Please Help! 14yr Old Kitty With Gi Lymphoma

[Luna'sMommy86]

My sweet baby Luna is in bad shape and frankly I am too. After a period of vomiting we took her in for senior blood work and her results indicated elevated liver and kidney enzymes. We weren't happy with our experience in that office so we sought a second opinion. I'm very glad we did because the first vets idea of treatment was so hands off it could have killed her. At the new vet CBC and urinalysis came back clean but an X-ray showed severe constipation. An attempted hospital stay with SubQ fluids and 2 basic enemas moved things along a little but a few days later we had her manually disimpacted as follow up X-rays showed that she was still quite constipated. Then she developed a UTI from the procedure and reacted badly to the first antibiotic we attempted. (More vomiting). We then switched her to an injectable antibiotic with less known side effects. After 48 hrs of observation the vet decided to try her on a 2mg dexamethasone shot. The result was miraculous. The vomiting stopped and she had a spring in her step. 2 days later she received another shot to which she did not have the same reaction. Still no vomiting but not really herself. This shot was given on last Friday night in the hopes of getting her most of the way through the weekend and starting her on prednisolone on Monday. Sunday morning she started having difficulty walking which has now progressed to the point of her laying in one spot for 24hrs at a time (not even trips to the litter box). She also received an ultrasound yesterday which revealed thickening in the lining of her stomach and intestines.(consistent with lymphoma) I'm currently waiting on the results of her biopsy to determine our next step. She started on 5mg of prednisolone daily yesterday. Does anybody have experience or advice that might pertain to our situation? I'm at a total loss. All I can do is take turns feeding her and petting her and occasionally sneaking away to cry the deepest sobbing tears of my life. She's my best friend and my life partner I would do anything for her. Please help!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I'm so sorry Luna's health is what brought you to us, however, try not to panic just yet. Wait for the biopsy results, and even then, even if it IS Lymphoma, that doesn't mean it can't be treated . And it may not even BE Lymphoma. It's possible that it's IBD, which looks very similar to Lymphoma on an ultrasound, or so I've been told...that's why they do a biopsy.

Now, with Lymphoma, there are two types. Small cell and large cell. Small cell is the better of the two, as the treatment is easier on them, but even if it's large cell, and requires chemo, most cats can tolerate it pretty well...much better than humans. And if it turns out to be IBD, that can also be handled with medication and a change in diet.

So, basically, I'm trying to say that all is not lost. Wait and see what you are dealing with first. I know it's hard. Waiting is usually the toughest part . Once you know exactly what you and Luna are facing, then we can really address the problem. If large cell, your Vet will most likely refer you to an oncologist who will be able to answer a lot of your questions, then you can ask us to clarify, give our experiences, etc. If it's small cell, you probably won't even need an oncologist. If IBD, as I said, some meds and a change of diet will be needed, and we can help you there too. We have, unfortuantely, too many cats with IBD in this world, and many of them are connected with this site.

Keep us posted. Believe me, most of us would give our lives for our furbabies!

 

[margd]

I am so very sorry to hear that Luna is so sick. The prospect of a lymphoma diagnosis can be terrifying and it's easy to focus just on that. My own cat might be dealing with lymphoma down the road so I know that from experience. It's very upsetting it is to see them so sick and to get back such ominous test results. However, mrsgreenjeens is absolutely right that there is still hope and Luna may not even have lymphoma but IBD, which can be managed with diet. For a good explanation of IBD, you might want to read this article, published by the Vet School at Cornell University: Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Cornell's Vet School also has published an article on lymphoma: Lymphoma. It's a good general explanation and will help you understand the disease a little better. This article, Feline Lymphoma, from IVG Hospitals, gives a much more detailed explanation with information on the different treatments available and their success rates. Should Luna turn out to have lymphoma after all, it may help you decide, with your vet, what course to follow when working out a treatment plan for her.

Again, I can not tell you how sorry I am that Luna so ill. I can point you towards good educational material but none of that addresses the pain you are feeling right now. The pain can be overwhelming, especially when the cat is a life partner, as Luna is for you. I found that it helped to take a lot of photographs and write about my beloved feline. Some people paint or draw - whatever you can pour your heart into will help.

Please let us know how Luna does. I'll be hoping that your news is the best possible.

 

[abyeb]

I’m so sorry to hear about Luna. I don’t have any advice other than what was already given, but I wanted to let you know that you and Luna are in my thoughts and prayers. The TCS community is here for you.

