Lymphoma

[Beaniesmom]

My 10 year-old male Tuxedo kitty has been losing weight and not eating. We have had 2 blood work ups and xrays. So far he has mildly low Lymphocites, BUN and EOS. We did 2 rounds of antibiotics and sub q fluids. Xrays were negative. We are going for an ultrasound at the end of the week. If it is lymphoma, what are my options. My Beanie is my world but I do not want to put him through Chemo to prolong his life for my sake only for it not to work. Any advice would be great.

 

[Kieka]

I am so sorry. Hopefully it ends up being something else that has a better outcome.

If it is cancer... It really is a personal choice. I have been there before and gone down the chemo road before. So based on my experience here is my view.

The cats personality is a huge factor. Right off the bat, no matter what the prognosis was Rocket would never get chemo. Even if her chance of full recovery was nearly guaranteed I couldn't do that to her. She doesn't have the temperament for long appointments to get treatment or the drive to the center or all the appointments. Maybe if I could administer at home and only two or three visits but even then I can barely get her flea medicine sometimes. Any benefit from treatment would likely be lost in mental side effects; she has made herself sick with stress in the past. She is high strung and not social beyond our family. She is my princess but I would likely just make her comfortable at home until it was time.

However, if we were talking Link he is a fighter and adjusts well. He had several surgeries and weekly vet visits for four months due to injuries in 2016 and handled it like a champ. His vets office loves him and sent me a card to celebrate a year without a vet visit recently. I could kennel him, pill him, and take him in regularly without too much trouble. He rolls with it and while immediately huffy he doesn't withdraw and didn't have any lasting personality change. He wouldn't like it but he wouldn't fight it either.

Personality aside, I wouldn't do it if the vets thought it was less than a 50% chance of responding well. Cats do handle chemo well and I didn't notice any weight loss, potty problems or other side effects when my last cat went through it. The hardest part was the frequent vet visits honestly. But I wouldn't put a cat through that if they didn't have a fighting chance. It would just be me being selfish because I wouldn't do chemo for myself either if the chances of remission weren't at least 50%.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I haven't faced that, but Kieka has given you the best advice I've seen. You know your cat better than anyone, and what he can tolerate without utterly destroying his quality of life. There is no way I would put Hekitty through chemo, no matter what the possible outcome, because of her temperament. However, if it had been BERRY, my previous cat, with a good prognosis, I'd have gone for it. Berry was a very laid-back, placid cat, and would have tolerated it far better than my current hellion/wild-child.

 

[Beaniesmom]

Thank you! My Beanie for sure would handle it great, he was at the hospital last night just chilling in our arms. Hes a love and not much bothers him. I'm praying for another diagnosis but everything now is pointing to lymphoma. I have read a pill form of chemo that some have done at home sop if that's the case I think we could handle that as a family, taking him to a clinic etc is just not an option with work, which breaks my heart. I'm probably getting to ahead at this point. I have to keep him eating and wait for the ultrasound later this week. Hopefully we will have better answers by then. Thanks again !

 

[babiesmom5]

I am very sorry for your Beanie, but can truly empathize having been down this road with one cat with small cell lymphoma and presently dealing with another one with bladder cancer.
Both of them were on Chorambucil (Leukeran) chemo, which is a pill you give at home. Cats tolerate this very well. Any side effects can be offset with supportive medications, if/when they are needed. I would absolutely not have any reservations about putting a cat on this.
This chemo is very mild comparatively with the injectible infusions... believe me.

An ultrasound CANNOT tell you whether it is Lymphoma, IBD, or something else. It takes a biopsy to determine that. The ultrasound may show a mass, suggestive of large cell lymphoma, but small cell lymphoma usually presents as thickening of the small intestines. It is an "infiltrative" type cancer. I can also tell you that you cannot tell from just the severity of the thickening whether it is, or isn't Lymphoma. That must be determined from cellular analysis.

So if the ultrasound results suggest possible lymphoma, your next step is a biopsy to determine whether it is large cell(much more aggressive) or small cell Lymphoma (slow growing and much more manageable). I would definitely recommend a biopsy so you know what you are dealing with and can target treatment effectively.

With small cell Lymphoma, about 70% of cats are responsive to chemo and go into remission with a MST (mean survival time) of 2 years; many cats live years more.

