Need help and advice for my cat with fibrosarcoma

[ShanKay781]

My Maine Coon cat, Marbles, is about 5 1/2 years ago. I took her to the vet recently when she became very tired and seemed to have no energy to play like she usually did.  Long story short, over a period of about three weeks, she had numerous blood tests taken, x-rays, bio acid test and an ultrasound.  She is on her second round of antibiotics in the hopes that part of her problem is an infectious disease that the antibiotics will cure.  The antibiotics are almost gone, and she is no better.

After the initial appointment with the vet, she began limping. I assumed that it was because she was so upset about having blood taken that maybe she sprained her leg or ankle.  Over the next few weeks, the limp did not improve.

In the meantime, she has been diagnosed with a heart murmur, polycystic kidney, cirrhosis of the liver, and there is something wrong with her spleen as well.  None of these conditions are necessarily a death sentence so the testing continued to find out what was making her not feel well and run a fever.

Ultimately  the temperature came  down. She has been on heart medication since finding out about the murmur.

As indicated, she is a Maine coon so she has long fur. Since she wasn't feeling well, she wasn't grooming herself very much so she got very matted.  I cut as many of them off as I could but there were just too many underneath and on her sides. I took her to the groomers several days ago so that they could remove them. I was so shocked to see her when I picked her up.  I knew she had lost weight and went from a 7 pound cat to a 5 1/2 pound cat, but to see how tiny she was with most of her fur shaved, it was very upsetting.

The most upsetting thing though is what the groomer told me on the phone before I picked her up.   She asked me if I had noticed that she had a mass on her back left upper leg. This is the leg that I mentioned above that she was limping on.  The vet did another x-ray and found that she has what is believed to be a fibrosarcoma tumor.  Cost to remove it… Approximately $2000.  Since I can't afford that, the vet recommended removing just a small piece of the tumor to get a definite diagnosis in case it is just a foreign matter that somehow got inside her.  Cost to remove a small piece… Approximately $600.

I have read different things online and am questioning whether or not this is the result of a vaccination, and if so, does that make the vet or the vaccination company liable for my cat having a tumor?

So far I have spent approximately $2000 on these tests. I love my cat, but unfortunately I am also a single mother with two young children and can't afford to do procedures and tests that will ultimately not fix all of these other problems and could ultimately  kill her sooner than later.

I am also posting this message to see if anybody else has dealt with something like this and has any suggestions as to what I can do to make her short time here as comfortable as possible since there appears to be no cure.  If anybody has any suggestions, I would love to hear from you.  Thank you so much for your time!

[CML2014]

Hi Orangetabby,

.....and if you have an Orange Tabby--lucky you, they have the best personalities.

I have not been faced with a decision like you or ShanKay, so I seriously do not know what I would do. I spent $3,500 to have my Cat Meezy teeth removed, but there was 80 to 90% cure rate for her Stomatitis. It was worth every penny--4 years later and she is one happy pain free kitty. This is totally different to cancer and the treatment suggestions that go along with this.

I will tell you almost every person I have spoken to  who  had their baby go through the treatment needed for this, all said they wish they had just allowed them to live their life with palliative care to keep them pain free. Just loved them until life let them go. they were at peace knowing it was their Time, no heroics to stress them further.

The way I see it , it is one thing to do everything possible for a human because we have a life that is inclusive of others and their interactions with us. We want to be there for the ones we love. Animals do not live their life the same way. They have no concept of anything more than the MOMENT....and I would want my Meez to live with Love in her Moment.
....but that is just me. We all must do what we feel is best. I will pray for help in guiding you to that door when it becomes necessary to open it.

Again I do not know what I would do, but I think I know I have given my baby every bit of love and caring I could and when her time comes I will let her go living her last days pain free with me and all the love she has ever known.

I am so very sorry when one of our family needs to go through this.

Come here and talk to us , we will always listen!

Sincerely,
CML

[orangetabby]

I'm also dealing with a fibrosarcoma on the shoulder blade  that my 14 year old cat developed recently. Oncologist suggests first step is an x-ray of the lungs and a CT scan, together which will run $2500.  If surgery is an option, which would likely include amputation, that would run around $5000. After that, daily radiation treatments for 4 weeks which would be another maybe $5000. If tumor is caught with all this treatment, oncologist said there is an 80-90% chance of regular lifespan. I need to decide in the next few days if it is worth it. My cat is completely traumatized by going to the vet and although I know animals manage fine on 3 legs, it's all the back and forth, being sedated, handled by strangers and everything else that I think might be too much for him to handle.  And then only MAYBE will he gain more time.  Without treatment, the oncologist said prognosis is 3-6 months.

[opus88]

Hi I am sorry for what you and yr kitty are dealing with, it does indeed sound like VAS(vaccine induced sarcoma) since the upper hind leg is a prime spot for injections

No I'm afraid the Vet or the Vaccine manufacturer are liable, or at least I've sure never heard of anyone winning such a case

I really can't agree with yr Vets advice to spend $600 to take a tiny piece out...unless you r meaning a biopsy? Seems like a very high cost for a biopsy!!!

There is no cure for VAS, amputation will buy her a bit more time but the sarcoma will eventually return....isn't that horrible to know, it's a terrible disease and shows no mercy....one of the reasons I am so against anything more than the initial set of vaccines, many Vets are as well.....I hope more will get on board with this very soon before more lives are unnecessarily lost

I hope you have a good Vet, that will help you to know when it's time to start giving her something for pain....it won't always be easily seen, cats can mask pain very well....and yes cats in pain will still eat!!! So you will have to be vigilant in watching for other signs...best to start with pain meds sooner rather than later :(

Again I am so sorry, to loose one of our fur babies is gut wrenching, one of mine is ill right now as well and I know how it breaks my heart...

I hope your girl will have some good quality time with you yet before it's time to make that very hard decision we pet parents need to do