 

[Luna'sMommy86]

Thank you both so very much for reaching out! Today was a very rough day for she and I both. She was very lethargic all day sleeping in a corner behind a cube organiser and apart from perking up a little after her AM pain meds and breakfast and enjoying some petting after (thank god she is still encouraging me with some purring) she slept with her face to the wall most of the day. Her preferred place to be before her illness worsened was stretched out on my chest on the couch or being the little spoon in bed with me at night. I'll admit that the lack of physical contact has left me in withdrawal but I'm trying to respect her wishes for privacy. She's still eating well, minus the food that contained her triple fish flavored prednisolone. She took a few licks, gave me a cold stare and turned her back to me. *ouch* She has proved incredibly difficult to medicate. We're using liquid meds now as her original experience with pills wasn't fruitful. Does anybody out there have any advice about giving meds? I've watched videos and had the vet demonstrate but we can't seem to get them to go down. we're hoping that her immobility is going to respond to the prednisolone but we'll never know if we can't get them in her. And the bigger fear lurking on the horizon is that even if treatment is an option, we obviously need to get a grip on this if it will ever work. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. As of now, I'd say the biggest hit on her QOL is her inability to get around. I will absolutely keep updating and appreciate so much this feeling that I now have that I'm not just screaming into a void.

 

[Luna'sMommy86]

I’m so sorry to hear about Luna. I don’t have any advice other than what was already given, but I wanted to let you know that you and Luna are in my thoughts and prayers. The TCS community is here for you.

Thank you so much! It means a lot!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

We had a cat who was impossible to pill...we even hired a Vet Tech once to come over and give her her daily dose and that didn't even work . So...we went with injectibles and transdermal gels, which worked like a charm since our little one loved being petted, and she never even knew what hit her using both those techniques.

I just looked up Prednisolone to see if it could be compounded into either of those versions, and it can, so perhaps that would be a way to get her meds into her. Here is the listing I checked, which includes lots of other meds you could check out. http://www.roadrunnerpharmacy.com/media/1225/prod_svcs_guide-052417-20page-web-110717.pdf

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Although I have no wisdom to share with you, I am certainly sharing my heart! And a candle is lit for you both.

 

[Luna'sMommy86]

We received little Luna's biopsy results on Saturday. She does in fact have large cell lymphoma. The vet seems to think we are at the end of our options but, I am finding it impossible to accept. Her appetite is still so healthy and she is still drinking plenty of water. She has started standing to eat/urinate/deficate again. The rational side of me understands that all of those things are probably just a sign that the bupanorphine and prednisolone are doing their best to improve her quality of life but that I'm not seeing meaningful improvement in her condition. The emotional side of me felt lit ablaze with hope when I heard her normal little meow for the first time again yesterday or when she reached out her perfect little paws for me as we laid on the floor together all weekend. I run on a constant steam of conflicting thoughts these days. "The proper thing to do is to have her euthanized before she deteriorates any further" and 30 seconds later "I should really get a second opinion as not to be hasty" and repeat. Then there are the endless questions. I don't even know how to get in touch with a feline oncologist. How would they get her cytology report? Am I prolonging the inevitable? Am I just being selfish because I've had her half of my life? Would she want more treatment? It feels like I'm drowning and there's no sign of land.

 

[Luna'sMommy86]

My sweet girl. My whole heart.

 

[di and bob]

What a beautiful little girl! My heart goes out to you, I know too well that helpless feeling that we get when we watch someone we love so much suffer. You are not alone, we are here for you whenever you want. I'll pray for your little girl, and to help you work through this. In my experiences, Prednisolone helped shrink the tumors,and lessened the symptoms of many cancers I have dealt with in my cats.
There is no way to prepare for the inevitable, but it does buy a little more time and helps to make them more comfortable, which is a very big goal. You do not want someone you love so much to suffer in any way. You are caring for her to the best of your abilities and she loves you for it. Just love her as much as you can right now, that does more for her well being than anything else, to have the one she loves so much, nearby and giving comfort. You will know when it is time. You know her better than anyone in the world, you will see it in her eyes. When life becomes existing, not truly living, not finding pleasure anymore, it is time....All cancer treatments at this stage give a little more time but are not a cure. You cannot return to the past, you must weigh what kind of future you are prolonging. There comes a time when just being there for them and loving them is what they need the most.
Give that sweet girl a kiss from me, and please keep us posted on how she is doing. We'll travel this road together and make it a little less overwhelming. Please know there are many here who truly care and will help in any way. Take care.......

