My cat Talley's mouth was looking odd and she had bad breath. Took her in to the vet and he said it was an abcess and he cleaned it out and gave her antibiotics. She was better for a little while but her mouth continued to look a little swollen. Then I saw an episode of "My Cat from Hell" where a cat's mouth looked exactly like Talley's and he had an oral tumor. We took her back to the vet and he gave her more antibiotics and several weeks later a steroid shot. Her mouth looks terrible and sometimes is bloody. Her fur on her chest and legs is very matted (even though she's a short haired cat) and attempts at bathing her don't work since she continues to lick herself. Here's the problem--she is acting just fine, eats, sleeps, plays, purrs. We are struggling with whether to put her to sleep now or wait. The vet finally said that it is probably an oral tumor and they don't respond well to radiation or chemo and that surgery would leave her unable to eat, etc. Has anyone experienced this? One of my other cats had an oral cancer but he died of a clot two weeks after being diagnosed.
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Oral Cancer
- Thread starter palikakitty
- Start Date
What an awful situation 
I honestly think decisions from hereon out need to be based around quality of life. I've never dealt with oral cancer either. It sounds to me (from the info your vet gave you) like surgery would ultimately increase suffering without much chance of recovery. If that is the case, my instinct would be to keep her as comfortable and happy as possible, maybe give chemo a go, and just be honest with yourself about her state of health. If she's still eating well, playing etc, then I might be tempted to let her carry on a while longer. If she starts dropping weight rapidly or starts to struggle with eating or drinking then that's when I would call a halt.
I care for a semi feral yard cat who we can't treat or medicate. She clearly has a big abdominal tumor(s), and a possible thyroid condition. However, she's currently eating well, going around the yard to talk to people, finds little suntraps to bask in, and generally has a reasonable quality of life. As soon as that changes, we'll take action (most likely pts). She will tell us when it's time. Your girl will tell you, too.
I honestly think decisions from hereon out need to be based around quality of life. I've never dealt with oral cancer either. It sounds to me (from the info your vet gave you) like surgery would ultimately increase suffering without much chance of recovery. If that is the case, my instinct would be to keep her as comfortable and happy as possible, maybe give chemo a go, and just be honest with yourself about her state of health. If she's still eating well, playing etc, then I might be tempted to let her carry on a while longer. If she starts dropping weight rapidly or starts to struggle with eating or drinking then that's when I would call a halt.I care for a semi feral yard cat who we can't treat or medicate. She clearly has a big abdominal tumor(s), and a possible thyroid condition. However, she's currently eating well, going around the yard to talk to people, finds little suntraps to bask in, and generally has a reasonable quality of life. As soon as that changes, we'll take action (most likely pts). She will tell us when it's time. Your girl will tell you, too.
