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Lump on back of thigh
- Thread starter FeralHearts
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- #102
So update on Mia. She's refusing syringe feeding, her breathing is getting - well not good. Her energy is zero. She stares at the water and puts her face in it and barely drinks. Although part of that might have been part due to the burmorphine she had this morning.
All attempts to get her nausea under control or get her appetite stimulated have failed. ( I saw first had how they worked on Charlie - ravenous beast, but not on her.)
When I was picking up Charlie from the vets Monday after his ultrasound.. BTW no report yet and I'm terrified of what will come back... her camera went off. I loff she had wobbled and fell over. She's unable to go more than 4 -6 feet without laying down. I broke down in the middle of the vets office. She saw me and was so kind to come to me to find out what was wrong. I told her what I had seen on the cameras. We made an appointment for Friday to let her go in peace but I'm not sure she'll even make it that long. It's one last attempt to let the other meds kick in. The reality is she's leaving us and it's breaking me. This is so aggressive and nasty we didn't stand a chance. I'm not okay with it. I failed her. I couldn't get enough food in her to make her strong enough she is a fighter though. She really tried.
The kick off was probably biopsying her. One thing I know about cancer is that once it tastes air it can kick it into gear. She would have had longer if I hadn't but that being said - at some point she would have been in this same place and we wouldn't have known why. Maybe in a year, maybe in a few months but it is what it is.
I finally was given the oncologist reports after many days of asking at at first being sent a blank report.
I've read it. Pretty much with her getting weaker and not eating - there really wasn't a way to treat her. Even though that option was lossley given.
I don't know if everything we tried just made her worse.
I took her outside today to lay on the grass for a bit. She meowed a bit - she usually doesn't. I wasn't sure if she was scared or happy so I brought her in after about 20 minutes. Poor girl pee'd her bed today. I didn't think to leave a pad under her just in case as she wasn't moving around much. I cleaned her all up.
The past few days I have been carrying her up to the window, bed and all, so she could look outside since she has been unable to climb her tower and lay out her window lately. I told her she was cleopatra and I was her slave.
She is comfortable at least. So at least there's that.
So here we are.. I wanted to thank you all for all your help and accepting my insanity while I tried to process it all.
Barring a miracle - this is where we are and it sucks.
All attempts to get her nausea under control or get her appetite stimulated have failed. ( I saw first had how they worked on Charlie - ravenous beast, but not on her.)
When I was picking up Charlie from the vets Monday after his ultrasound.. BTW no report yet and I'm terrified of what will come back... her camera went off. I loff she had wobbled and fell over. She's unable to go more than 4 -6 feet without laying down. I broke down in the middle of the vets office. She saw me and was so kind to come to me to find out what was wrong. I told her what I had seen on the cameras. We made an appointment for Friday to let her go in peace but I'm not sure she'll even make it that long. It's one last attempt to let the other meds kick in. The reality is she's leaving us and it's breaking me. This is so aggressive and nasty we didn't stand a chance. I'm not okay with it. I failed her. I couldn't get enough food in her to make her strong enough she is a fighter though. She really tried.
The kick off was probably biopsying her. One thing I know about cancer is that once it tastes air it can kick it into gear. She would have had longer if I hadn't but that being said - at some point she would have been in this same place and we wouldn't have known why. Maybe in a year, maybe in a few months but it is what it is.
I finally was given the oncologist reports after many days of asking at at first being sent a blank report.
I've read it. Pretty much with her getting weaker and not eating - there really wasn't a way to treat her. Even though that option was lossley given.
I don't know if everything we tried just made her worse.
I took her outside today to lay on the grass for a bit. She meowed a bit - she usually doesn't. I wasn't sure if she was scared or happy so I brought her in after about 20 minutes. Poor girl pee'd her bed today. I didn't think to leave a pad under her just in case as she wasn't moving around much. I cleaned her all up.
The past few days I have been carrying her up to the window, bed and all, so she could look outside since she has been unable to climb her tower and lay out her window lately. I told her she was cleopatra and I was her slave.