 

[houseofnine]

Luna's Mommy,
I am so very sorry to hear Luna is so sick. Sadly, my husband and I have been through this twice, with sisters Hazel & Cleva who were much younger than your baby. With Hazel, we did not try chemo because we felt it would traumatize her more than help (she was a very nervous kitty), but we tried it with Cleva, her more freewheeling sister. That extended her life by 4 months, and most of those weeks were good. Chemo doesn't make cats nauseated as it does humans, and typically it's one dose pill every couple of weeks. Both kitties were given the prednisolone, which helped.
Please know that I understand how hard this is--hubs and I don't have children, so our kitties really are our kids. You know your Luna best and will know when it is time to say goodbye, but I hope that isn't soon. Love her and keep her company, and spoil her with treats and toys. She is lucky to have you as her family.
Thinking of you.

 

[LisaT.]

She's so beautiful! I'm so sorry she is sick.

 

[cat princesses]

I'm so sorry that your beautiful Luna is sick. She is absolutely beautiful! I know your heartache and feelings - I went thru this with my last kitty who had mammary cancer. Have you tried using pill pocket treats for any of the pills? The key with those is you get the pill pocket ready first - it's like playdoh so I usually just tear one in half and flatten it out. Then you get the pill and use a tweezer to handle the pill - you don't want to get the smell of the pill on the pill pocket - then I would take the pill pocket in my hand, put the pill in the center and carefully pinch it closed. That worked for me for awhile - worth a shot.
Sending you a hug - keep giving her love - she knows that you're helping her. Hang in there.

 

[Timmer]

She is a lovely girl and I'm sorry you are going through this. I went through the exact same thing with Timmer. I lost him six weeks ago to IBD/lymphoma. GI lymphoma is very aggressive. Keep your sweetie comfortable and feed her whatever she wants to eat.

The way I gave pills was I straddled him, scruffed his neck (gently) pulled his face up to me and used my middle finger to open his mouth, holding the pill between my thumb and index finger, then popped the pill into his mouth and gave a blow of air in his face. Like I was blowing away a dandelion seed. He was a good boy and always took his meds.
I was also giving him chemo every 72 hours. I never felt good about giving it to him because frankly, I don't know if I would give chemo to myself if I had cancer. He also got a B12 shot once a week. That worked out real well with his energy level but after awhile that didn't even do much.

Timmer eventually could not move his bowels. His colon swelled shut, he had bleeding out his rectum. He would strain in the litter box so hard he would fall over. It broke my heart. The prednisone was making him eat like a champ and all it was doing was backing up in his gut causing him pain. I had to say good bye. I loved him like...well, he was my soulmate.

Two weeks after he passed I got a chance to have an in depth conversation with my vet. I felt so guilty. He told me look, Nancy, Timmer wasn't responding to medication. That was the problem.
If your girl responds, that is great. I hope she does. But she has cancer. Prednisone is not a cure for cancer. It might help keep the swelling down, but something else needs to be done.
I am so so sorry. I tell you, I cry every single day because I miss Timmer so much. I hope to God you find something that works for you and your cat.
Just hang onto her and love her. That's all I can say.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Luna'sMommy86 , I'm so sorry it turned out to be large cell lymphoma. And I'm also sorry your own Vet didn't give you an oncologist referral. If you want to find one, you can simply google for an animal oncologist. Not sure where you live, but I just googled it and several came up in my area, but I live in a large metropolitan area. You can always get her records from your Vet if they don't make a referral, or ask that they send the necessary info over to the oncologist so they have the cytology report, etc.

As pointed out above, chemo does not effect cats nearly as bad as it effect humans. This is an avenue you might want to at the very minimum check out, or not. You and only you know Luna and know whether or not she would do well with trips back and forth to the Vet for treatment, etc. We will not fault you either way. Many people choose chemo, many do not. We will be with you either way.

 

[Luna'sMommy86]

Luna'sMommy86 , I'm so sorry it turned out to be large cell lymphoma. And I'm also sorry your own Vet didn't give you an oncologist referral. If you want to find one, you can simply google for an animal oncologist. Not sure where you live, but I just googled it and several came up in my area, but I live in a large metropolitan area. You can always get her records from your Vet if they don't make a referral, or ask that they send the necessary info over to the oncologist so they have the cytology report, etc.

As pointed out above, chemo does not effect cats nearly as bad as it effect humans. This is an avenue you might want to at the very minimum check out, or not. You and only you know Luna and know whether or not she would do well with trips back and forth to the Vet for treatment, etc. We will not fault you either way. Many people choose chemo, many do not. We will be with you either way.

