Chemo worth it?

So I noticed my cat was especially lethargic and not eating as much about 3 weeks ago. After numerous misdiagnoses and failed attempts to make her feel better, the vet discovered lymphoma in one of her kidneys through an ultrasound and said it was beginning to go to her lungs and colon. She is only 10 months old, not FIV or FELV positive.

He said that at this point chemo was not really worth it given how aggressive the cancer seems to be and its location. So as of right now she is on a steroid shot they gave us last week and nothing else. Just trying to make her comfortable until it is her time.

I have obviously been very upset and feel as though we are just giving up. She's only 10 months old!!! I was wondering if anyone had any experience with chemo or other treatments, like prednisone?, that helped with their kitty. Thanks!

I am so very sorry.  I think if you could talk to a vet oncologist you would be getting an answer from a specialist.  I really can't answer your question about rather or not to do chemo.  I know that in humans cancer that affects children tends to be very aggressive but I don't know if that holds true for other mammals.

I agree that talking to a specialist might be a good idea. Getting a second opinion for any serious health problem, in a cat or a human, is always advisable.

The thing about cancer in any species is that in general the younger the individual with cancer, the more aggressive the cancer is. As a human, you're more likely to survive breast cancer if you get it at 60 than if you get it at 30. Everything slows down when you're older, including cancer cell replication.

I hope that your kitty is kept comfortable and pain free if it turns out she won't be able to beat the cancer. I am sending you positive vibes!

Sophie

The problem with chemo for an animal is that they do not understand why they are hurting or what is being done to them. Chemo is painful and frightening, and because your kitty would have no idea why she's hurting and having these painful things done to her, it seems to me to be too much trauma to bear. If the vet is telling you that the cancer is too far gone he/she is forgoing all of the money they could charge from expensive treatments. At least you have an honest vet. I have had vets recommend biopsies and chemo and all kinds of treatments and/or diagnoses that are painful and traumatic to the poor cats but offer no real benefit other than to pad the vet's pockets and maybe stretch out the lifespan by a few more miserable pain-filled months.

My heart goes out to you in this sad time. Please remember that you have given your sweet kitty a loving home. She does not know that her life is short. She only knows that she has been taken care of and loved. You have given that love and security to her and made her life happy for it.

I'm so sorry to hear this.  It's an extremely difficult thing and even more so with such a young cat.

I think it may help your own peace of mind if you get another opinion.  If you have access to, as noted, a vet specializing in cancer (oncologist) that might be the place to contact.  You might try to get the ultrasound info so they don't have to repeat that, or the other vet may insist upon repeating such things, not sure.

Chemo might be a reasonable thought in a younger cat if there was a reasonable prognosis of remission and years of life to go forward.  Maybe even months of life.  But so far what you have is that prognosis looks bad EVEN if you did chemo.  This would mean that the last weeks or months of her life might be all experienced while undergoing the chemo treatment.  This is likely to be very uncomfortable and scary for her, and a cat doesn't understand that this unpleasantness is to be endured in the hopes that all will be better later on.  She would only know that life is not so good right then.  If you have months or years after the chemo, the cat can eventually forget the chemo and enjoy life again.  That is my way of thinking about it anyway.  And this is why your vet has said that he doesn't think chemo is worth it at this point.

With a young cat diagnosed with cancer, I think I would also be hard pressed to just accept it.  But I would not just insist upon chemo if it doesn't seem to be a path towards her having more quality time later.  I'd consider getting another vet opinion and then weigh the options, if the second opinion was different from the first.  And in getting that opinion I would focus on her quality of life, what are the chances of improvement or remission, etc.  Because I really wouldn't want it to be that her last days were on chemo.

Bundle's post above is right.  Your kitty does not know her life is short.  She knows she is loved and cared for.  And I'm sure that you'll do the best things  for her in whatever time she has left, as difficult as some of them may turn out to be.

Hang in there.

I'm very sorry to hear this. I would definitely get another opinion. Sending thoughts and prayers your way.

Was the vet who told you that an oncologist?

I would seek the opinion of an oncologist about the chemo.  I don't think it's as hard on cats as it is on humans because they don't treat them as aggressively as they do humans.  Cindy had chemo and she didn't seem to have any side effects and had a good quality of life for nearly two years after her diagnosis. Of course, she had surgery to remove the mass and a different kind of cancer.

I'm so sorry. :rub: :heart2: I agree with the others, you need to see an oncologist.

