Normal Lipoma Growth?

@zygote  Thank you so very very much for your input and insight.  It must be a huge relief to @CatCurmudgeon  to have someone else on board, rooting for little Ella.  

Consider valerian either in tablet or liquid form for her to take internally for the car journeys, and as a back of the neck drops, which you can buy specially made cat-calming drops, containing valerian (as well as other cat calming ingredients).  And also get pet formula Bach Flower Rescue Remedy to squirt a few drops in her mouth.  All these things can help enormously for car ride stress, and can even remove the stress altogether.   Catnip is an anti-nausea drug as well, so put a cat catnip mouse in her cage with her and/or give her some powdered in a bowl to take as much as she feel she needs.  

These things might be a good idea for her to have anyway, from now on.  

zygote it sounds like you have done an amazing job taking care of your kitty! I probably would not have focused so much on the lump on Ella's belly if it weren't for everything else happening, so I don't blame you for assuming it was just fatty tissue! I would have done the same thing. I'm so glad your cat is responding so well to treatment & recovered well from those surgeries.

Brian007 thank you for those ideas! Ella responds well to valerian root- I can't believe I didn't think about using that to calm her down before heading to the vet.

Ella is doing well since her surgery, though she hasn't eaten a full meal yet- just picked at her food- but I'm not going to start worrying (well, let's be honest-panicking) until tomorrow. She is eating treats, so that's good at least.

So today we got some amazing news from the vet and I am still in shock. The lumps were mammary lobular hyperplasia, which apparently occur in intact queens. They are not cancerous! And Ella is acting completely normal now. I'm not sure how the original pathology got it wrong, but I am so so ecstatic that the results were different than what we were expecting.

The last thing up in the air is Ella's white blood cell count, which was still high when we did her blood work the day of her surgery. I am going back to that vet next Tuesday to get her stitches removed, recheck her blood work, and address the high white blood cell count.

I'm still wary because clearly something is causing her hormonal swings, the pseudo pregnancy, and the mammary lobular hyperplasia, but I am so relieved that it isn't mammary cancer. I will keep you posted as we try to figure out what's going on that caused all of this, and try to address it (if we can).

That's amazing news! I'm so glad for you and Ella. I hope your vet is able to get to the bottom of what's going on and find a good solution.

Wow, that's fantastic news!!!!   

And, bizarrely close to my very first guess when I answered your initial post.   

I may be a cat after all  
My heart has been up my throat, down in stomach, back up to my head, warming my heart, dropped down to my feet, and all over the place, with the continuing saga of Ella's progression through all this.  Hopefully, your news can settle my nerves for good one of these day, haha!

How is Ella?  Her stitches will have been removed by now, and hopefully she is well down the road to recovery.  

I was waiting until her vet appointment to post about how Ella is doing, and I've just gotten back from the vet. 

Her stitches were removed this morning, and we ran blood work. Her white blood cell count came back lower, which was a good sign, and she healed well. This, however, is the end of the good news.

Since her surgery, I've noticed she is gulping when swallowing, which I disregarded as a side effect of the tube going town her throat, and the presence of a cone around her neck. It seemed to get better during the day when I removed the cone and kept an eye on her. The other day, after feeding her & giving her antibiotics, she dry heaved and coughed a bit, which worried me, but she seemed to get better. I thought she might have aspirated some of the antibiotic. Last night, I noticed that I could hear her breathing and that she was breathing hard, and I began to panic.

When I asked the vet about all of this this morning, he was relatively sure she had aspirated her medicine or something, but offered to do an x-ray just in case. I went for it because something seemed off- and peace of mind is priceless. The x-rays revealed what looks like late stage lung cancer. The doctor says we will see her degenerate quickly, and we will probably have to make a quality of life decision within the next few weeks. 

I am, of course, heartbroken. But she is in good spirits, still eating and grooming, and still purring. I will look into at-home euthanasia services in preparation for what is coming. 

The vet mentioned that there was a minuscule chance that the inflammation in her lungs could be a result of her aspirating something, but that it is very, very unlikely. If it were the case, she would have much more trouble breathing. 

