Cat limping...bone cancer? need advice and support

shelleekat

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hello everyone. my 11 yr old male cat was limping, so i took him into the vet. They did xray and say it looks like there is a tumor growing. You can tell by looking at him that there is a lump at his front right shoulder area going down his front leg. Also got a secondopinion and most likely bone cancer :( xray doesn't show sign of metastases, but hard to tell. The lump seems to have grown even in past few days :( my options are :
1) to amputate the whole leg (which in this area is a $2000 procedure). The cancer could.come back or grow somewhere else too.
2) let him live and keep him comfy, then put him to sleep when right time comes :(

I am tornup about this decision. I feel that there is still some good life in him. Ive.had him for 11 yrs since before we got married and had kids. He has been hiding add he doesn't wasn't kids to bother him....and only comes out when everyone sleeping to cuddle with me. He is eating fine. Part.of it is financial, but mostlyabout his quality of life. I want to make the right decision for him...not me.
 

stephenq

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Hi there,

I'm so sorry for this, what terrible news.  And what a difficult decision process.  Before I made the decision I would want to get as much info as the Vet feels they can give me regarding length of life and quality of life with both the amputate option or wait and see option.  In other words, how long might your cat live with the amputation and/or what are the chances of it coming back and how soon?  And how long might he live with quality of life if you don't amputate?

Cats with three legs do great, so there shouldn't be a worry about his quality of life with three legs, he should be fine!
 
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shelleekat

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OThank you for your response. It doesn't feel like he has much time if I dont amputate. He has been hiding under the bed all day :( his limp is worse day by day, it seems. My husband thinks we should put him down, but he is leaving it up to me. I am going to talk with vet again on their opinion of the chance of it coming back upon amputation. Also, i am not sure i would want to put him through the pain of surgery and recovery. he is already a very skiddish cat who.tries to hide/run away from the kids constantly. I am still so torn and hate having to make this decision.it's breaking my heart.
 

red top rescue

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Hiding under the bed is a very common thing for a cat to do when it is sick or in pain.  You might be able to give him a little more quality time by getting pain medications from your vet.  For continued use, Tramadol is a good option, and my vet gets it made into a gel that you dispense through a stepped syringe and the gel goes on the inside of the ear and is absorbed there.  That's much easier than giving a pill or even liquid medicine.  I recommend getting him on pain medicine while you are thinking about your choices.  His personality should certainly influence your decision, and if he's already a skittish cat, the surgery might be traumatic to him in a way that it would not be to a more social and calm cat.  Ask your vet exactly what the recovery entails -- cage rest?  A cone of shame so he doesn't bite at his stitches? Antibiotics and pain killers after the surgery?  When you know all that, it will be easier to decide.  Quality of life always trumps Quantity of life!

I have a friend whose rescued a cat who was then diagnosed with an inoperable tumor.  He is still happy and doing well four months after the diagnosis, and he is on pain medication (I think it's the Tramadol but I don't remember for certain.)  She said she will keep him comfortable and happy as long as she can and then will let him go with love, before he suffers from it.  She doesn't really have a choice since they have said his tumor is inoperable.  For now, just make sure he's as comfortable as you can make him no matter what you decide about surgery.
 
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shelleekat

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Hi, thank you so much for your post. It was really helpful and thoughtful. I am leaning towards not putting him through all of that. I also started him on pain meds last night. He.came out more and hung out with me and was acting more like his usual self. I just love him so much.
 

red top rescue

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So glad to hear you have gotten him on pain meds and he's feeling better and coming out from under the bed.  Now that you aren't rushed into a decision by his being in pain, you can just take it one day at a time and your choice will become clearer as time goes by.  I'm sorry you have to deal with this but you are taking great care of him.  He is a lucky cat to be loved so much!
 
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