Feline Lymphoma

Our 10 year old cat Churchill was diagnosed with lymphoma in August of 2013. He has a mass behind his left eye, which is now closed off. He was prescribed predisolone for swelling. It has helped. Last weekend, Sunday we got up and went downstairs and Churchill could barely lift his head up. We made a decision to put him down. We called the vet and made an appt. at 1pm. We called our friend who does animal cremation and told her we were coming later that day. I gave Churchill a dose of his "VITALITY SCIENCE" alternative medicine. We showered and got dressed and when we went to crate him up for his final ride, he was up and about and drinking at the water bowl. I told my wife, we need to give him a chance. So we went to the vet and discussed what to do. They found that he had a fever of 103. They put him on ORBAX antibiotics and that made a world of difference. We told the vet Churchill has an appt. with the Oncologist on the 18th of November. He said to follow up with that appt. Well, today I took Churchill to UC DAVIS vet training Hospital in Davis Ca. (They are rated as one of the best in the world for vet care and vet training). We met with the Oncology Dr and discussed his treatment options.  It appears Churchill is in a good position health wise to do this. They did an exam on him and didn't find anymore growths in his body. Churchill starts treatment this week. The drugs they are going to use are Vinblastine, Cytoxan, and Doxorubian. I'm looking for any feedback on what to expect, other experiences. We are very optimistic on the outcome of his treatment.

I wish you the best of luck.  It sounds like large cell lymphoma.  I know LDG has a cat that went through chemo for large cell lymphoma.  She also gave him some herbs as a support but I don't know anymore about that part of it.  Her cat has been in remission for over a year now.

Wow, what a story! Yes, UC Davis knows their stuff! Your boy sure sounds like a fighter. :heart2: :rub:

Lazlo had a "massive mass" in his stomach, and without treatment was given 4 weeks to live. We opted to try chemo, and Laz made it pretty clear he was willing to fight with us to beat the cancer.

For us, it was a long, sleep-deprived experience. The first two months, he had chemo once a week, with one week between starting again. Then it went to every other week for four more months. Laz was diagnosed at the very end of July 2011, and completed chemo at the end of January, 2012. Knock wood, he's basically 2 years into remission now.

His was complicated by the mass being in his stomach, and bleeding ulcers. Because he'd been given a depomedrol shot prior to starting the chemo, we were told he may not respond to the chemo as well as he would have otherwise. That sounds similar to Lazlo's treatment, though the 4th treatment of each cycle for Laz was adriamyacin (sp?), and that was the hardest on his system.

After each chemo treatment for the first few months, his appetite was off, and he was clearly uncomfortable, and not very active. But this improved with time - his cancer was not metastasized, but the mass was so large, as the chemo beat the cancer, he felt better and better. But the treatment did make him more nauseous than he was. We did have to syringe feed him fairly frequently the first few weeks.

His supporting therapy for the cancer was all western meds - the herbs we used were for his anemia and bleeding ulcers. Anti-oxidants will interfere with the chemo, so we didn't use any until AFTER he'd completed his chemotherapy. I have since learned that Bovine Lactoferrin can help fight the cancer, and you may want to ask the oncologist if L. acidophilus (a probiotic) and lactoferrin would be OK to give along with the treatments. I give all the cats an L. acidophilus supplement now, and 125mg of Jarrow lactoferrin (it is bovine) 2x a day.

Lazlo received cerenia (anti-nausea), 1/4 tablet once a day, every day. It's labeled for use 5 days on, 5 days off, I think? We used it off-label (as per the oncologist). It REALLY helped his nausea. He was on an appetite stimulant pretty much throughout. We used mirtizipine, because it needs to be given only every 3 days. It makes some kitties really whacky. It did make Lazlo ask for food every 20 - 30 minutes the first day, and that would taper down (thus the sleep deprivation :lol3: ). Thealternative is cypro, which has to be given 2x a day. Lazlo was also on 5mg of pred... Laz was on sucralfate, but that was because of his bleeding ulcers.

I think that's it.

Anti-nausea
Appetite stimulant
Pred (for inflammation)


He became very sensitive to the smell of his food. I used all different kinds of toppers (we were feeding wet food mostly) - what he liked changed. For a while he loved beef liver powdered on top, for a while freeze dried salmon powdered on top would help...