She is comfortable at least. So at least there's that.
So here we are.. I wanted to thank you all for all your help and accepting my insanity while I tried to process it all.
Barring a miracle - this is where we are and it sucks.
Last edited:
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #103
So Mia is gone. She turned for the worst last night and I called first thing this AM. They couldn't get me in until 3 pm. I knew she would not make the trip to ER as she was so weak. We spent today together and I made sure she was comfortable and relaxed.
She died in my arms at the parking lot of the vets.So instead of me being able to give her one last kindness, she gave it to me.
Thank you everyone for all your help, advice and patience with my crazy. It meant a lot.
She died in my arms at the parking lot of the vets.So instead of me being able to give her one last kindness, she gave it to me.
Thank you everyone for all your help, advice and patience with my crazy. It meant a lot.
I am so sorry. I wish things could have been different. But if nothing else Mia died in your arms - I think she chose that as being most comforting. Being there in your arms allowed her to finally let go - be that from her giving you one last kindness or feeling that last one last kindness from you.
RIP Mia, rest in peace. 
RIP Mia, rest in peace.
RIP sweetheart, you were so very loved!
I am so sorry for your loss. You fought the good fight beside Mia and she passed in the most loving and comforting place that she could.
I'm so sorry for your loss.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #108
Dearest Mods. I know it's traditional to close a thread after something like this occurs. I'm asking if you could wait a day. There is a picture I took last night of one of the lumps that showed up a week after she was diagnosed. 9 - 11 of them grew so fast and they were not there before he biopsy but showed up after - within a week. I nearly killed me to take it and it's the last pic I took but I thought it was important to have it and post it for others looking for answers and for them to see.
Maybe she can help someone else.
This morning I went to get three plates for the kids. I swore I took out three - but I had taken out four and I broke a little inside.
I'll write a little something about her in the rainbow bridge area too when I'm having a stronger moment.
I'm glad she was in my arms too. I had someone drive me so that I could hold her in the bottom of her cage, no lid (it's one where the lids come completely off) So I wrapped my arms around her in that and just held and stroked her and spoke to her. I didn't want her to be in the cage she was so scared of. I'm glad I chose to do it that way.
Maybe she can help someone else.
This morning I went to get three plates for the kids. I swore I took out three - but I had taken out four and I broke a little inside.
I'll write a little something about her in the rainbow bridge area too when I'm having a stronger moment.
Thank you. XOXOXOI am so sorry. I wish things could have been different. But if nothing else Mia died in your arms - I think she chose that as being most comforting. Being there in your arms allowed her to finally let go - be that from her giving you one last kindness or feeling that last one last kindness from you.
I'm glad she was in my arms too. I had someone drive me so that I could hold her in the bottom of her cage, no lid (it's one where the lids come completely off) So I wrapped my arms around her in that and just held and stroked her and spoke to her. I didn't want her to be in the cage she was so scared of. I'm glad I chose to do it that way.
XOXOXO thank you.
Thank you XOXOXO We tried.
Thank you XOXOXOI'm so sorry for your loss.
Last edited:
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #109
Thank you mods for letting me take the time to do this.
I am posting 3 pictures. 1 of her lump(s) on her leg.
and the hardest picture I have ever taken... 30 minutes before she passed. I took a picture of the largest lump on her head so that others could see. This was also the hardest thing I've had to write but I wanted to try as much detail as I could in case this helps someone else.
The last one was her the day before her biopsy. My happy baby. Her twin, bonded sister, is facing away. They hate their pics being taken - very weird.
Timeline was nearly a month to the day between biopsy and her leaving me. The oncologist that she saw on the 11th of July, notes indicate "Expected survival is of a few weeks to a few months." At the time of the oncology Visit Mia had already not been eating for near a week on her own. Her prognosis was not good and again although they loosely discussed treatment and outcomes .... with her not eating - time was not on her side, nor was her chances of surviving the treatment itself.
