessing game, because of the shortage of real numbers and research on this with cats.
But with the chemo, she said that Lola has a 50-50 chance of living six months or 50-50 living a year or more, its like a roll of the dice. And I am not seeing that the chemo is really increasing her odds significantly, for the side-effects etc. that will cause her to be sick.
So I am not hearing any survival numbers that are much better than skipping the chemo and just monitoring her. And as far as tolerating the chemo, I guess every cat is different.
I wouldn't hesitate to try the chemo if I could get a couple years for her, but to put her thru that, when it might give her a few more months or not, and have this cat be sick all the time during this, I am not sure what to do.
And although the oncologist says that 'most cats tolerate the chemo pretty well,' I have read entries on this site with people whose cat had the chemo and it was a rough roller coaster, not eating, etc. and the cat didn't live but a few months longer and was sick most of the time. If we only have six months, I want her to be happy and feel ok.
And unfortunately, there is not much literature or studies on this situation from the universities and journal articles, which the doctor agreed. I pulled the best of the stuff from the university sites, etc. and for the little studies that have been done, its like I said, with or without chemo, it seems to be a no-guarantee crap shoot. And at least, imho, skipping the chemo will give her quality of life for the time she has life. And I can keep praying that she has a year or more. Miracles do happen, I guess.
My inclination is to leave her alone, just have her checked out by our primary vet on a monthly basis and see what happens. Which the oncologist said is the other option, although she pushes for chemo b/c that is the protocol. Lola is 15 pounds, eats very well and is a solid sizeable cat with a hearty disposition. I just don't want to put her thru the chemo but I am on the fence.
I haven't seen a lot on this site about this issue, but I remember reading a few posts of where they did the chemo and where they didn't do it.
I am just looking for any feedback that anyone can give me, be it regarding their cat or even someone else they know that had to deal with this. I am still thinking about chemo or not chemo....I am at a loss right now.
Thanks for any imput.
I don't usually open new threads but I felt that I needed to do this...There is no where else I can go to talk to kind, empathetic cat lovers who have been to hell and back for their cats and will understand my situation.
And I want to add up front that none of these decisions I have to make has to do with money, because we have very good insurance on my cat, with a cancer rider. Its about a cancer guessing game and ultimately her quality of life.
My 13 year old kitty Lola ( see avatar, when she was a little younger) had a small 1.5 Cm ( very small ) cancerous mass, a mammary tumor, on one nipple, that we discovered a month ago.
( btw she was spayed at 8 weeks old, so she doesn't fall into the category of a late or adult spay, which can sometimes contribute to this mammary cancer in cats ) She has been a healthy beautiful indoor cat for years, gotten the best of love and care and is a very sturdy, loving little girl.
We went to the veterinary oncologist and the oncologist's board certified vet surgeon did a radical chain mastectomy on one side. It sounds like a lot but it was just the skin, didn't involve muscles etc. and was less invasive than a spay. So in two weeks she has almost healed up.
Its amazing how fast she bounced back. We had to keep her in a giant dog crate with her bed and portable litter box for two weeks, but she had the stitches out today and she is doing remarkably well. She is eating well, etc. And in a good mood.
But I am just heartsick. I have had her since she was two months old and of all my cats over the years, she has been my favorite. She is fine, doesn't know she is basically dying and I am sitting here crying my eyes out.
Her diagnosis is Adenocarcinoma with some "early lymph node involvement" in one node ( the one they removed ) Unlike with people and dogs, most cat mammary tumors are aggressive and take them down a lot faster.
The oncologist said that although the tumor was small and we got it early, because of the lymph node involvement, the protocol is chemo.....one treatment of adrimycin chemo every three weeks for five weeks. If we had no lymph involvement, she would be at stage 2 but b/c of the lymph situation, she is a stage 3.
I am very mixed about whether or not to have this chemo because I understand that without chemo, she has a chance of it coming back within 4-6 months, possibly in the same area, like a nipple on the other side ( at which point she said that we might just be able to remove the mass and keep going, at that point ) or , on the other hand, we could find that in four-six months, rather than presenting as another small tumor, it could simply have spread to her lungs, which is a death sentence.
In the literature I have read, the likelihood of it recurring at the same area ( the other side chain of nipples or one nipple ) is the usual case, but its all a guessing game, because of the shortage of real numbers and research on this with cats.
But with the chemo, she said that Lola has a 50-50 chance of living six months or 50-50 living a year or more, its like a roll of the dice. And I am not seeing that the chemo is really increasing her odds significantly, for the side-effects etc. that will cause her to be sick.
So I am not hearing any survival numbers that are much better than skipping the chemo and just monitoring her. And as far as tolerating the chemo, I guess every cat is different.
I wouldn't hesitate to try the chemo if I could get a couple years for her, but to put her thru that, when it might give her a few more months or not, and have this cat be sick all the time during this, I am not sure what to do.
And although the oncologist says that 'most cats tolerate the chemo pretty well,' I have read entries on this site with people whose cat had the chemo and it was a rough roller coaster, not eating, etc. and the cat didn't live but a few months longer and was sick most of the time. If we only have six months, I want her to be happy and feel ok.
And unfortunately, there is not much literature or studies on this situation from the universities and journal articles, which the doctor agreed. I pulled the best of the stuff from the university sites, etc. and for the little studies that have been done, its like I said, with or without chemo, it seems to be a no-guarantee crap shoot. And at least, imho, skipping the chemo will give her quality of life for the time she has life. And I can keep praying that she has a year or more. Miracles do happen, I guess.
My inclination is to leave her alone, just have her checked out by our primary vet on a monthly basis and see what happens. Which the oncologist said is the other option, although she pushes for chemo b/c that is the protocol. Lola is 15 pounds, eats very well and is a solid sizeable cat with a hearty disposition. I just don't want to put her thru the chemo but I am on the fence.
I haven't seen a lot on this site about this issue, but I remember reading a few posts of where they did the chemo and where they didn't do it.
I am just looking for any feedback that anyone can give me, be it regarding their cat or even someone else they know that had to deal with this. I am still thinking about chemo or not chemo....I am at a loss right now.
Thanks for any imput.