Hopefully, it is not lymphoma, but if it is, hope it is SCL which is very treatable. It sounds like Beanie, being a mellow cat, would tolerate chemo very well.

I wish you, and Beanie all the best. Keep Beanie eating!

 

[Beaniesmom]

I am completely devastated right now. Just picked up Beanie from the doc. He has a mass 3.5 cm. They arent sure if it is in the lower end of stomach, cranial mesentery, or the head of the pancreas. My doc, whom I love and trust said he would like to do surgery to see 1 - if he can remove it and 2 - biopsy it to see exactly what we are dealing with. He said he was 99 sure it was cancer. So for right now, I do not know what to do. He is a great vet and money isnt the issue with me or him, I just dont know..

 

[Kieka]

I'd do the surgery. No question.

Find out exactly what you are dealing with and you might get lucky that once removed it is handled. Worst case you relieve immediate symptoms and buy him a little time symptom free.

 

[Fuchsiaslove]

I'm sorry about Beanie! Edgar was diagnosed with large cell lymphoma, in the stomach and intestines, Tuesday and started chemo Friday. He's doing really well on prednisone and is eating and not throwing up anymore. I feel like it's the right decision, as long as he doesn't take a turn. I think just taking it day by day is the only thing we can do. I'm not sure what decision I would have made had they wanted to cut on him. We're thinking of you and rooting for Beanie!

 

[Beaniesmom]

Thank you.. Its so hard because after 1 day on the pred hes back to eating like a champ, not puking and acting like his normal awesome self. Surgery is scheduled for next Tuesday. Just want to keep him eating well and resting so he is strong for surgery...

 

[crazycatdad]

You got a good advice from Kieka. First it depends on a cat's personality (imho).
If weekly visits stress the cat a lot it may not be worth it.
Otherwise, it's also about how much money you are willing to spend on your kitty as chemo will add up.

We've been going through lymphoma with our orange tabby. Diagnosed at tad over 17.5 (so old!) but because he was otherwise in very good health and is a very friendly, adventurous cat (loves to travel in a car, new people etc) we immediately decided to start chemo.

He had tumors on both kidneys (renal lymphoma confirmed by aspiration) and suspition of gi lymphoma (frequent vomiting for a year or two that vets failed to diagnose previously).
Chemo gave him 0 side effects and within weeks he gained weight and seemed to have better quality of life than even in a few prior years.

He was in remission for nearly 1 year but about 3 months ago lymphoma came back (this time enlarged lymph nodes). We restarted protocols but as of last week he is deteriorating again.
We are going back tomorrow to what seems may be his final attempt at improving his quality of life as we've gone through most chemo options at the moment.
Having said that he still has not vomited in 1.5 years and we are very happy we started chemo and gave him additional 1.5 years in good health.
He is now 19.2 yrs old(!) but is still our baby (and my first cat) so it's hard on us.

I know you de use what's best for you kitty and I wish you and him then best recovery possible.

 

[crazycatdad]

I know you will do what's best for you kitty and I wish you and him then best recovery possible.

*Apologize for typos as I'm typing on my phone and can't seem to find the edit option!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I'm glad that you are doing the surgery. Regardless, knowing exactly what you are dealing with will allow you to give your baby Beanie the best possible quality of life for the longest possible time.

I'm hugging both of you in my heart right now, and lighting a candle for you both!

 

[Beaniesmom]

I just wanted to thank you all. On Tuesday at 1109am we lost our baby on the operating room table. I am still in disbelief. Going in to surgery he was, or I thought he was strong, nourished, hydrated and ready. Turns out , cancer had taken over his lil body. It was in his stomach, pancreas and seedlings were everywhere. Up until the moment I said goodbye he was the most loving, caring and understanding kitty. He never showed pain or suffering but seeing how much cancer he had I know he was just putting on a brave face for me. Im completely devastated and not sure how to cope with this empty feeling i have. 11 years with his beautiful soul was not long enough.

 

[Kieka]

I am so sorry for your loss.

I really am at a loss of words. Cancer truly sucks and as hard as it is never regret trying to help him fight it.

When you're ready we do have a forum where you can post a tribute to Beanie.

Crossing the Bridge

 

[Draco]

On behalf of TCS, we are truly sorry for your loss.

Please do post on the Crossing the Bridge section when you feel up for it.

Out of respect, we lock threads when one has passed on.