Leg picture: The picture of her leg: the top lump is the cancer. It could not visibly be seen until she was lying down and her leg shaved. It was discovered when I gave her leg a deep massage for her arthritis that had begun to develop. She had been at the vets 6 weeks prior for a really bad UTI and placed on anti-biotics. No one felt - or saw the lump... her behind was shaved at that time as well so it's unlikely it would have been missed. It measured, on June 19/20th 2023 , as being 4 cm via x-ray. 20th was the biopsy. FNA.
The bottom swelling is synovial fluid. Likely this triggered her arthritis. The fluid and the cancer appeared unrelated other than that. She was given more antibiotics until the culture came back. As it was hot the assumption, even without her having a fever, was that it was septic so they errored on caution. It turned out not to be but it was no doubt still the right call.
Head picture: Mia had a follow up visit on the 27th of June. At this point a bunch of tiny lumps has appeared head, neck/shoulder area and a small one on her body. They were too small to do a FNA on and they didn't think it was cancer. In fact no one thought her leg was cancer either prior to the test coming back, while it was on the table as possible several people agreed it does not present this way normally. It was all strange.
By Friday, June 30th the little lumps had substantially grown and then grew more after but much, much slower after that. By this time there were 9 to 11+ of them.
Her Dr was actually sadly right -this was extremely aggressive.
Oncology: July 11th
Who knows if the first measurement was right on her leg tumour, or if part of it was swelling and the swelling came down a bit, or the antibiotics did it or the mushrooms but she measured the tumour at 3 cm at this point.
She was sent home with 20mg / 1 ml of prednisolone. To take 0.3ml once per day with food. As she was not eating this was a challenge but we managed.
She kept declining. It was very slowly. I could barely get enough food in her at this point - she wanted the food. I had to give it to her in small doses many, many times over the course of hours. It stressed her out a fair bit but it was the only way I could get enough into her. The last few days she often was spitting it out - making it harder.
Side note: For the first week or so she would eat a few treats on her own but not many.
Other Medications:
We tried a few different appetite simulates and at the end we tried sucralfate in case all those anti-biotics caused an issue - along with anti-nausea meds - all of it failed to make the slightest difference. (Cerenia and Miratz/Mirtazapine) I watched how well that worked on Charlie - he was crazy hungry this week. Mia - it didn't even make a dent. We had discussed putting her on Odansetron and decided that would be a last resort as she wouldn't take the Miratz/Mirtazapine with it due to serotonin syndrome. They were dead set on that and multiple people in the office reiterated it to me. I read up - it is a thing.
The other reason against the Odansetron had to do with some side effects if there was a liver issue or distended bowel. She has a distended bowel and with her eating being so bad I was a bit concerned about her liver. As we didn't know the reason for her refusal to eat, even though she wanted to - we errored on caution.
Cerenia 16mg tablet. 1/2 a tablet every 24 hours.
Miratz/Mirtazapine - was an ointment, 2% 5g in the ear every 24 hours.
She was also taking gabapentin Since June 27th 200mg/ml 0.2 twice a day - when I could get it in her.
Only other supplements:
Grey wolf procare GI with her food in case the anti-biotics were still an issue.
June 24 - June 30th Health pet daily immune support in one of her feeding.
July 1 to morning of the 5th. AHCC 250mg twice per day but the dose was 1/2's so 125mg AM and 125mg PM. When she starting having eating issues I was worried that upset her tummy so I stopped. I showed it to the oncologist and she said that would not have been an issue at all.
On Sunday morning, July 16: She actually ate a couple of mouthfuls on her own and I thought maybe she was turning the corner finally.
Friday night had been the first dose of the sucralfate.
On Monday July 17: she was prescribe some Buprenorphine 0.3mg/ml 0.2ml to be given every 12 hours. I gave her a dose that night. This was because while at the vets office with Charlie, I saw Mia on one of the cameras walk and the gently fall over. Tossed herself lightly to the ground and it took her 10 minutes to get back up. Her breathing was still ok. I monitored and although slower breathing through her nose, it was in range. She was tired. She was still very alert and gums pink. I spoke to her Vet about it while picking up Charlie. We made a tentative appointment to let her go on Friday as at this point, she was having obvious real pain in her leg. We wanted to see if by some miracle we could get her to start to really eat and give her a chance.