If you want to read through the entire process, it's all here: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/234030/mega-massive-vibes-for-lazlo-urgent

It took a couple of pages to get the proper diagnosis.

There were definitely ups and downs along the way, and we would have stopped if it was just too much for him. :heart2:

Vibes for your boy!

Thank you Denice and LDG for your sharing. This journey has just begun and it's far from over. It is emotionally and financially draining, but worth it. I will keep our journey updated. I have a lot of reading to do to learn about lymphoma. ....

Churchill starts his chemotherapy tomorrow for his lymphoma. We are very optimistic about this treatment. He responds very well to medications such as prednisolone, Orbax (antibiotic), and his Immune system restore from Vitality Science. Will post later this week on his journey.....

Many thoughts and good vibes for Churchill as he starts his chemotherapy! 

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And for you. You'll need them. :heart2:

Daisy is on week 7 of an initial 12 week chemo course (weekly iv vincristine and prednisone and cytoxan orally every second day) and she is doing great at the moment with no side effects.

I hope you have a smooth journey. Good luck Churchill.

Good Luck with the Chemo I hope it helps.

Sad day today. We had to put Churchill down today. He was doing fine most of the day. He got up , ate his breakfast, napped, got up and I brushed him, he was scratching his post etc. Then about an hour ago, he was disoriented and growling. It's almost like he became a ferrel cat. We took him to the vet and they said they believe the tumor was pressing on his brain. Churchill was a great cat / friend / buddy. Now it's time to go lay down and release a great cry. Our hearts our broken....

Oh I'm so so SO sorry! I really hate this horrible disease.

Holding all of you close. :heart2:

Fly free, Churchill.

I am so very sorry.  He is free of this disease now.

I am so sorry for your loss.

I'm so very sorry that Churchill had to leave you. 

I'm so sorry. This is such an unpredictable and awful disease. At least Churchill is at peace now. X

Thank you everybody for your kind words. We are still in shock/numb to what has happened. Even with the other cats and dogs in the house, there is a huge emptiness/void there.  Friday was a great day up until about 2:30 ish pm. Churchill as having a great day. He was doing his normal routines. He got up ate, took his meds, litter box, and then went to the back door (which has a screen) and sat there for a few minutes and enjoyed the fresh air. He came into the family room a few times and meowed as he always did to announce his presence. He went over to one of the cat tree's and scratched and scratched and scratched. He almost seemed back to normal. He took a little nap. he got up from his nap, I gave him a few treats and got the brush and started to brush him. He was just a purring, rubbing his head against me and loving it.  After about 15 minutes or so, he went back into his room for a few minutes. The wife and I were sitting in the family room when he came back into the family room, but this time he didn't say anything. He walked over by the TV and stopped and then just kind of stood there and twitched a little. We watched him and called out his name, he didn't respond. I got up and hovered over him and he just stood there almost disoriented. I rubbed my hands over his back and talked to him and his tail flaired up like a freaked out cat. He then ran into the dining room and up the table and then into the bathroom. I followed him in and he was not himself. I got a cat carrier and tried to guide him into it. Usually he just walks right into them and lays down. I got him in the carrier and called the vet and said Churchill isn't right and we are heading down there. While in the car, he started to growl and drool. He was no longer responding to us. We got to the vet in a matter of minutes. We took him into the room and the vet tech says it looks like it may have went to his brain. The vet came in and tried to open the cage and he growled and hissed (almost like he was a feral cat). Churchill's back legs were almost giving out on him. We made the decision to put him to rest. The vet did say that it appears the tumor may be hitting his brain or the cancer in his blood has reached the brain and has taken over. After we made the decision, I walked out of the room in tears. My wife was a wreck too. They took him into the back room, sedated him an brought him back into the exam room. They asked if I wanted to come back into the room, I said no. It is too hard for me to see them like that. I want to remember them in a better light. My wife was in there and was with him when he passed. The vet tech who knew Churchill stayed in there and pet him and cried with my wife. We are having him cremated and brought back home. It's only been a little over 3 days and the hurt is still so strong. We were confident that Churchill had a good chance at fighting this disease. We were told that animals with lymphoma can live about 2 to 6 weeks with no treatment. He lived almost 11 weeks with it. We know over time the pain will ease up, but Churchill was a very unique cat. So until we meet again Churchill, wait for us at the bridge and we will continue our journey once again. We love you.....