[/QUO
The truth is, I am struggling very much to decide what's best for all of us. The way I see it there is a 100 percent chance she will leave us (peacefully) if I elect to have her euthanized, and around a 50 percent chance she will respond to chemotherapy and hold on a little longer. The scary statistic is the 50 percent chance that she doesn't respond to the chemo and her quality of life will decline further. I can't seem to find peace with any of these choices, and I'm aware that time is very much of the essence. Her kitty dad (David) is leaving the decision to me and is showing his absolute support no matter what I choose. Which is wonderful, but also not particularly helpful given that I'm the type of person who takes weeks to try a new shampoo, let alone make a life or death decision for another being who has taught me everything I've ever learned about truly unconditional love. Perhaps speaking to an oncologist would help me to better understand what her treatment protocol may be, what kind of chance she may have at getting a few more good months or even sadly, that she may already be too far gone. I can't thank you enough for your support and guidance.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

If there is a large university with a vet school near enough, that would be an excellent place to try. IT WILL NOT BE CHEAP, but it will be cutting edge. My heart is with yours.

 

[Luna'sMommy86]

She is a lovely girl and I'm sorry you are going through this. I went through the exact same thing with Timmer. I lost him six weeks ago to IBD/lymphoma. GI lymphoma is very aggressive. Keep your sweetie comfortable and feed her whatever she wants to eat.

The way I gave pills was I straddled him, scruffed his neck (gently) pulled his face up to me and used my middle finger to open his mouth, holding the pill between my thumb and index finger, then popped the pill into his mouth and gave a blow of air in his face. Like I was blowing away a dandelion seed. He was a good boy and always took his meds.
I was also giving him chemo every 72 hours. I never felt good about giving it to him because frankly, I don't know if I would give chemo to myself if I had cancer. He also got a B12 shot once a week. That worked out real well with his energy level but after awhile that didn't even do much.

Timmer eventually could not move his bowels. His colon swelled shut, he had bleeding out his rectum. He would strain in the litter box so hard he would fall over. It broke my heart. The prednisone was making him eat like a champ and all it was doing was backing up in his gut causing him pain. I had to say good bye. I loved him like...well, he was my soulmate.

Two weeks after he passed I got a chance to have an in depth conversation with my vet. I felt so guilty. He told me look, Nancy, Timmer wasn't responding to medication. That was the problem.
If your girl responds, that is great. I hope she does. But she has cancer. Prednisone is not a cure for cancer. It might help keep the swelling down, but something else needs to be done.
I am so so sorry. I tell you, I cry every single day because I miss Timmer so much. I hope to God you find something that works for you and your cat.
Just hang onto her and love her. That's all I can say.

Thank you so very much for sharing your story with me. I am so so sorry for your loss. I know it must be very painful to try to carry on after such a tremendous loss and I can imagine how difficult it must be to try to keep the doubts and second guessing at bay. I hope that you know that your Timmer was so fortunate to have you as a parent and caregiver You truly did everything that you could to spare him the pain of this terrible disease. I hope that you and I can stay in touch and share in our individual grief. Thank you again for reaching out. My thoughts are with you

 

[Luna'sMommy86]

Luna's Mommy,
I am so very sorry to hear Luna is so sick. Sadly, my husband and I have been through this twice, with sisters Hazel & Cleva who were much younger than your baby. With Hazel, we did not try chemo because we felt it would traumatize her more than help (she was a very nervous kitty), but we tried it with Cleva, her more freewheeling sister. That extended her life by 4 months, and most of those weeks were good. Chemo doesn't make cats nauseated as it does humans, and typically it's one dose pill every couple of weeks. Both kitties were given the prednisolone, which helped.
Please know that I understand how hard this is--hubs and I don't have children, so our kitties really are our kids. You know your Luna best and will know when it is time to say goodbye, but I hope that isn't soon. Love her and keep her company, and spoil her with treats and toys. She is lucky to have you as her family.
Thinking of you.

I am so so sorry for your loss. I can't even bare the thought of losing one this way, let alone two. Thank you for reaching out to share the story of your experience. It's helping me a ton to learn more about the possible outcome or ramifications of my decision. I feel like I've made up my mind 20 different times a day and I'll admit most of them I'm just having an emotional response to her behavior at that moment. Did your Cleva have large cell alimentary lymphoma? 4 months would be a gift and also not enough time, never enough time. Thank you again for sharing your knowledge with me. Its absolutely priceless!