AIBU to not seek further treatment for my cat?

[Tinklewinkle]

I have a cat who has just turned 15

She's been relatively healthy over the years, nothing serious healthwise, although she's started to slow down a bit the last couple of years and her days are mostly spent snoring.

A few weeks ago, she was taken ill. We came down one morning to find her quite distressed, she had collapsed and seemingly lost about half her body weight over night. We rushed her to the vet who discovered she was also almost, if not completely blind

Over the next few weeks she regained her weight and has been happily pottering round the house, mooching around the garden and generally getting on quite well. She hasn't regained her sight but we've lived here 10 years so she knows the house, we're careful about always putting food/litter trays, etc in the same place and she seems to be coping fine.

We've had some blood tests to rule out anything simple and easily treatable which have all come back clear, so the vet thinks she has a brain tumour. The only way to confirm it 100% is to have an MRI scan, then if the scan confirms it she would need an operation followed by chemo.

We had decided (with the full support of the vet) that we would manage any pain/discomfort but seek no further treatment - she's getting on a bit, such an operation followed by the chemo would be too much for her to cope with at 15, there's no guarantees that any of this would work and it would be cruel to put her through it. We also decided not to have the MRI - there is no scanner locally so she'd have to travel some distance and she'd have to be sedated, so we came to the conclusion that if we wouldn't be going for the op/chemo there would be no point in the scan.

However, DH has since changed his mind and wants to go for the scan/op/chemo.

The cat is insured so ££ isn't a consideration here, I personally believe that it's not in the cats best interest to but her through the treatment

YANBU at all.

I had a lovely 14 year old tom who had bone cancer in his leg. We had his leg amputated, which massively improved his quality of life (it was terribly painful) and he had chemo. He didn't mind the vets, the people there loved him and cried when he had to be pts. I don't regret his treatment.

My surviving tom is 18 and has epilepsy and heart disease. He's in pretty good nick for an elderly chap, and is responding to meds. However I won't be taking 'heroic' measures for him as he'd find it distressing. I hope he'll live forever, obviously :)

Big hugs to you and your cat.

I'm inclined to agree with PP that your cat is coming to the end of her life and prolonging it might not be the kindest thing to do.

Ultimately, you know and love her best, so please do whatever you feel is the kindest thing for her and ignore anybody who says otherwise.

I'm sorry you're going through this - you're in my thoughts x

Whatever you decide will be right as you have your cats very best interests at heart.
Just a quick question, I noticed you said she has had blood tests taken, but has she had her blood pressure taken?
Hypertension (High blood pressure) is the most commen cause of sudden blindness in cats. It is usually found with a concurrent disease eg hyperthyroidism but not always. The test is non invasive, just a cuff and some cold gel - and having to sit stillish for a few minutes. It is also treated with tablets and in a few cases the site can come back.
Not saying it is this and hopefully your vet has checked, if not well worth doing.
All the best to you all.

Sight not site obviously!!

Agree - she MUSThave blood pressure checked. Blindness due to brain tumour does not result in bilaterally dilated pupils. I am a feline specialist, sounds like hypertension. Brain tu ours rarely = blindness and not overnight. I cannot stress this enough.

please don't put her through any more - just because there are diagnostics available it doesn't mean you should take them. Its the same for people IMO.

I think that 15 is a fantastic age for a cat and the kindest thing to do would be to give her her dignity and just keep her as comfy as you can.

Sometimes with pets, you have to be very sure who you are treating the cat for iyswim.

Its such a hard time but im sure whatever you do, will be for the best x

YY to blood pressure tests. They are easy and non-distressing - Oscar has had a few.

Thank you!

The vet did check her blood pressure, it was one of the first things she did.

With hindsight, I think her sight has been failing for some time, a couple of times I've seen her fall off the fence and misjudge the edge of the patio, so I don't think it's been an overnight thing.

Thanks, feel a lot better about sticking to my guns now!

Hi, just wanted to add my support to how you are handling this. It is hard when there is treatment out there but as said above it isn't always the best thing.

My cat went blind at around that age, she is also deaf. she has adapted really well (although she did have problems with the litter tray, but retraining her sorted that out). On paper she shouldn't still be here and in our vets words is 'quite remarkable'

She has had various eye problems over the years including two ulcers, our vet said then he wasn't prepared to operate on her, bouts of cystitis and now has a tumour somewhere in her abdomen which is growing but only a scan would show where exactly it is. Again our vet has advised against it. we just treat any symptoms as they arise and she is on reduced rates at the vets as she is there so often.

She will be 19 next month, she eats well and potters about when she isn't sleeping and comes for cuddles. When that stops the time to make a hard decision will have come.

HTH and good luck xx

Tinkle our first cat got a tummy tumour when he was elderly ish (was a rehomer) he got an extra 9 months just by taking prednisol steroids and he lived life to the full right unto the end, no regrets in taking the surgery option.

