CHEMOTHERAPY or NOT?

[Kathleenlatlip]

My Abbey was diagnosed with mast cell cancer yesterday. There is a small tumor on her face, and now the beginning stages has spread to her spleen.

I am trying to decide whether or not to do chemotherapy which is what the cancer specialist said I needed to do. I'm taking Abbey to a holistic vet this week to get his opinion and to put Abbey on holistic medicine too...but I'm curious if any of you have put your cats through chemotherapy and what your experiences were.

My cat is 11 years old. She's diabetic and has inflamatory bowel disease, BUT she''s happy and very energetic and at this moment pretty strong. You'd never know she had cancer in my opinion.

I''m hesitant on the chemotherapy because of how sensitive she is with the IBD and the diabetes..and my goal is to make her time her as happy as possible. I'm afraid she will fall into the 10% of cats that get sicker with chemo and it kills them...but what if it helps and puts the cancer in remission?
SO CONFUSED!! I said a prayer tonight for guidance.
Please share your opinions on chemo and your experiences.
Thank you,
Kathleen

[mews2much]

Thats hard to decide. Ask the Vet what he thinks you should do.

[glitch]

I guess that kind of depends on how strong the kitty is, and if you and your vet think this could prolong her life!! Ive heard of kitties doing wonderful on the chemo, and others not! I *think* it also depends on if the kitty is weakened already or not! Im really sorry to hear about the cancer though....
Can they remove the tumor and the spleen? I know humans can live without a spleen but I have no idea if kitties can!! I wish you the best of luck, and please keep us informed!

[cloud_shade]

I haven't specifically dealt with chemo, but I have had to make decisions about sick cats. There are lots of factors that go into deciding, including finances and your own personal philosophy about medical care. For me, I was willing to go into debt to find answers or try treatments, even if the answers didn't bring about a positive outcome. With Willow (who had FIP), we tried all kinds of things, even though the odds were low. The same was true with Spot. My parents have a different opinion on veterinary care. They are more likely to try a few small things but to "let nature take it's course" if those things don't work.

Survival rate for a given treatment may also be important, along with the possibility and likelihood of side effects. We had a dog diagnosed with ostesarcoma (bone cancer) a few years ago. While the best treatment option would have been amputation and chemo, it wasn't likely to buy him much additional time as there was a pretty good chance that the cancer had already spread to his lungs. My parents opted to treat his pain rather than amputate. While we were trying to determine what was wrong with Willow, I chose to have a feeding tube inserted as she wasn't eating. We were still running tests, and even though I knew the feeding tube probably wouldn't help, I felt better knowing that she wasn't going to die of starvation.

No one can make the decision for you--ultimately, you know your cat best. You might make a list of pros and cons and discuss them with your vets. They can help you make a decision as well as help you feel at peace with the outcome, knowing that you made the best decision given the information that you have.

[Rang_27]

I recently faced this decision. My Jordan has had up and down health problems. The vets were pretty sure that he had lymphoma, but without exploratory surgery they could not diagnose it for sure. After a lot of thought and prayer I decided against the surgery. Basically I was deciding if I would do chemo because for me I thought why put him through surgery if I wasn't going to do the chemo. I decided against any treatment I felt was extreme, in this case surgery and chemo. Jordan had been through so much with just the basic testing I could not put him through any more. It was the most difficult decision I've ever hard to make. My decision was based partially on fiances, surgery and chemo would have been very expensive. Ultimately, it came down to what was best for him. Jordan HATES being at the vet, and he was there once a week over the summer. His personality had changed. He wasn't himself. The stress of going to the vet so often had changed him. If he has a limited time left I want him to be happy and as stress free as possible. If it weren't for how badly he is affected by being at the vet, I might have made a different choice. Luckily for me it looks like Jordan does not have lymphoma because this has been going on somewhere around 7 months and he is doing great.

I know it's not help, but you know what's best for your kitty. Just listen to your heart and you will do what's right.

[teetee]

Rang_27's experience with Jordan would have been exactly like what I went through with my Whiskers, with the exception of the last sentence in the first paragraph. I never got a definite diagnosis but in the end, she had multiple seizures in a short period of time. I knew at that point that we had fought the good fight and it was time to end her suffering as she was not herself and getting weaker. Rang-- I'm so happy to hear that you have had over 7 precious months with Jordan. Sending hugs and continued good wishes to Jordan!

Kathleen - I can't offer much advice as this is such a personal decision and in the end you will know what to do for your kitty. But I I encourage you to think through the different scenarios and ask a lot of questions of your vet. My thoughts are with you.

to Abbey!

[booktigger]

I am sorry to hear this. I personally wouldnt put a cat through chemo, and especially not one with other health issues, in case it exacerbates them, as well as the fact it has started to spread but it is your choice (I have discussed this with my vet in the past), and one I would make in consultation with my vet, but maybe my regular one rather than the cancer specialist. I have dealt with cancer and suspected cancer, and haven't treated it in either case (I didn't even get hte exploratory done on Tiger, the odds were for it being cancer, and we couldnt treat it even if it was, so didn't see the point in putting her through the pain). Good luck with the holistic vet.

[Sakura]

I don't have any experience with this with my cats (thank God) but I do have experience with chemo & humans. I don't think I could watch either of my cats go through chemo If it was a guaranteed way to extend her life by say, 10 years, then maybe my opinion would change. It really is a case by case basis for me, and you are the only one who can really make the best decision for you and your cat.

[Blast-Off-Girl]

One of our neighbors treated her cat, Sparkles with pancreatic cancer with chemotherapy. She lived for another two years, which is pretty good for an aging cat. The lady said it was worth it and she would spend the money again even though it cost her a lot of money.

[appleseed_1]

true, maybe you have heard this alot of times but it is truly up to you and the decision is yours.
it will be best if you think about the pros and cons.
here are a few things to think about
1. if you go through chemo, what quality of life will your cat have
2. will you be able to afford future treaments after chemo
3. the risks of chemo, and consider the age of your cat
4. what your cat would want, yes this is hard to decide but deep down you will find the answer.
good luck to you
i know what it feels like as i have been through this before. i decided to take the chance even though she was very old, it did not work out but i feel that all the money was worth it even though i am not rich at all and that my friend and i have tried our best no matter what, my aunt is also diagnosed with cancer but she is fighting for her life no matter how har it is.

bless you and you kitty

[Kathleenlatlip]

Thank you all very much for your responses. I was pretty much sure I wasn't going to do the chemo until I talked to the cancer specialist today and he said he felt pretty confident that it would help her - and give her more time than not doing it. I am leaving for the holistic vet in a few hours and will report back for other people that have to make this decision. I have a stack of like 50 papers that I outlined yesterday from all the research that I have been doing...so I have LOADS of questions to ask this vet.
Thanks for ALL YOUR PRAYERS!!!

[Jencat]

We did chemo for my cat who was suffering from intestinal lymphoma. I believe it was the best thing for her. She seemed much more comfortable on the chemo than she did before it. Before the chemo, she didn't want to eat, she was defecating wherever she felt like it, vomiting and not like her self personality wise. On the chemo she was back to acting like her self, eating again, using the litter box, playing with toys again, and and she rarely vomited. I'm so glad we did it. Even if it didn't extend her life that long, her quality of life was clearly improved. Of course it is different with each cat though. My cat did not have diabetes. Do you know if that will complicate any potential treatment? Whatever you and your vet choose as the best course for you and your kitty I wish you luck.