At this stage we started to reduce to pred in case it was making matter worse and the weaning began very slowly.
Tuesday July 18th: a second dose of the Buprenorphine was given I watched her a couple times on the camera at work and she looked drunk. When I got home she had pee'd her bed, she was having trouble with her leg and getting to her litter box. I cleaned her up and looked her over. She seemed a bit weaker. I wasn't sure if it was the Buprenorphine or something else. I also noticed much later into the night she began going to her water and staring at it. It would take her a bit to get a drink and then she would be okay. (I now know what that means and it hurts me to know that now. Knowing it I understand would not have changed the outcome just the timing.)
Wednesday, July 19th: I called the vet first thing after monitoring her over night. I wasn't sure if it was the Buprenorphine, if she was weak from not eating as much as she should, dehydrated - or what was happening. Gums still pink etc but she was weak. She was still trying to get water and put her head into the bowl again for 5 minutes at a time and then would drink and stop. I would help her with the water and she did okay. She rested most of the day and I spent it with her. Gums still pink and although exhausted she was alert.
At 1 pm I gave her only 0.2 of the gabapentin as I thought the 0.5 dose she usually gets for a car ride would be too much for her. 30 minutes later things went downhill fast. I could tell something suddenly was very wrong. I had a choice - try to get her to ER or wait. I knew she would not make the drive to ER - I could just feel it. At this stage I don't think anything I did would have mattered though I tried to be hopefully that maybe some fluids and nourishment might pick her up. Yes I know I was asking for a miracle. Yes I know now I should have taken her in Tuesday night. I screwed up and I have to live with that.
I'm missing things in between but that is the majority of it.
It was fast and unyielding.
------
The last picture is of her and her twin sister.
-----
For those wondering about Charlie: On wednesday her Dr gave me a kindness and said she had the results. I thought omg not now I can't handle that. (I thought it would be bad news) She said - "it's not that bad, he's going to be okay. He is. I wanted you to know that but you aren't going to be able to take it in right now so we'll talk Friday if that's okay " So at least there was that. That was a weight lifted.
I am posting 3 pictures. 1 of her lump(s) on her leg.
and the hardest picture I have ever taken... 30 minutes before she passed. I took a picture of the largest lump on her head so that others could see. This was also the hardest thing I've had to write but I wanted to try as much detail as I could in case this helps someone else.
The last one was her the day before her biopsy. My happy baby. Her twin, bonded sister, is facing away. They hate their pics being taken - very weird.
Timeline was nearly a month to the day between biopsy and her leaving me. The oncologist that she saw on the 11th of July, notes indicate "Expected survival is of a few weeks to a few months." At the time of the oncology Visit Mia had already not been eating for near a week on her own. Her prognosis was not good and again although they loosely discussed treatment and outcomes .... with her not eating - time was not on her side, nor was her chances of surviving the treatment itself.
Leg picture: The picture of her leg: the top lump is the cancer. It could not visibly be seen until she was lying down and her leg shaved. It was discovered when I gave her leg a deep massage for her arthritis that had begun to develop. She had been at the vets 6 weeks prior for a really bad UTI and placed on anti-biotics. No one felt - or saw the lump... her behind was shaved at that time as well so it's unlikely it would have been missed. It measured, on June 19/20th 2023 , as being 4 cm via x-ray. 20th was the biopsy. FNA.
The bottom swelling is synovial fluid. Likely this triggered her arthritis. The fluid and the cancer appeared unrelated other than that. She was given more antibiotics until the culture came back. As it was hot the assumption, even without her having a fever, was that it was septic so they errored on caution. It turned out not to be but it was no doubt still the right call.
