Bladder cancer

Has anyone had experience with treating bladder cancer?

My kitty was diagnosed this week. She is 18 and has kidney disease which limits our treatment options.

I've already done acupuncture for her which didn't help her arthritis and obviously didn't help prevent the cancer.

She gets fluids 3 times a week.

My vet is supposed to call me tomorrow to discuss both traditional and alternative treatments.

This is a rare cancer and I wanted to see if there is anyone else out there who has some experience navigating this disease. My kitty is my soulmate and it's most important to me to make sure her quality of life is good and that she is comfortable.

Hi chicagocats.

There is a specialized online community of people who are caring for cats with cancer. They've been active for the past 17 years - it's an excellent place to get advice, information and support......that's where I would be heading. I'm sure they'll have had experience with bladder cancer.

You'll find them here:  Feline Cancer Support Group    Click on the purple + Join Group button.

I'd recommend that you get a new separate email address to use exclusively for the group - they use email for their postings, so that will help you keep track of the information flow.

Hope that helps and thinking of you both.

Thank you so much White Shadow. I submitted a request to join the group. I greatly appreciate you giving us this information. Thank you!

You're more than welcome !

Now, you can add to the collective knowledge here at TCS by sharing with us what you learn from those very experienced folks - and, by keeping us up to date about how both of you are managing on this journey.

- I hope you've shared some pics already....if not, we're all eyes !

I met with my vet today. We are starting with Onsior and testing my kitties kidney values in 7 days to make sure the medication isn't causing kidney damage.

In addition, my vet said I could consider laser surgery.

The pros: It would give her a better quality of life. It would debulk the tumor. It would possibly extend her life.

Cons: Price is $4000 - $6000. There have been cases in which the surgery had to be repeated within two weeks because the rapid growth of the tumors. Also there is risk of possible damage to her bladder which would require a hospital stay while it healed.

I'm feeling incredible sad and overwhelmed. If I have to take money out of my 401K then I will. I  worry about the risks of the surgery. It will also require a full ultrasound to make sure the cancer hasn't spread before surgery is considered - which means another day at the vet's office which is exhausting for her plus the day she has to go in for the surgery. My vet suggested I meet with the doctors at the clinic because they could better answer my questions and then maybe that would help me make a decision.

I am frustrated not knowing what the right decision is. I am glad that I have at least started her on a medication. My vet said they are treating a cat with a fairly large bladder tumor with Onsior and he has been on it since last October (9 months) and still going strong without surgery. This was at least a hopeful story to hear at the end of my session with our vet.