I have to disagree with the poster that said chemo is painful for cats. As Misty8723 said, chemo is used differently in animals than in humans. I also had a cat go through chemo. He did experience some nausea, but that was controlled with an anti-nausea medication, cerenia. All I saw was my kitty feeling better and better and becoming playful again. Yes, cats live in the moment, but they also learn routines. He handled the trips to the oncologist and his chemo treatments without any issue, and everyone fussed over what a good boy he was and how easy he made it for them. So IDK about even its administration being painful. For some, it may be, but I don't think it is by definition. I certainly wouldn't rule it out just on that fear alone. My cat was not afraid, and the suggestion for chemo was clearly not to pad the pockets of the oncologist - and he did not have a few painful miserable months. He may have been in pain at first, but that would have been the bleeding ulcers that came with the massive mass in his tummy - not the chemo. Lazlo was given four weeks to live without treatment. That was at the end of July 2011. It is now June 2015, and he is still going strong, enjoying life, being alpha cat, and playing. I don't want to give you false hope, but other than that last paragraph, the information by B bundle is just wrong.

As2bcat said, the decision should be based on information about her expected quality of life

Many vibes for you and your baby as you navigate this difficult time.

I am very sorry to hear this. Usually what I have read about lymphoma is that if it cannot be surgically removed, it is likely to spread and get worse. I'm very sorry, especially since she is a young cat. I am inclined to agree with your vet about this, not even a year old and the cancer has spread to her kidneys,lung and colon. Maybe you can set up a hospice type set up at home.

I would like to note that I have not personally cared for a cat who had chemo. I do try to avoid absolute statements, and in the end I hope the main gist of my post above is not too far off, in that it does all come down to quality of life. But clearly some cats as evidenced by what Misty and LDG write, and thus likely many more, have better quality of life on chemo than I might have originally expected, not to mention unexpected improvements vs initial prognosis.

It is possible that the specific lymphoma is still going to pan out just how your vet described, but the additional posts do give even more weight to the idea of getting a second opinion from oncologist and/or otherwise someone very well versed in the latest thinking with cat cancers. I hope you'll be able to do this as I think it will go a long way towards making sure you aren't just giving up.

@ LDG: My info is not wrong. Apparently some cats have a better experience than mine did, but do not dismiss my experience just because yours was better. I am glad for your cat that his experience was good, but my poor baby did not have the positive one yours did.

Bundle said:

@ LDG: My info is not wrong. Apparently some cats have a better experience than mine did, but do not dismiss my experience just because yours was better. I am glad for your cat that his experience was good, but my poor baby did not have the positive one yours did.

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Bundle said:

The problem with chemo for an animal is that they do not understand why they are hurting or what is being done to them. Chemo is painful and frightening, and because your kitty would have no idea why she's hurting and having these painful things done to her, it seems to me to be too much trauma to bear. If the vet is telling you that the cancer is too far gone he/she is forgoing all of the money they could charge from expensive treatments. At least you have an honest vet. I have had vets recommend biopsies and chemo and all kinds of treatments and/or diagnoses that are painful and traumatic to the poor cats but offer no real benefit other than to pad the vet's pockets and maybe stretch out the lifespan by a few more miserable pain-filled months.

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B bundle , the difference is that when I write about Lazlo's experience before anyone has related the problems with chemo, I qualify our experience with it, indicating that people shouldn't necessarily expect the same. I provide the facts about the percentage that go into remission, that our oncologist indicated his experience is that it is actually less than the published data, and the percentage of cats that cannot tolerate the chemo. I indicate that it requires supportive care, and it costs a lot, and it isn't an easy decision to make. In fact, I did not "dismiss" your experience. I took issue with the blanket statements that

1) chemo is painful
2) chemo is traumatic

without any qualifiers, which might discourage anyone from pursuing chemo, reinforcing people's fears, when for plenty of cats (many of them here on TCS) chemo was not only not painful nor traumatic, it provided at least several years of a high quality of life.

And B bundle , I am sorry you have had such negative experiences with chemo.

Chemo is not painful in pets. I can't point that out enough. It isnt aggressive like in humans. I would get a second opinion. The choice is yours but for those who say don't do chemo on pets just think what you would do if it was your child ... let them die without trying ... i don't think so. We put Daisy through chemo and she was fine with the process and we always had best interest at heart.

Good luck

@tinybash  Please keep in mind that unlike a childs care, sadly, when pets are ill, payment is expected and sometimes, its very expensive and families cannot afford it. Pets simply do not get the same standard and quality of care as people do. That's a fact. Unlike a child, you cannot reason that way with a pet, telling them today is bad but tomorrow will be better. They see the here and now. I do believe they remember the past but don't really see the concept of the future, or of future period. But that is my opinion on the matter. Another thing, I've heard of dying people saying they wished they could go like a pet rather than suffer like the way they do with cancer. It is something to think about. I think as people, cats and other animals are under people's care and as such, people do have to make tough decisions, very tough but sometimes its for the best. Why prolong their suffering? Are you doing it for them or for you? That is ultimately the question you have to ask yourself, no matter how much it hurts.

I can see trying a treatment that has a good prognosis, its best trying than not trying, but if its a gamble, not really sure if its actually worth trying, then you must decide what you will do and who you are doing it for.

I have  a cat that recently went thru carboplatin chemotherapy with no ill effects.  Not all cats have side effects from  chemo.