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I have seen cats given their first chemo treatment and start eating and feeling better. I have seen them go into remission for years. Those cats seemed to feel well and have a good quality of life. But this involved weekly visits for the first month then bi weekly then monthly, and always a CBC fine first to make sure the WBC was normal before treatment. I worked at the specialty hospital from 2005 till 2014. Things may have changed, but I haven’t heard of it.
I have also seen cats have a bad reaction to chemotherapy after treatment and die a horrible death. That was rare though. Most did well at least at first.
I have also seen cats go into remission and do well, only to have the cancer crop up somewhere else. Or, a different kind of cancer crop up.
There was a cat I knew that belonged to a lady that had 7 related cats. She didn’t have any money and asked if I could look at a small lump that was under the cats eye. I did, and it was tiny. I asked the IM vet I worked for for advice. He told me to do a cytology, get a sample with a needle and put it on a slide. I did, stained it and he read it. He said he didn’t see anything that looked suspicious and that it was probably nothing to worry about.
I got the lady and the cat an exam with a general practice veterinarian through a group that helped low income people pay for veterinary care. The vet she saw sent her home with a prescription of Prednisolone to shrink it and planned to remove it. I talked to the IM vet and he agreed with me that it was an idiotic plan. So, I told the lady not to give the pred. This cat was overweight, like all her cats and one was already diabetic that I was also helping her with.
Within 2 weeks the small growth that was the size of pencil tip grew to the size of an unshelled almond. I took her to my work and was told I needed to see the ophthalmologist due to its location. They took a wedge biopsy and it came back in a few days as adenocarcinoma. By then it was walnut sized. I brought her back and the eye vet explained they would have to remove the eye and a portion of her face and they still couldn’t be sure the margined would be clean. The cat went home for the owner to decide what she wanted to do.
I didn’t hear from her for two weeks. Then she called me and said the cat had lumps all over and wasn’t eating. She wanted me to see what could be done.
The cat was dropped off and all of her lymph nodes were swollen and hard. The tumor was misshaping her face. The IM vet explained to me it was probably lymphoma as well as the adenocarcinoma. The lady came down and signed for euthanasia and left.
I euthanized her cat.
It was horrible and a memory I wish I didn’t have. I don’t know what would have happened if I hadn’t stuck a needle in it, or if she had followed the general practice veterinarian’s advice. I will always wonder that and feel responsible.
The reason for the story about little Darby, is that cancer sucks. It is unpredictable and unfair. I hate cancer.
So, I think the oncologist feels he knows what is going on with your cat. But, sometimes specialists can be wrong. Sometimes nothing you do is enough and sometimes you can get several years of a decent quality of life. ( or so we humans think, who really knows how the cat feels).
This is an extremely personal issue with so many unknowns. Nobody but you can decide what is right for your cat, but you. I will say though, the only guarantee is that in 15 years you will still be wondering if you did the right thing, o matter what you decide to do. It sucks! No other way I can put it. I am so sorry all this is on your shoulders. I wish there was something I could do to help.
I have also seen cats have a bad reaction to chemotherapy after treatment and die a horrible death. That was rare though. Most did well at least at first.
I have also seen cats go into remission and do well, only to have the cancer crop up somewhere else. Or, a different kind of cancer crop up.
There was a cat I knew that belonged to a lady that had 7 related cats. She didn’t have any money and asked if I could look at a small lump that was under the cats eye. I did, and it was tiny. I asked the IM vet I worked for for advice. He told me to do a cytology, get a sample with a needle and put it on a slide. I did, stained it and he read it. He said he didn’t see anything that looked suspicious and that it was probably nothing to worry about.
I got the lady and the cat an exam with a general practice veterinarian through a group that helped low income people pay for veterinary care. The vet she saw sent her home with a prescription of Prednisolone to shrink it and planned to remove it. I talked to the IM vet and he agreed with me that it was an idiotic plan. So, I told the lady not to give the pred. This cat was overweight, like all her cats and one was already diabetic that I was also helping her with.
Within 2 weeks the small growth that was the size of pencil tip grew to the size of an unshelled almond. I took her to my work and was told I needed to see the ophthalmologist due to its location. They took a wedge biopsy and it came back in a few days as adenocarcinoma. By then it was walnut sized. I brought her back and the eye vet explained they would have to remove the eye and a portion of her face and they still couldn’t be sure the margined would be clean. The cat went home for the owner to decide what she wanted to do.
I didn’t hear from her for two weeks. Then she called me and said the cat had lumps all over and wasn’t eating. She wanted me to see what could be done.
The cat was dropped off and all of her lymph nodes were swollen and hard. The tumor was misshaping her face. The IM vet explained to me it was probably lymphoma as well as the adenocarcinoma. The lady came down and signed for euthanasia and left.
I euthanized her cat.
It was horrible and a memory I wish I didn’t have. I don’t know what would have happened if I hadn’t stuck a needle in it, or if she had followed the general practice veterinarian’s advice. I will always wonder that and feel responsible.
The reason for the story about little Darby, is that cancer sucks. It is unpredictable and unfair. I hate cancer.
So, I think the oncologist feels he knows what is going on with your cat. But, sometimes specialists can be wrong. Sometimes nothing you do is enough and sometimes you can get several years of a decent quality of life. ( or so we humans think, who really knows how the cat feels).
This is an extremely personal issue with so many unknowns. Nobody but you can decide what is right for your cat, but you. I will say though, the only guarantee is that in 15 years you will still be wondering if you did the right thing, o matter what you decide to do. It sucks! No other way I can put it. I am so sorry all this is on your shoulders. I wish there was something I could do to help.
(I don't post this one very often any more because there are a lot of memories attached, unless it's for a special cat or person 
)
