Cancer of the ear

[Jojoanna]

We have an elderly cat aged 16. She has developed cancer on her ear and the vet has advised it be amputated along with removable of a tooth. Is this advisable on a cat of this age? Cost approx £1300 although that’s not the a huge issue.

Surgery on elderly animals carries risks (as with elderly people). The vet will do blood tests for liver function, heart health, etc., to ensure your cat is in good health, before any operation takes place.

My old boy (17, possibly older) had an eye removed in August, and he was absolutely fine.

Removing the ear (just the sticky out pointy bit that is, not the inner workings) is very quick and straight forward and should stop her developing cancer. As long as they can get a decent margin then the cancer should be gone. It's a nasty cancer that, once it starts to take hold, progresses very quickly. That's definitely worth doing. And there's nothing worse than toothache. So yes, both are certainly worth doing. And even though the risks to old cats are of course greater than to young ones, the risk of the operation is still very small.