Abdominal Mass

My 10 year old cat went to the Vet this week because he has not been eating, and has lost close to 3 pounds. They discovered a mass in his abdomen. They took blood work and said that he most likely had a tumour and they could recommend us to a specialist that could do ultrasounds or they could surgicaly open him to examn the mass. They said his splean and liver are most likely affected (I assume this was from enzyme counts in his blood) but that his kidneys are functioning. They also gave hime a shot (I assume steroids) to boost his appetite. My kitty has become so frail but the shot did improve his appetite for about 1 1/2 days they said they could give him more shots that would boost his appetite for 10 - 14 days if needed. They seem fairly confident that it is cancerous but other things I am reading give me hope of just fatty cells or Pancreatities/Triad Disease. The Vet has expressed concern that even with an ultrasound he would have to be put under and that at his age he may not survive this or surgery. He does not seem to be in pain at this time, but I just don't know what the right course of action is at this time. I am new to the site, but you all seem so helpfull and uplifting any words of advice would be greatly appreciated. This is my baby, I have no children and I am in agony right now.

If I were you I would go ahead and do the ultrasound. They should NOT have to sedate your cat to do this! Unless you have a VERY naughty kitty it shouldn't be a problem. If your vet wont do it without sedating I would go to a specialist. They should be able to tell from the ultrasound if it is inflammation or a mass. Also, have you had any bloodwork done? This would help rule out any other problems (pancreatitis included). Why is your vet afraid to sedate? My cat is 14 years, has a heart murmer and hyperthyroidism and she just had her teeth cleaned and extractions last year. I would probally go see a specialist anyway. There is never any harm in getting another opinion.
If it is a mass I would start working quickly on this. It is possible to remove the spleen and some of the liver. It depends on how much of the liver is affected when deciding whether or not surgery is an option. Also, cats do AMAZINGLY well on chemo. My good friend adopted a 6 month old kitten. The weekend after they got her she started have problems breathing so she rushed her to the vet. Turns out she has lymphoma. There is no cure for lymphoma but since she was so young she decided to give her a chance for a longer life. They started chemo. That was 2 1/2 YEARS ago. Without chemo she had 3 months at the most. She is now in remission and most be monitored closely but she has gotten 2 1/2 extra years so far.
BEST HOPES FOR YOU AND YOUR BABY.

I'm so sorry to hear about your baby, I am sending you healthy vibes. My Bella was almost 13, she had several ultrasounds and was never put out for them.

Did you get copies of the bloodwork? Did it include a T4 test for hyperthyroidism? Is the lump new? There are some belly lumps which are benign--Odo has had one since before I adopted him. It doesn't change, so I've learned not to worry about it. In your case, there has to be some cause for the weight loss. It could be related to the abdominal mass, or it could be from something else entirely. An ultrasound will help you figure out whether the mass is involved or whether something else may be going on. Can they do a fine needle biopsy of the lump? Have they tried to aspirate it (meaning draw fluid out of it)?

Hello and welcome, I am sorry that you are going through this. I agree that most 10 yearold cats should have no problem with surgery, but if yours is frail then the vet may be concerned. But as said, xrays and ultrasound can normally be done without sedation - I have had experience of that with two of mine.

Thank you all for your information. I will be contacting my Vet again this morning, as his appetite is gone again. We was able to coax him into eating this morning, but then he vomited. I am going to talk to the Vet about a specialist and more details on why he would have to be sedated to have an ultrasound.

I'm so sorry about your kitty. 10 years is not old. I would definitely consider taking him to the specialist. They will be better equipped to handle any sort of tests and treatments he might need. Sending positive thoughts your way and hoping for the best for you and kitty. Please keep us posted.

I just got back from the vet e.r. they found a mass similarly described by Jade. Papa is only 61/2 years old. Tomorrow he has an appointment to do an ultrasound as he has only had x-rays. I am not ready to lose him. He is has blood in his urine but no infection. They believe it can be another mass in his bladder. Is there any hope

I'm so sorry to hear about the sick kitties. Prayers and warm healing vibes going your way.

Sorry to here about your cat. Eight years ago I lost my ten year old cat due to a tumor. I went through the ultrasounds, shots and had surgery done to remove it. I spent over $4000 for him only to lose him a couple days later. Cats don't seem to recover after surgery unless you keep them in intensive care. he was in intensive care for 2 days and then sent home for me to care for him. He wouldnt keep him pain meds down. It was awful. He cried continuously. If you plan on going through the surgery, insist he stays in intensive care. It is expensive. I would have kept my cat in longer but I just didn't have any more money. I understand your pain. I cried for a week straight after he was gone and was pretty down for about a year. But time does heal. He was my baby and I even get teary eyed as I am writing this. Now my other cat who is 15 years old has a mass near his spleen and as dropped weight. He doesn't seem to be in pain, is eating  and drinking still. This time I am not going to do surgery due to his age and will put him down when I feel it is time. Good luck and wish you well.

There is always hope! Late in November last year the vet found a mass in Cindy's stomach. It took us at least a month or more to finally get a good diagnosis, and that was only through surgery.  Found out what kind of cancer it was, and got her on chemo (they can't do chemo until they figure out what it is of course). Yesterday she had her final chemo treatment and the oncologist said she looks great!  Next month we have an ultrasound to see if anything is amiss.  It wasn't cheap, but it could have been worse, and we have a credit card to put it on.  If you don't have a credit card, or money laying around, there's always care credit.  Oh, and Cindy is at least 10 years old, maybe even older, we have no idea really since we adopted her as an adult. 

I had a cat with this problem as well.  My advice is to do the kindness thing possible for your baby which is to put her to sleep.  That may sound callous but it's not.  Your baby's quality of life should be your main concern & not your feelings.  The abdominal mass will mostly turn out to be cancer or lymphoma.  Do you really want your cat to go through treatment where she just keeps feeling worse & not understand what's happening to her.  So Please end her suffering for her sake.

Jedi Senshi said:

 
I had a cat with this problem as well.  My advice is to do the kindness thing possible for your baby which is to put her to sleep.  That may sound callous but it's not.  Your baby's quality of life should be your main concern & not your feelings.  The abdominal mass will mostly turn out to be cancer or lymphoma.  Do you really want your cat to go through treatment where she just keeps feeling worse & not understand what's happening to her.  So Please end her suffering for her sake.

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