Hi
I breed siamese cats and have a lot of catbreeder friends. One of these made the decision to put a 2 yr old dearly loved neutered boy through chemo. By the end of it he was afraid of her. :-( Then the cancer came back. You can't explain human concepts like it's for the best in the long run if it is making them suffer in the short term. I appreaciate your dp's feelings on the matter but it'd be kinder to keep her comfy and let her go. Brave post.

I'd like to say that not all chemo is horrific - my Jasper did very well on it. It wasn't a huge dose (palliative) but he was absolutely okay taking it.

I also think you are right. Cats (and other pets) just don't have the understanding of what is going which would enable them to get through distressing treatment. If an animal is nearing then end of their normal natural life span, then a treatment which will prolong life (but be inherently distressing) but not actually cure, is really unlikely to be in the animal's best interests.

I mis wrote my post! No regrets in not taking the surgery/chemo type treatment.

She is an elderly cat and it's perfectly reasonable to decide that her quality of life is deteriorating and it's in her best interests to PTS.

However, do get a second opinion from a specialist vet. They may surprise you. I have had the following wrong diagnosis by a local vet overturned by a specialist:

• lung cancer with a few months life expectancy and PTS recommendation, turned out to be an enlarged heart. Dog lived another 6 years with no problems.
• bone cancer with a few months life expectancy and PTS recommendation turned out to be a simple infection. Completely cured after 6 weeks of antibiotics.
• degenerative myelopathy diagnosis with a few months life expectancy turned out to be a herniated disc. Very mild neurological deficit after operation, great quality of life.

Thank you!

The vet has talked about the steroids at some point but felt she was coping fine without them at the moment. She had a couple of injections when she first collapsed but has since stopped them for the time being.

A couple of different vets have seen her within the same practice (we can't always see the same vet) and so far seem to agree, but I could see if I can get her checked over at a different practice, it could help DH clear his mind a bit.

Thank you all, I feel less like I need to report myself to the RSPCA now

I agree with op. Cat is 15 and would be a massive ordeal. Maybe would be the right thing to do with a young cat but not at 15. Let her enjoy her remaining time in comfort.

You are clearly both caring owners! :-)
So lovely to see. My friend, who is a vet nurse had 19 cats, some pregnant queens, tied up in a duvet and dumped at her practice on Friday. 8 died of suffocation before the practice opened. Just so depressing, why aren't more people like the ones on this thread?

Hi there
I am one of the specialists you would be sent to and you are right to think carefully BUT your vet is being premature here. Yes an MRI may be indicated but until seen by someone like me you don't know that. I get sent many cases for MRI that end up having other conditions. Going for an appointment with a specialist does not commit you to MRI/chemo etc. This is btw also wrong. Chemo for brain timings would only apply to lymphoma, no other tumor types. Feline neurology is poorly understood in practice. What many people do is come for my expert opinion, it doesn't commit you to further treatment. It helps you know you have done a bit more and sought more experienced opinion. I also put animals to sleep under the GA for the MRI on occasion if the prognosis is poor. Your vet with the best will in the world does not have 'xray eyes' and cannot confirm the diagnosis.

Ps surgery is only performed for benign tumours called meningiomas and NOT followed by chemo. Lymphoma is not treated with surgery only chemo so you don't have the right info. Meningiomas rarely cause blindness so things not adding up! That's why people come to see me - not to do lots of invasive treatment but to give you facts on which to base an informed decision.

I would let nature take its course we got our cat PTS at easter she had been going down hill since christmas we stopped her treatment (kidney failure) it was kinder IMO and when she was PTS it was time , It is still upsetting she was 18 and a love old girl ,

i think you are doing the right thing

my cat at 14 suddenly became ill, lost lots of weight and hardly ate. turned out her kidneys were failing. she was put on dialysis and had to stay at teh vets for two days. she seemed to recover then a few weeks later slipped back. she could have had more dialysis but i thought it was best she was allowed to go in her own time. she managed a few more weeks and they were quite happy then the last day she starting acting very strange and hid from everyone i knew it was time. she came and cuddled me that night and the next moring we took her to the vet who also agreed it was the right time while she was still not in any pain. it was very quick, we gave her a cuddle and that was it, was very peaceful, there is no better way adn you will know when that time comes

yanbu, my cat had liver cancer at 12 and we just let him fade away. It was quite quick and he wasn't in much pain.

I would be listening to samvet. :-)

Thank you!

Samvet - how do I find a specialist? I'm really just going by what out vet is telling us to be honest, we've been using them for years and always found them to be great, would they need to refer us? Would they have someone on their books? Thanks for the advice!

Thanks to everyone else, I hope I haven't upset anyone!

I really want to to what's best for her, and not make it about me. I love her to pieces, we've had her since she was a kitten and I hate seeing her like she is now, but she seems happy enough, still seeks out the sunny window sills and warms beds so I think she's pretty content for now