Thank you both for your positive vibes and thoughts that you have sent my way. I will keep you posted on how Ella is doing in the coming weeks. I am very lucky that I work from home so that I can keep a constant eye on her, and get to be with her during this time.

Oh no. Just when you think you've avoided on cancer another shows up... I wonder if it is a coincidence or if all her symptoms are related somehow, not that it really matters in the end.

I'm glad you get to spend your days with Ella. Wishing you both comfort in the next few weeks. 

I'm very sorry to hear that.      

But at least it gives you time to prepare and say goodbye.  When my first cat as an adult, Strawberry, died it was from cancer on her back, caused by injection site overstimulation (she'd been on medicine, for a separate condition for a couple of years, which I had to inject several times a week).  Anyway, she was otherwise in great spirits, eating, purring, and generally being her happy fatso self, right up until the day that the vet was called over to euthanise her peacefully at home.  Of course, this was devastating, but it wasn't anywhere near as traumatic and painful as losing Brian out of the blue.  I'm glad you decided to check her lump, as it's lead to this point, where you can enjoy each other and be thankful for all the time you've spent together, and for being so lucky you met in the first place.

 Lots of love.  

   

Brian007 said:

 
I'm very sorry to hear that.  

   

But at least it gives you time to prepare and say goodbye.  When my first cat as an adult, Strawberry, died it was from cancer on her back, caused by injection site overstimulation (she'd been on medicine, for a separate condition for a couple of years, which I had to inject several times a week).  Anyway, she was otherwise in great spirits, eating, purring, and generally being her happy fatso self, right up until the day that the vet was called over to euthanise her peacefully at home.  Of course, this was devastating, but it wasn't anywhere near as traumatic and painful as losing Brian out of the blue.  I'm glad you decided to check her lump, as it's lead to this point, where you can enjoy each other and be thankful for all the time you've spent together, and for being so lucky you met in the first place.

 Lots of love.  

 

 

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Thank you, I really appreciate it.

In the past, I have thought about what I would prefer as far as Ella's passing, and I had wanted warning-so I'm glad. Part of me does think it might have been easier to find that she had passed away in her sleep, but having the ability to prepare for what's coming will probably prove to be a blessing. 

How did you make the decision to euthanize Strawberry when she was still feeling relatively good? Did she take a turn for the worse the day you called the vet? A tiny part of me is hoping that rather than degenerating, she'll continue to get better, and then a month from now I'll take her in to see what's going on and find out it WAS inflammation unrelated to cancer. I know this is extremely unlikely. But this hope means that I think I will wait until she has a significant change before making that decision. 

I've never seen the end as it approaches before or had to make this decision. I've lost two dogs to rattlesnake bites (same night, same snake), and I regret not making the decision to euthanize an already elderly dog out of hope that she could pull out of it. Do you have any advice for what to watch out for? Or is it a gut feeling--you can just tell when she turns a corner?

Thanks again.

Well, we lived on a remote peninsular in Highland Scotland and the vet was over the water on the nearby island (15 mins by car ferry).  It was a bit touch and go, to be honest.  However, because Strawberry clearly still had quality of life and wasn't in pain, it didn't seem fair to euthanise her just because we could, but to wait until it was the right time.  That time came when she suddenly turned "toxic".  That is to say, all the toxins from the cancer cells attacked her nervous system and brain all at once, it was clear from this very second that it was time.  Fortunately, our vet was very good to us and jumped on the next ferry and rushed around.  It was just as well that it hadn't happened on a Sunday or in the evening, as I'm not sure what we'd have done!  Strawberry was only 12 years old.  

This is not really very helpful for you and Ella.  But, I think that you will know when it's approaching time, especially if you've arranged a controlled home death, because of the cancer being in her lungs.  She'll likely stop eating and start to cough.  You need to discuss palliative care and spotting the end time signals with your vet. 

