DC Cat Tumour - Palliative Care

[Kenwouldmixitup]

She is +4 days from being given the verdict. If she’d not been so alert with the vet the recommendation would have been to pts. So everyday is a bonus.

She’s on steroids, eating well and alert. Has relatively active days and really quiet days where she stays in her nest. She’s responding well to the medication.

Do you have a similar experience you could share? Thanks in advance.

Has the tumour been confirmed with scans & biopsies?

Thanks for responding. Tumour visible. And DC has a history of the same in the same place that was removed last year.

Sorry to hear your poor cat is unwell. My lovely 14 year old boy was seriously ill last Christmas and in the New Year, after tests/biopsy etc, was subsequently diagnosed with large cell intestinal lymphoma, a rare type of cancer in cats. Vet gave a prognosis of maybe 3 months so it was all a massive shock and very upsetting.

He was put on chemo tablets ,steroids, and a B12 supplement. He responded extremely well to the medication, gained back the weight he'd lost, and became generally very healthy again. It's now December and he's still with us!

He's not had any cancer meds since August as he's been suffering with an eye ulcer and that was preventing it from healing (it is now but very slowly). Apart from the eye issue there is no indication that he is actually terminally ill so I & the vet think he must have gone into some kind of remission. How long this will last I don't know though. As long as he has his appetite, no upset tummmy, and interacts with us/is active then all is well. I realise that it's just the inevitable being delayed but we are spoiling him & making the most of the time we still have with him.

@parkrunner1977 - brilliant and so very reassuring. Thank you.

The steroids are making a positive impact. I’m crossing everything, and a little bit more since reading your post. Thank you so much.

My heart keeps thinking the vets must have got the diagnosis wrong but my head knows that with the biopsy and tests he had that is just wishful thinking. Your lovely girl will let you know when enough is enough and its time to say goodbye. Enjoy all the love and cuddles you can and spoil her as much as you can. My boy thinks it's great as he gets treats all the time and fed on demand now. He such a character, the house will feel very empty when he's gone.

@parkrunner1977 - I am taken aback how this little creature has completely captured my heart. I understand what you mean about the house being empty. Your DC is doing amazingly well. Heartening.

Do you know the reason for prescribing B12?

The B12 is to help him absorb the nutrients from his food. He has one capsule sprinkled in a meal every other day, called Cobalaplex. The steroids were to help keep his appetite up and that has stayed just fine even now he's not on the tablets at the moment so that's been a relief. He has the odd offish day but I think that's more down to him being a typical fickle fussy cat rather than not being hungry!

@parkrunner1977 thanks again. Will check with the vet whether would be worth having.