My lovely Katie has cancer

Hi to all. This is my first posting - I've seen how great and warm you people are on this site in offering support ...and I'd like to share with you the bad news I had yesterday about my gorgeous black rescue cat Katie who will be 20 in January. Despite being hyperthyyroid,(successfully treated with felimazole) hypertensive,(successfully treated with amlodipine) and with compromised kidneys ( successfully treqated with renalzin and fortekor) and having had 5 teeth out last January, she has continued to be a very happy, affectionate indoor cat with a strong little personality and a penchant for cuttle fish cake and watching "Autumnwatch" on telly! (We are in the UK). She has regular blood checks and on 9 Nov all was well with her haematology, save for a slightly elevated ALK which has been present for a while and vet said nothing to worry about given her age.

For the past week she has been vomiting around once a day - sometimes it is a furball, other times undigested food, though she has been happy and purring within minutes. The vet at Liverpool small animal practice , ( she is the best vet I've ever come across) felt slightly enlarged lymph nodes in Katie's tummy on palpation, so we decided on an ultrasound. I was devastated to be told that Katie has a 1cm intestinal mass and also abnormalities in her liver and spleen suggestive of malignancy. Three needle biopsies have been taken and I await the results tomorrow.

Wow .... I am numb. If it is localised just to the intestine then thay can offer chemo and surgery - however if there are metastases to liver and spleen then the prognosis is much poorer. There is a small chance that the abnormalities in spleen and liver could be just benign and age -related. I do not want to get my hopes up though. I'm in the medical profession so I guess that's why I'm able to describe the symptoms in a relatively clinical manner .....but when I consider the possibility of being without my wonderful, soft and feisty little girl my heart wants to explode. She has lost some weight but is still very happy and eating well and playing. Thankfully she is unaware of my angst. Thank you for letting me share this. has anybody been through the same thing?

Welcome to TCS, and i'm so sorry you had to find us under sad circumatances

Keep checking your thread as most of the members are outside the UK, but in the meantime you could do a search in the health forum as there should be threads from members in there with the same problem

Lots of healthy   coming over for Katie though, and please let us know what the vet says tomorrow?

Welcome to TCS, a community that will share your positive and negative experiences with your beloved furbaby. Many that Katie's condition isn't as bad as feared.

I'm so sorry it's something like this that brings you to TCS. Your grand old girl has lived a wonderful life with you, and clearly she's been so very loved!

it hasn't metastasized (sp?). Our Lazlo, only 9, was diagnosed at the end of July with an 8mm tumor (lymphoma) in his stomach. He is being successfully treated with chemotherapy and supporting medications (steroids, ulcer medication, anti-nausea medication, an antacid, and and appetite stimulant).

for you and your baby girl!

Welcome, 

I am go sorry to learn that your lovely Katie might be seriously ill. 

You will find love and emotional support here because we  all love cats,  we understand the pain and stress you are feeling. 

I will be watching for your update. 

Thank you all for your warm replies and best wishes. It really is great to talk to other cat lovers! As tomorrow looms and I dread the 'phone call from the vet, Katie is quite oblivious and has just jumped up onto the window sill to watch a pair of graceful swans glide across the river! 

Welcome to TCS and I am also sorry it is to bring us sad news about your Katie :heart3:. I guess that is really very good news that Katie is feeling good today :bigthumb: She has been one lucky girl to have reached the big 20 as you have taken such good care of her all of these years Sending vibes that you can remain strong and that Katie continues to feel good despite this diagnosis... :cross:

I am going through much the same thing as you are. Thank you for posting on my thread about my poor Marmite.

I know exactly how you are feeling. My stomach stomach is in knots & I feel like crying most of the time. Thanks to Liverpool hospital, I now know what is wrong with Marmite, but we are finding it difficult to treat her because of her sickness. I wish you & Katie the very best of luck with her diagnoses & treatment. At the hospital, I know that she will get the very best care available. Please post when you hear something.

Just adding more for the best possible news tomorrow, and some for you, for calm and strength.

I was a bit rushed this morning, so also wanted to add that I'm happy to share information about cancer and treatment if it makes sense (if your baby's is treatable, and it's the same type of cancer, lymphoma). :nod: Otherwise, I don't want to bore you. :lol3:

Just checking in for an update?

I'm so sorry to hear of Katie's health problem. Here's vibes  that it's not as bad as they thought. Hugs!!

Wishing you & Katie good luck.

Rosiemac said:

Just checking in for an update?

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Me too.

 GOOD NEWS ABOUT MY AMAZING LITTLE KATIE!!!!!! Just spoken to vet - the biopsy results are not entirely conclusive yet and the samples have been passed to another consultant for a second opinion - we'll know more tomorrow but it looks like her liver and spleen are ok!!!!!!!! HURRAH!!!! There is still an abnormality in the ileum though, but hopefully this could possibly be removed surgically and Katie put on some chemo. I'm not getting my hopes up but it looks positive - I've been so on edge all day that I've done what I always do when stressed - clean the flat - it's now sparkling!!!!!! I'd like to thank everybody for their very kind and hearfelt good wishes and I'll keep you all posted - meanwhile Katie hasn't been sick since 2am Sunday, she's happy, purring and as black and beautiful as ever!!!! Purrs and hugs to you all xxx

This news is very hopeful....

now you can stop cleaning, take a deep breath and relax...

at least for now.

Continuing Katie's  healing vibes with some love added for good measure ...

Katie  

xocats said:

This news is very hopeful....

Click to expand...

and adding more for Katie!

Awww this is sounding hopeful like Tricia says. Keep us updated, but more mega healthy  coming for Katie

:heart3: :cross: Oh I SO hope this will turn out to be the case! BE TREATABLE!!!!!!!

We just love this kind of news!! More vibes for your sweet Katie to keep feeling good

That's wonderful news! Liverpool will be able to oversee Katie's treatment, they have been very good advising my own vet.