My 3 year old cat has stomach cancer?!

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catwoman707

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Last week my husband and I noticed my cat Stella (Stellaluna) lost weight.

I took her to the vet yesterday, she has a lump in her stomach that is not poop.

She did an aspiration and sent to the lab.

She is so dehydrated now and won't touch food, this morning I was happy to see her go to her water dish and drink a little, but she turned around and threw up every drop.

I now don't think there is time, watch her wither away and suffer? I am still trying to accept all this, now today I think she is already out of time?

I can hardly grasp this whole thing, so fast.

3 years old??! How can it be?!

The lab results would tell about getting her on prednisolone for a short time at least, but now...I don't think that's an option.

A week? Wow, I am in shock here.

I am just sick...
 

ldg

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Oh hun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :hugs: :hugs: :hugs: :hugs: :hugs: :hugs:

This is a mass in her stomach? Or stomach cancer?

Because this is what Lazlo had - a mass in his stomach. It was large cell lymphoma, very aggressive. He was given 4 weeks to live without chemotherapy (less, obviously, if he wouldn't eat/couldn't keep anything down). For him, the supporting care was cerenia (to prevent nausea and vomiting), pred to help with inflammation, and an appetite stimulant. We opted for chemo and it worked. But it was expensive and time consuming. :heart2:

Did they give her a shot of cerenia? :cross:

Please ask ANY questions. :hugs: :hugs: :hugs: :hugs: :hugs: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes:
 
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catwoman707

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Oh Laurie this is awful!

They won't know until the lab results are back, tmrw.

She thought it might be poop since she is dehydrated, so after the tests for felv/fiv, blood panel were all fine, she did an ultrasound and saw it was not poop.

So at this time I don't know, and she wasn't given anything.

But today when I went to see Stella, she looks bad, won't eat, threw up her water, and it hit me, she doesn't have any time.

It's very aggressive too, I mean jeez, a week? I'm still in shock.

She looks like crap, slow, skinny, dehydrated, no good.

I know what I should do, as you said she is okay with going, but it's so hard for me to even believe, let alone ready to put her down? I better get okay with it, letting her suffer is not an option.

Just sucks.....awful, wrong.
 

ldg

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Well, I seriously doubt it took a week. :( Cats are masters at hiding problems.

Is she at the vet hospital? Are they not giving her fluids?

More :hugs: :hugs: :hugs: and :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes:
 
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catwoman707

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True, but I guess it just got to where she lost her appetite and weight.

She is here with me. I wonder if she should have gotten fluids. I thought it yesterday when I left the vet, I was there for so long with the tests, she ended up with a dog who had been anesthetized for spay/hernia surgery that I think she wasn't thinking.

Dp you think I should get her fluids to keep her going until tmrw for the lab results?
 

ldg

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Well, as you mention the vet said she's dehydrated, I definitely would since things were a jumble when you left. (I know that buzzing. :( :hugs: ). I know you have experience using them, so I see every reason to use them and no reason not to. You might want to call the vet to ask, just in case. But they may help her feel better. I'd also ask about a shot of cerenia. Don't know if your vet will let you pick it up and administer it at home yourself, but they can provide you the correct dose if you want to ask about that too. :rub:

More :hugs: :hugs: :hugs: and :vibses: :vibes: :vibes: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

misty8723

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That was what they found in my Cindy, a mass in her abdomen. It wasn't stomach cancer, it was a mast cell tumor and they were able to remove it. Cindy is now in remission. That was last year in November when we first noticed the problem. I mean, we noticed she was acting oddly and being more picky than usual with her food, but it's easy to try to explain things away.  It wasn't until we took her with what we suspected was a UTI when the vet found the mass.  She put her on Pred right away, and I think that saved her, because it took us until January to actually get a diagnosis of what kind of cancer so we could start treatment.  She thrived on pred to the point where I was hopeful that it really was just the reactionary lymph node they first suspected.  Anyway, I would do whatever I could until you get a diagnosis and see where you can go from there.  This has been an ongoing journey with Cindy and she's had more problems along the way, but she's still with us, and still having a very good quality of life (except for the twice daily medicines). Hang in there, I am sending vibes for you and little Luna.
 

mrsgreenjeens

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True, but I guess it just got to where she lost her appetite and weight.

She is here with me. I wonder if she should have gotten fluids. I thought it yesterday when I left the vet, I was there for so long with the tests, she ended up with a dog who had been anesthetized for spay/hernia surgery that I think she wasn't thinking.

Dp you think I should get her fluids to keep her going until tmrw for the lab results?
I would definitely give her fluids, and try to get her some Cerenia for the nausea and still if she won't eat on her own, syringe feed her.  AT least until you know for sure what the lab results show. 

 
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catwoman707

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Stella was pts tonight. She had tried to eat a bit and drink this afternoon, and she threw it up so fast afterwards, and she was so weak and wobbly, it felt like the right thing for her.

I tried to syringe her, she really fought it, I do believe with sub q fluids she would probably have felt better temporarily, but know that, whatever the type of cancer it was, it wasn't going to be possible to save her, with surgery, the expense of that, the rescue wouldn't have been able to handle it.

I'm very sad, I really struggled with it, if only I had noticed sooner, even a few days it seems, she would not have gotten quite so bad, if only I had the money to save her, if she was savable. But wow, she got so sick, so fast, then my husband came home from work and went into the cat room and held her for awhile, then came in the house and said the same as I was thinking, it was time, she looked miserable.

She was special, that's for sure. She had so much love and nurturing in her, even as a young kitten herself, she would care for the babies that would come, licking their heads, snuggling with them, making it all okay.

She even babied Destiny, my other cat room resident. When Destiny had her ears removed from cancer, Stella was right there, licking her head, cleaning her stitched up ears gently. They became the best of friends after that, Stella was so protective of fragile Destiny. When she went outside to catch some sun, Destiny would always wait for her at the cat room screen door, and when she came back to eat and sleep for the night, they would go off together side by side but touching, off to eat, drink, sleep, curling up together, one black, one white.

She will be greatly missed.

We brought her home to bury her here. I can't bare the thought of the other option, a mass burial, no.

We put Stella, who was wrapped up in a soft blanket she loved, and in a carrier, on the floor and opened the carrier door for Destiny to know, I couldn't stand the thought that Destiny would wait for her to come back, day after day. I needed her to know.

Breaks my heart. Her life was sure cut short. 3 years. Just seems so wrong. My little batgirl Stellaluna.

 

roxie

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Beautiful cat! I'm so sorry for your loss. Did they find out if it was cancer? Sending good vibes your way. :vibes::vibes::vibes: R.I.P. Stella. :angel:
 

feralvr

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OH my... :sniffle: I am SO SO SO very sorry to hear about how quickly you lost :rbheart: little batgirl Stellaluna. OH it hurts so much and my heart goes to you today. :hugs: :heart3: She was obviously loved and deeply cared for. I am just so sorry. :vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes: :rbheart:

Rest peacefully beautiful :angel: Stella :rbheart: :angel3:
 

pushylady

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I'm so sorry you lost your Stellaluna. The suddenness of the diagnosis and the fact she was only 3 years old is shocking. I hope the grief of losing her friend isn't too hard on poor Destiny. Stella sounds like a wonderful, special cat. :rbheart:

I'm going to lock this thread and when you feel up to it, you can post a thread in the Bridge forum for her. :hugs:
 
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