Bony tumor in jaw in 17 yr old male

My cat Strider, 17 m  has developed a bony mass or tumor on lower jaw on his left side. I notice it 2 weeks ago after being away on vacation on 3 weeks.  He has some drooling which I noticed first. He has some swelling in his gums which his upper canine presses down into.   

He doesn't seem to be in pain, although I understand that  cats can hide their pain.  He is very attentive and likes to stay close to me or my other two cats.  Seems to be eating and drinking OK. 

He's lost weight over the past year or so.  When he was younger he weighted 12 lbs. Now he's down to 8.7 lbs. with not much muscle mass. 

His vet pretty much said he wouldn't recommend doing surgery on a 17 yr old. He could prescribe pain meds when/if he needs them.   He had a cat with a similar tumor on his jaw.  His cat lasted about 6 months.  Eventually anorexia sets in as it becomes uncomfortable to eat. 

He surmised that it might metasize or an infection could set in. 

Any one had similar experience?

Any recommendations for what kind of food gives the most nutritional bang per bite?  I'd like to fatten him up at little before things get too bad.  He used eat dry food but understandably likes wet food. He's been eating some cooked chicken I had the past couple of days. 

Kathy

Sorry to hear about your cat.  My cat, Momo, is a lot younger than your cat, but we had to take him to the vet around Christmas with a bad tooth.  He needed a cleaning and extractions and was given antibiotics for what the vet thought was an infection.  Well, it turns out that it's likely not an infection, but something similar to what your cat is experiencing - a tumor or bony mass.  The vet recommended a biopsy in my case, but the outcome would be the same in either case.  My cat would need surgery to remove part of the lower jaw.

As long as your cat is eating and drinking he should be okay.  It may be that he's been eating less if the tumor is bothering him, or he could have another medical issue or simply "old age".  All of my cats got really thin/bony in their twilight years.

There is a great blog called My Name Is Leo.  The lady who wrote it had a cat with a tumor on his jaw.  It's very detailed, and I found it helpful in my situation.

I will likely not be getting surgery for my cat, as I have read that a lot of cats don't do great after the mandibulectomy.  As far as food is concerned, I would feed things your cat likes, and just try to give him more of those.  A vet  might be able to suggest a diet for gaining some weight, but in my experience, older cats just don't keep weight on.  They tend to get hyperthyroidism as well, and that will cause them to lose a lot of weight while still being hungry all the time.

I wish I had more information to give you, but I'm dealing with this right now and there's a lot of uncertainty.  I certainly wouldn't put an older cat through any surgery.  I would try to enjoy as much time with him as possible, and if he needs pain medication, I would try that.

Thanks for your response and info about the web page. Sorry to hear about your cat as well. 

So sorry your going through this. The exact same thing happened to my sweet Shizu. The mass on her jaw just appeared overnight. I hoped it was just gingivitis or some other gum disease, but it was jaw cancer. She was always skinny, but also lost a bit of weight. We gave her wet food & towards the end, gave her entire meals of treats. Since she wasn't doing well, we figured it was better for her to be happy than to eat nutritionally balanced foods. Although, kitten food is very high in calories, so that might be an idea. 

With my baby, the drooling got pretty bad, so just be conscious to not keep things on the floor or surfaces that your cats goes on, that you don't want to get dirty. We laid out blankets for her that we didn't mind if they got messed up. Hugs to you and your kitty.