Brain Tumor

Hello, I am new to TheCatSite.com. My 14-year-old cat, Midnight, had an MRI last week and it shows that he has a cerebellar mass in the back of his head. We will find out next week the kind. The neurologist is awaiting a lab result. Today, Midnight had a lot of balance issues, so we will call the vet hospital about that  tomorrow, although I know the neurologist is not there on Sundays. Our cat also has IBD and we adopted Midnight four years ago, knowing he was FIV-positive. (Years ago, we took in a long-term stray who turned out to have FIV. He was such a wonderful cat). We are wondering how others have dealt with brain masses and if anyone can offer us advice. Ultimately, we want to do what is best for him. Besides caring for a cat with a brain tumor, we are wondering if anyone has any tricks on getting liquid medicine via a syringe into a cat as well as pills. We have watched a lot of videos on Youtube, but we are still struggling. Tonight, we went to our local vet to get help with the syringe medicine. Even the tech had a tough time with the liquid and the pills. Midnight is also a pro at hiding pills in his mouth and then spitting them out. Midnight is a Maine Coon mix, so he is a sweetie except for medicines. Any advice or thoughts would be appreciated. I have been around pets all of my life and have lost some to cancer, but never a brain tumor. Thank you kindly.

I'm sorry about Midnight. I've never known a cat with a brain tumor, but unfortunately I did know some people, and it was not an easy road. Of course I'd listen to whatever advice the neurologists and vets can give you. If the news is not good, know that Midnight has had a long life and knows he is loved and cared for.

If Midnight still has a good appetite, what usually works for me is hiding medicine in baby food. Offer him a little bit of chicken, turkey or ham baby food from Beechnut or Gerber, and if he eagerly licks up every last drop, you can try mixing the liquid medication in with a spoonful or two of baby food. They usually love the baby food so much that they eat all of the medicine in the process. I've also done it with tablets by cutting them up into small pieces and hiding them in baby food, but check with the vet to make sure they'll still work like that first. If the baby food method works, it's way less stressful than syringing and the cat enjoys it, but if the medicine is especially bitter or the cat has a very discerning palate, the worst thing that would happen is that they don't trust baby food anymore, which is fine because it's not something they need to eat normally anyway.

Thank you for the response and for the kind words. Last night, a vet tech (at our local vet--not the specialist) gave him his meds and she had a tough time. Midnight is a sweet Maine Coon-mix, but he wants nothing to do with the meds. This morning, we were back at the local vet as he has developed a tongue lesion, so she gave him his meds, but we will be on our own tonight. Again, thank you for the input and the kind words. -Gina 

My cat, Chancr, who died of cancer was on pills for the last few months of his life. The pill pockets you can buy I the pet store were lifesavers. You drop the pill I them and pinch them shut; he ate them right up every time. I should point out he had barely any teeth at that point (the shelter pulled most when we adopted him at 6 months old) so I don't know how much him chewing more would have helped. He didn't like liquids much we would have to wrap him in a towel and put the syringe towards the back of his jaw to get it open.

So sorry to hear about your kitty. Thank you for the input. -Gina