Head picture: Mia had a follow up visit on the 27th of June. At this point a bunch of tiny lumps has appeared head, neck/shoulder area and a small one on her body. They were too small to do a FNA on and they didn't think it was cancer. In fact no one thought her leg was cancer either prior to the test coming back, while it was on the table as possible several people agreed it does not present this way normally. It was all strange.
By Friday, June 30th the little lumps had substantially grown and then grew more after but much, much slower after that. By this time there were 9 to 11+ of them.
Her Dr was actually sadly right -this was extremely aggressive.
Oncology: July 11th
Who knows if the first measurement was right on her leg tumour, or if part of it was swelling and the swelling came down a bit, or the antibiotics did it or the mushrooms but she measured the tumour at 3 cm at this point.
She was sent home with 20mg / 1 ml of prednisolone. To take 0.3ml once per day with food. As she was not eating this was a challenge but we managed.
She kept declining. It was very slowly. I could barely get enough food in her at this point - she wanted the food. I had to give it to her in small doses many, many times over the course of hours. It stressed her out a fair bit but it was the only way I could get enough into her. The last few days she often was spitting it out - making it harder.
Side note: For the first week or so she would eat a few treats on her own but not many.
Other Medications:
We tried a few different appetite simulates and at the end we tried sucralfate in case all those anti-biotics caused an issue - along with anti-nausea meds - all of it failed to make the slightest difference. (Cerenia and Miratz/Mirtazapine) I watched how well that worked on Charlie - he was crazy hungry this week. Mia - it didn't even make a dent. We had discussed putting her on Odansetron and decided that would be a last resort as she wouldn't take the Miratz/Mirtazapine with it due to serotonin syndrome. They were dead set on that and multiple people in the office reiterated it to me. I read up - it is a thing.
The other reason against the Odansetron had to do with some side effects if there was a liver issue or distended bowel. She has a distended bowel and with her eating being so bad I was a bit concerned about her liver. As we didn't know the reason for her refusal to eat, even though she wanted to - we errored on caution.
Cerenia 16mg tablet. 1/2 a tablet every 24 hours.
Miratz/Mirtazapine - was an ointment, 2% 5g in the ear every 24 hours.
She was also taking gabapentin Since June 27th 200mg/ml 0.2 twice a day - when I could get it in her.
Only other supplements:
Grey wolf procare GI with her food in case the anti-biotics were still an issue.
June 24 - June 30th Health pet daily immune support in one of her feeding.
July 1 to morning of the 5th. AHCC 250mg twice per day but the dose was 1/2's so 125mg AM and 125mg PM. When she starting having eating issues I was worried that upset her tummy so I stopped. I showed it to the oncologist and she said that would not have been an issue at all.
On Sunday morning, July 16: She actually ate a couple of mouthfuls on her own and I thought maybe she was turning the corner finally.
Friday night had been the first dose of the sucralfate.
On Monday July 17: she was prescribe some Buprenorphine 0.3mg/ml 0.2ml to be given every 12 hours. I gave her a dose that night. This was because while at the vets office with Charlie, I saw Mia on one of the cameras walk and the gently fall over. Tossed herself lightly to the ground and it took her 10 minutes to get back up. Her breathing was still ok. I monitored and although slower breathing through her nose, it was in range. She was tired. She was still very alert and gums pink. I spoke to her Vet about it while picking up Charlie. We made a tentative appointment to let her go on Friday as at this point, she was having obvious real pain in her leg. We wanted to see if by some miracle we could get her to start to really eat and give her a chance.
At this stage we started to reduce to pred in case it was making matter worse and the weaning began very slowly.
Tuesday July 18th: a second dose of the Buprenorphine was given I watched her a couple times on the camera at work and she looked drunk. When I got home she had pee'd her bed, she was having trouble with her leg and getting to her litter box. I cleaned her up and looked her over. She seemed a bit weaker. I wasn't sure if it was the Buprenorphine or something else. I also noticed much later into the night she began going to her water and staring at it. It would take her a bit to get a drink and then she would be okay. (I now know what that means and it hurts me to know that now. Knowing it I understand would not have changed the outcome just the timing.)