I'm deeply sad to hear of the loss of your dogs.  Your experience of the two that died from snake bites must have been truly awful.  In Hinduism, dying from a snake bite is considered a sacred death, and one that sends the soul straight to moksha, to be reincarnated.  Those who die of snake bites don't need cremating like everyone else, because their souls are already cleansed (fire is sacred and cremation purifies).  They are simply put into the holy River Ganges, who is seen to be the snakelike hair, flowing from the godhead, Shiva.  This is because a snake bit Shiva, which is why he's blue in colour, but that's another story.  Only holy men, babies, and those who've died from snake bites are treated this way.  A wee bit off topic but hopefully of vague interest and a small comfort.

Thank you for keeping us posted.  We are here with you both until the very last.

 

Brian007 said:

 
Well, we lived on a remote peninsular in Highland Scotland and the vet was over the water on the nearby island (15 mins by car ferry).  It was a bit touch and go, to be honest.  However, because Strawberry clearly still had quality of life and wasn't in pain, it didn't seem fair to euthanise her just because we could, but to wait until it was the right time.  That time came when she suddenly turned "toxic".  That is to say, all the toxins from the cancer cells attacked her nervous system and brain all at once, it was clear from this very second that it was time.  Fortunately, our vet was very good to us and jumped on the next ferry and rushed around.  It was just as well that it hadn't happened on a Sunday or in the evening, as I'm not sure what we'd have done!  So, that's not really very helpful for you and Ella. But, I think that you will know when it's approaching time, especially if you've arranged a controlled home death, because of the cancer being in her lungs.  She'll likely stop eating and start to cough.  You need to discuss palliative care and spotting the end time signals with your vet. 

I'm deeply sad to hear of the loss of your dogs.  Your experience of the two that died from snake bites must have been truly awful.  In Hinduism, dying from a snake bite is considered a sacred death, and one that sends the soul straight to moksha, to be reincarnated.  Those who die of snake bites don't need cremating like everyone else, because their souls are already cleansed (fire is sacred and cremation purifies).  They are simply put into the holy River Ganges, who is seen to be the snakelike hair, flowing from the godhead, Shiva.  This is because a snake bit Shiva, which is why he's blue in colour, but that's another story.  Only holy men, babies, and those who've died from snake bites are treated this way.  A wee bit off topic but hopefully of vague interest and a small comfort.

Thank you for keeping us posted.  We are here with you both until the very last.

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I am glad you had a good vet who came so quickly and that Strawberry had you watching over her to take care of her and make the decision when the time was right.

Losing two dogs to snake bites was horrible. It was so sudden and unexpected-but I had no idea that it is a sacred death in Hinduism. That is quite beautiful, and it does bring a lot of comfort. <3 

I'm posting an update sooner than I had expected - Ella is still OK, but she is sleeping an awful lot. She had a coughing fit last night after getting up for a midnight snack, which was really worrying. She seems to only have trouble breathing after eating, so I think I will monitor her closely and make sure I am always watching when she is eating.

She is still purring, grooming, eating, and using the litter box, but it seems like she only does those things after I wake her up to give her love.

I have contacted a few mobile vets, one of which has an emergency service and is available 24/7, so I'm prepared in case things get worse quickly.

It is so sad to see her like this, but I try to remind myself that she's lived a long and happy life, which has been free of illness up until this year. 

I'm trying to remain optimistic- my friend who is a vet tech gave me the advice that I shouldn't plan for everything to end based on a single x-ray. X-rays can be wrong, and cancer can behave differently in every cat. She says attitude has a lot to do with how long kitties stay healthy, so I'm trying to be strong. 

I don't think Ella's sleeping is a bad thing since she seems happy when she isn't sleeping, but it does worry me that she will continue getting worse very quickly.

