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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Wwyd? Elderly cat and operation

37 replies

Ripriderockit · 19/04/2022 19:31

My 16yr old cat developed a huge lump on his neck 3 weeks ago. About golf ball sized and appeared overnight.
Didn't seem to bother him in anyway. Eating normally etc. And I know cats mask but he is definitely a sulker so gut feeling says he's not in any pain?
Anyway I took him to the vets. It was drained and he was given 2 lots of meds. Within 1 - 2 days the lump came back. Not quite as bad but still big. I've waited until all meds finished and then I was on holiday so not been able to get back any sooner.
Now the next stage is an operation to investigate what it could be. Vet said when it was drained it had a brown liquid rather than the normal pus so was unsure if it was an abscess.
I'm torn over what to do. He hates the vets with a vengeance. I worry about putting him through all that at his age and can't decide if it would be better to let him go with dignity instead of him potentially struggling with recovery after anaesthetic.
He's insured so cost doesn't come into it.
Opnions gratefully received so I can have a sleepless night mulling it all over.

OP posts:

1984Winston · 19/04/2022 19:36

I personally would go for it, they cope remarkably well with GA's and if he is otherwise in good health if this is nothing sinister he could still have a couple of years, plus you would always wonder if it was something treatable if you went for pts. But at the end of the day neither decision is wrong, its what you think is best for him and you

DeanStockwellsBunny · 19/04/2022 19:37

Por puss ,
I would get it drained again and see if they have a better idea of what is causing it .
You say he is not in any pain so hopefully the trip to the bets wont be to stressful for him .
A few months ago I thought I was going to have to have my young cat put down ( bladder issues ) but a longish course of meds and he is fine now .

DeanStockwellsBunny · 19/04/2022 19:38

Arggh I need a edit button ! sorry about the typos !

Chely · 19/04/2022 19:39

It can be a lot to put an old animal through.
It depends what other things they think it could be. If it could be something easily removed and allow a comfortable few years then it'd be worth the risks. If it's potentially something that would mean end of life anyway then it's not worth all the stress for him.

Northernlurker · 19/04/2022 19:40

Can they try and drain in it again and send that for cytology?

Magstermay · 19/04/2022 19:43

Does it have to be op or euthanasia? I assume if it’s not bothering him he could just live with the lump?
However if he’s otherwise well then he will probably be fine with an anaesthetic for what should be a relatively quick procedure.

Electriq · 19/04/2022 19:45

It doesn't sound like an invasive surgery, personally I'd do it, it may be a thorn or something stuck in there.

Notlabeled · 19/04/2022 19:49

I would get the operation done to be sure. If he's in otherwise good health he could be around for another 4 or 5 years.
While it can stressful to take a cat for the operation, he would be stressed going there anyway if you were getting him put to sleep.
If its a good vet, they will likely call you during the op if its bad news and you could decide to have him put to sleep while he is still under anaesthetic. We had a previous cat who was struggling to eat, and during an endoscopy the found an inoperable tumour in her throat, so the vet called us we let her go while she was still asleep. Only downside was not being there, but it was still the best decision for her.

XenoBitch · 19/04/2022 19:55

If he is otherwise happy, then it makes sense to have the lump investigated.

Cotswoldmama · 19/04/2022 19:58

16 isn't really that old for a cat, I would definitely go for the op unless the vet is advising against it.

Floralnomad · 19/04/2022 20:02

If it’s a simple enough lumpectomy I’d get it done unless he’s in poor health with other issues that you’ve not mentioned.

ShinyMe · 19/04/2022 20:02

How much do you trust your vet? With my last old lady cat, I felt I'd known my vet long enough to trust her opinion, and after she explained some of the options including surgery and medication, I asked her what she'd do if it was her cat, and she just stroked my cat's head and said she thought it was time. I trusted her that if she'd said it was worth trying the op, then I'd have gone for it.

Mymindisnotmyown · 19/04/2022 20:02

I would go for it, if he’s in good health apart from that then he could live another 4 years.

If he’s old and frail then maybe not.

Best wishes whatever you decide, it’s awful when they’re poorly x

TheSnowyOwl · 19/04/2022 20:05

How is he in himself? If fit and well for his age then I would go for it. Many 16 year old cats still have several more happy years with a good quality of life ahead of them.

Wbeezer · 19/04/2022 20:05

My friends 16 year old cat coped really well with having a leg amputated!

Dutch1e · 19/04/2022 20:15

I'm pretty level-headed when it comes to deciding the right time to euthanase. I'd go for the op, there are too many 'yes' elements to not try

Horsemad · 19/04/2022 20:20

I'd have to try everything before I had to consider any pet of mine being pts.

Definitelynotem · 19/04/2022 20:36

I would 100% go for the surgery

TonTonMacoute · 19/04/2022 21:06

I would leave it.

Our cat was 17 and his front leg started to swell and swell. Vets tried a few non-invasive treatments with no success, so we took some bloods.

These showed he had heart and kidney problems but we decided to have a scan to try and find out more. For this he had to be sedated and to be honest he did not cope at all well with it.

There was nothing we could have done to cure him, and the anaesthetic did accelerate things, we had to have him PTS sleep soon afterwards. He was an ill kitty and would probably have only lasted a few weeks longer, but ultimately it was pointless. If I could make the choice again I wouldn't have had the scan done.

I agree you need to ask your vet, if there are many underlying conditions such as heart and kidney problems, it may be better to let nature take its course. These kitties are not really designed to live this long, they go along quite happily for years then something goes wrong and it's all over quite quickly - which is probably best for them that way, but heartbreaking for us. I'm sorry.

Seeingadistance · 19/04/2022 21:08

Going on what you’ve said here, I’d go for the surgery.

Ejk1990 · 19/04/2022 21:11

My cat had surgery at 18, as he broke a tooth in the gum line and broke his jaw. He coped well and lived on til he was 22.

He had a heart murmur aswell and he was fine.

Branleuse · 19/04/2022 21:12

He could still have a few years ahead of him. Cysts and abcesses i think dont always have pus. Could it be a lipoma?

45redballoons · 19/04/2022 21:13

My 21 year old just had some mouth treatment under GA. They did blood tests first to try and check she'd be OK with it. In this situation she is like a different cat, it was absolutely worth it, although it was a risk.

Original poster

Ripriderockit · 19/04/2022 21:39

Sorry I didn't think to mention he has hyperthyroidism too. Managed by meds but vet said he had lost 1kg since initial visit (in 3 weeks). But we were away 3 days over weekend. Obviously he was fed but a slightly reduced amount as cat sitter feeds less than I do. So it could be that, his thyroid or something else.

OP posts:

Original poster

Ripriderockit · 19/04/2022 21:41

God forgot to add also I asked the vet her opinion and she said to do it. If he was 20 she'd say no. But this is a chain of vets I use. Never ever had issue with them with other pets either but no personal rappure with them as lots of vets.

OP posts:

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