Wednesday, July 19th: I called the vet first thing after monitoring her over night. I wasn't sure if it was the Buprenorphine, if she was weak from not eating as much as she should, dehydrated - or what was happening. Gums still pink etc but she was weak. She was still trying to get water and put her head into the bowl again for 5 minutes at a time and then would drink and stop. I would help her with the water and she did okay. She rested most of the day and I spent it with her. Gums still pink and although exhausted she was alert.
At 1 pm I gave her only 0.2 of the gabapentin as I thought the 0.5 dose she usually gets for a car ride would be too much for her. 30 minutes later things went downhill fast. I could tell something suddenly was very wrong. I had a choice - try to get her to ER or wait. I knew she would not make the drive to ER - I could just feel it. At this stage I don't think anything I did would have mattered though I tried to be hopefully that maybe some fluids and nourishment might pick her up. Yes I know I was asking for a miracle. Yes I know now I should have taken her in Tuesday night. I screwed up and I have to live with that.
I'm missing things in between but that is the majority of it.
It was fast and unyielding.
------
The last picture is of her and her twin sister.
-----
For those wondering about Charlie: On wednesday her Dr gave me a kindness and said she had the results. I thought omg not now I can't handle that. (I thought it would be bad news) She said - "it's not that bad, he's going to be okay. He is. I wanted you to know that but you aren't going to be able to take it in right now so we'll talk Friday if that's okay " So at least there was that. That was a weight lifted.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #111
Thanks. It was a relief and that's an understatement. Truly.
You're welcome. It hurts like mad but if it helps anyone at all - even a little - then that's at least something.
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What a beautiful cat. I am so sorry. You taking her in the night before wasn’t going to buy her any time. This was not fair and I am so sorry for you and her, and Charlie. Cats grieve too.
I wish there had been a better outcome.
I wish there had been a better outcome.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #113
Thank you. She really was.
In my head - I know it wouldn't have bought time. My heart is another story.
Cats do grieve for sure. Last night all three of them stood in a circle around where her bed was the last time. Her bonded sister looks for her and then gives up.
Charlie is laying in her bed this morning and has been sticking close to me like he's glued to me.
Charlie has me worried still. He looks wrong. I know the vet said he would be okay - but atm he really doesn't look it. I'm not sure if that physical or mental with him. So I'll have to let the vet know when she calls today.
Thank you. You're help and knowledge and experiences were greatly appreciated.
Out of all the wee ones - mostly dogs - I've lost over the years. This was by far one of the most brutal I've seen in so much as it was so fast and so unyielding.Watching her want to fight, want to eat, want to do, her eyes bright and mind alert - and the body just not co-operating. It breaks a part of you.
I hope if someone comes looking for answer they get something from what happened to her or see something a bit sooner for their own little one. In her case, I know now that treating it would have been a mistake. As much as a part of me goes to "what if" I know in my heart it would have ended very badly and caused her more suffering than good.
I will no longer be gently checking the kitties out every two weeks. I will be feeling deeply in parts, gently still of course - but deeply.
Right now, I run my hands over them once a month and check for things. It's how I found one of Mia's tiny little fatty lumps a year of so ago that we did a FNA on. The vet even had trouble finding it as it was small small. Knowing that if I had not been massing her leg - I would not have felt that lump - well - they will all be getting massages now. I can promise you Braveheart will not appreciate that!
Try some Cat Music for them. Spotify and other sources have harp music for cats 
I’m so sorry for your loss. Mia was so beautiful. My heart breaks for you.
Thank you so much for the time that you took to post the update about Mia's journey. It was certainly very hard to do so, but also very kind to provide that information for future members.
When a cat passes, we lock the thread out of respect. If you would like to post a tribute to Mia in our Crossing the Bridge forum, you are welcome to do so.
Crossing the Bridge
When a cat passes, we lock the thread out of respect. If you would like to post a tribute to Mia in our Crossing the Bridge forum, you are welcome to do so.
Crossing the Bridge
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