Perhaps think about sending off for some cat calming spot-on and treats, containing valerian, hops, and mellisa.  I know you said that you have valerian to give her, but I don't know in what from you have it.  Mellisa is ever so good for easing nausea and tummy upsets, I take it myself as drops in water - it's the only thing that works in seconds, unlike prescription tablets that take a while to absorb, and are more often than not puked up again before they take effect.  
Even though he's now back to his old self, I am going to give him another spot-on tomorrow and next week, as well as continue to give two treats a day, as a friend of mine died (he was brutally murdered, if the awful truth be told) last week, and so I will be travelling to his funeral for at least 4 days, more likely longer, at some point soon.  So, I'm preparing Dudley either for the cattery (where there is also a kennels with barking dogs), to stay with my severely disabled dad (who can't walk unaided and would 100% trip over Dudley and fall over, he falls over enough as it is), or to take him with me on the train to my mum's where she also has three cats. I'm also looking into some other herbal aids for this stage in his life, as, either way, it will be traumatic for him.  


And I'm also going to send off for some travel ease for animals which basically contains ginger, which is super ace at zapping nausea and sickness from any cause, especially useful for motion sickness (I actually think he might have to come on the 6 hour journey, including a 25 minute catamaran ferry (which can be quite choppy), a crowded bus, and at least 3 trains, with waits on open platforms between each, and then a car ride).  

Ella will likely feel nauseous as her condition progresses.  
I've left Dudley's basket out in the living room to disarm it.  And, will probably look into other methods for making sure he can cope.  I feel awful to have to do this to him but it will be good practise for the long 400 mile journey when I move back up to Edinburgh. 

I've also been playing lots with Da Bird and Cat Dangler toys, which arrived this week.  I'm basically trying to bribe him into loving me even more, and trusting me implicitly.    

Maybe some of these things might help ease Ella's passage too.   

  By the way, I had Brian cremated.  The vet said it was too expensive to do him on his own, so he'd be done with all the other animals, and I would get a share of the ashes.  But, there were no other animal deaths that week, so he was cremated on his own!  For this, I am truly grateful.  I have his ashes in a special ornate box, that my brother gave me for my 16th birthday, with his favourite hedgehog teddy.  They bring me immense comfort, in fact the comfort they give is immeasurable, and I've stated that I want them put into my coffin when I am cremated.    

I am thankful that Ella is feeling a little brighter in herself.  Given her age and her illness, she may need a chum by her side when she eats and goes to the litter, as the older one gets the harder these things are to do on your own. I doubt it means anything more than she appreciates your company whilst she does the necessities of life.

 

No advice to add since I'm not at this stage yet with my cat, but I'm continuing to send good thoughts to you and Ella. I hope she can stay comfortable as long as possible, and I'm glad you're prepared for when the time comes so you don't have to add to your stress by figuring out the logistics.

I like your friend's advice, though. You never know how it's going to play out, so just take it one day at a time and do what you can for Ella.

@Brian007  I am so sorry to hear about your friend- how terrible. It is always difficult to figure out how to take care of pets--particularly elderly or sick pets--when you need to be away. How old is Dudley? I am sure he will deal with whatever you decide to do- especially with how much thought you are putting into ensuring his travel time and time away from home is pleasant and not too chaotic.

About a year ago I moved three cats (and a betta fish) more than 1000 miles in a moving van, which I was expecting to be horrible for all involved. I was surprised that all of them adapted relatively well. Ella was happy and purring the entire way, as long as I held her in my lap, and the other two cats were fine if I covered their carrier case. They didn't seem to get nauseous at all--though they also didn't eat until we arrived at our destination. While I would worry about travel for any animal (of course), you may be surprised at how well he handles it. It was easier for me, since I used a single van the entire way, but I think pets are very resilient, especially when they have their human nearby. 

I have been using Feliway diffusers and calming spray for the past year at the advice of my vet, as Ella does not get along with the other two cats. Since she has gotten ill, we have essentially divided our house in half- keeping Ella separated from the other two. I haven't noticed that she responds well to sprays or diffusers (and I can't find the products you've mentioned at my local pet shops), though she does calm down and fall asleep in response to valerian root. At the moment, I am most concerned with her breathing going forward. She is still eating, still grooming, still using the litter box, and sleeping a lot, but when she has coughing episodes she seems to struggle to find her breath. She used to sleep IN the bed with me, and now she spends her night at the foot of the bed or on a chair, which makes me think that she is having trouble breathing or perhaps isn't feeling well at night. She had an episode earlier today, and we were ready to call the vet to make the appointment for her. We waited--since it happened so suddenly--and she not only calmed down, but seemed to return to normal. I am keeping careful track of her quality of life using  this quality of life scale, but during her episodes she seems to be much worse than she is 90% of the time.

I love your idea of keeping your pets ashes with you when you go. I also had my dogs cremated and plan to do the same with Ella, when the time comes. I also had the vet get her paw prints for me when she had her last surgery, so I am planning to get a tattoo of her paw prints, as she and I have a bond that I doubt I will ever experience again. My husband jokes that Ella is my familiar, and that I am hers =)

@zygote  Thank you so much for your thoughts and kindness. I am crossing my fingers and hoping that you will not have to deal with any of this for many years, and that your proactive treatment of your kitty will give you lots and lots of time with her.   

Dudley is 13 months old.  I know cats resign themselves to long car or van drives, I'm just not so sure about the choppy catamaran, especially as it is a foot passage (he was completely unfazed coming over here in the car ferry but it's smoother, quieter, and he was only 3 & 1/2 months then); and all the noisy trains.  I took Brian down from the NW Highlands to Edinburgh in Scotland by 5 hour, rickety train one time (only), and he hated  every single second.  I hadn't realised just how noisy trains were, especially the older, smaller ones, until Brian loudly pointed it out.  His poor wee, sensitive ears.  It took me a long time to recover from the guilt I felt at inflicting it upon him.  Dudley is a very placid pusscat.  I'm just terrified of triggering another psychotic episode, one from which he might not return.  He trusts me so very much, I'd be ever so sad to break that trust and him never forgive me.  I know I'm being oversensitive but the full moon episode, which was 5-solid-hours of lunacy, followed by three days of him still not being 100% himself, has worried me that he has latent behavioural problems that brim deep inside, but still brim, nonetheless.  I've just spent a fortune on toys, plug-ins, herbal aids, have changed his diet to 80% meat dry food, bought him fresh fish, cleaned all his stuff, bought a book on cat psychology, a treat weeblewobble, new wider shallower bowl for his long whiskers and weird shaped head (he's a ragdoll), and am going to buy a jumbo cat box (as he's huge and not finished growing).  All these things are for now but also for preparing him for a friend who I'll be getting after I move.  I just want to make sure everything in his world is perfect before adding someone else - as I know that he craves a companion, it's in his bread type.  Brian was nonplussed either way, and was perfectly happy as an only, indoor cat.  My mum has lots of multi cat problems, but I think she adds to them massively by screaming at them when they chase and fight, but will she listen to my advice, will she hell.  I'm going to do everything opposite to what my mums does!!! 

Here's a picture of my new bowl and weeblewobble out of interest:


As for Ella being your familiar, I think of Brian in the same way, he's my soulmate and always will be.  I don't want anyone else's ashes cremated with me, only his.  The thought of us mingling together again one day is something look forward to and focus on.

 

As for your getting tattooed with Ella's paw print, I think it an excellent idea!     I have a small strawberry tattooed inside my wrist and Brian, the snail from The Magic Roundabout, tattooed near my ankle, in amongst a veritable garden of flowers.  I don't know any symbolic representation for Dudley but I think his paw print would make perfect sense.  I have lots of other tattoos, with quite a few Hobbes (and Calvin) tigers, so it'll blend in, no problem.  I had both cat tattoos done when they were both still alive and in good health but I knew they would help after they had passed.  Maybe you should get Ella's tattoo done asap, whilst she's still with you.  If you've not had one before, a paw sized tattoo would only take 5 minutes to do and one week to completely heal.  Pain depends on the site on your body and whether you're premenstrual or not.  I find the pain not at all bothersome, in fact, I often enjoy it.  There was only one time when I was premenstrual that I had to ask them to stop as my mental health was under threat, and another time when I had one on my foot, I don't recommend foot tattoos, as the pain is intense (exquisite but excruciating!).  

Hobbes.  

Dudley's episode sounds quite strange! I'm guessing the vet had no idea what happened? I'm glad that he's still quite young- an episode like that would really scare me in an older cat (Ella actually went through something much more brief than what you described when she was first becoming ill and bit my husband. We had to take him to the emergency room because his hand became infected!), and it would still worry me with a younger cat- but if you've ruled out illness, it could be any number of things including the moon, or weather, or getting in contact with something strange (like a chemical? Or even a strange food?). It sounds like you've taken all the precautions you need to take, though, and you are a very proactive parent! Other than keeping an eye on him, I have no advice at all! I've been considering getting one of those treat toys- how does Dudley like his?

I can't help but smile at the thought of Dudley as quite a large ragdoll kitty. I've always loved ragdolls and maine coone cats (though Ella is a teeny-tiny calico). 

I was planning on getting the tattoo before she passed, though when she was diagnosed with lung cancer, I put those plans on hold because (sounds silly, I know) I was worried about crying while getting tattooed. I don't know what my alternative is, as I expect I'll cry if she passes as well--unless I wait a really long time. I have a few other tattoos, and a few on my foot-- I actually found my wrist tattoo much more painful, but I think the artist was a bit heavy-handed. Ella is actually feeling better right now, and I might have a bit of (potentially) unwarranted  hope that we have a lot of time left, so maybe I'll go out tomorrow to get it. I've been debating about location though- Should I get it on my heart, or on my other foot (because of a paw print/foot association)?

I don't have any Hobbes tattoos, though I always wanted one. My brother beat me to it, and I think I'd feel like a copy-cat if I got one! 

Ella is doing well. I've been tracking her on the Quality of Life scale I mentioned- we started discussing it at length yesterday after she recovered from her episode, and she landed at a 50 (7 categories, all with 10 possible points- 10 is 'perfect'). We don't want her to drop below a 35. Today she scored a 59, which was quite nice considering how worried we were about her yesterday. She hasn't had a coughing fit in more than a day (knock on wood), and though she is still breathing hard (we can see her breathing), we can't hear her breathing, and she stopped making noises when she swallows food. If it's inflammation caused by aspiration (the only other possibility), she will continue getting better. If it's truly lung cancer, she will begin declining again. I've been waiting on the vet to get back to me on whether she should continue taking Clindamycin, which is an anti-inflammatory antibiotic. I don't know if it helped or not, but the vet said it could help with the inflammation. We don't have her on steroids (which was the only option the vet mentioned), as with her recent surgery, the vet was worried about compromising her immune system.

Originally Posted by CatCurmudgeon  

I've been considering getting one of those treat toys - how does Dudley like his?

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Well, the treat toy arrived on Monday.  After filling it, then sporadically showing him how to wobble a treat out over the course of the day, with him showing no interest other than in the treat I'd wobbled out, I thought, hmmm, oh well, more pennies down the drain and another chunk of plastic junk to add to my other rejected cat toys.  

But, I filled it again yesterday and, low & behold, in the evening I heard the tinkling of the bell inside the toy.  He managed to extract 7 treats.  I think this was because it was nearing teatime and he was hungry.  And the more hungry the cat, the more curious and determined he becomes.  He's only wobbled one treat out so far today but I'm not giving up on it.  The treats are for furballs but they are 'Dreamies', which are highly tempting and addictive to UK cats.  

I'm going to try to make a cylindrical treat toy from a small plastic water bottle, which hopefully he will roll around.  I have a soldering iron somewhere, which should burn wee holes without sharp edges.  Watch this space...

I've not had a kitten/adolescent since Strawberry, which was over 20 years ago, when I lived with at least one other person.  And I'm beginning to suspect that Dudley needs more than just me.  Brian was perfectly self-contained, so the issue of needing a companion cat never cropped up.  I've stepped up Dudley's playtime, gadgets, herbs, and general interaction but he still seems to be missing something vital to his overall well-being.  

I'm now getting worried about pandering to him too much and causing spoilt-cat behavioural problems.  It's a thin line.  

I hope Ella is still feeling ok.  A steroid injection might be an idea if she should start to feel a bit peaky, as it would perk her up again.   

Did you get the tattoo?