The doc saaid my cat has Mass cell tumor

My cat has been diagnosed with Mass cell tumor. The vet gave him some med, but it doesn't gets any better. After a while, they told me to do radiology for cure, but I hesitated(They didn't provided me any information, and talked like it is just a walk at park). I do not want him to suffer a pain going through the process, so I just took him home. The whole time he is just fine, running around, eating  like nothing happen, except maybe a little over-sleep(dont all cat does?) But all of a sudden, I realized a huge drops of weight, maybe around 20-25%(he used to have a big tummy,no is pretty much gone), and he doesn't eat fry food now(but will eat the can food). Is it really bad? What the vet last told me is that since it only exposed on the skin, it should be Benin and most unlikely it will spread to the digest system. Were they wrong? What should I do?
p.s When I first realized the symptom, it was a small lump on the hip, now is become one size of a quarter(maybe larger), and other smalls ones over the body. It has been closed to a year(since I don't know who to talk to.....)

[Savas]

It sounds like the cancer has spread. I'm not sure why your vet told you it was benign and then suggested radiation treatment, unless it was at two separate occasions.

Unfortunately, animals don't react to chemo/radiation type treatments as well as human. humans understand the concept of "being made sick to feel better down the line." There's no way to explain that to an animal. So there's a much lower success rate in these treatments.

As far as it being a skin cancer...well, the skin is a vital organism, and even if the cancer doesn't spread to the other organs, an animal can't survive a progressive, spreading skin cancer... I think you can see the logic in this.

Your only option now is to take your cat to the vet and get an evaluation to see if it isn't to late to do treatment. If they say it isn't, then you'll have to decide if you want to go ahead with the treatment, or just let kitty enjoy the time he has left.

Sorry to hear about the cancer, and hope it works out. We're always here if you need to chat.

[zodiacqueen]

First off, it sounds like the vet is unsure whether it's benign or malignant(cancer).  You need a definite answer, which means the cat will need a biopsy.  This is very important.  You need to know for sure and then you'll have a better idea of which direction to go.  Some benign growths can turn to cancer if they're not removed-be aware of that.

If it turns out to be cancer, animals actually handle chemo and radiation better than people do(side effects of the treatment).  With these treatments, unfortunately with animals, they will prolong life-not cure them.  If your cat is still eating, playing, and laying comfortably, then take that as a sign that the cat is not suffering.  That's what I pay attention to with my own cats if I worry that they might be sick.  Another tip, if the cat is sleeping upside down, this is a very very good sign that they're feeling good.

Best of luck to you
Staci

[markhui]

A biopsy has already been done, there is when they can even concluded to me it was MCT in the first place, and the way they said it is most likely benign....... When they have the result, we already did a couple removal, however, it came back out right after(we are talking about 1-2 weeks). The attitude of the vet is that I can't made decision. I wanted to go somewhere else, but doesn't know where to......
My cat looks pretty ok as I said, going around, playing just like normal. The only thing I realized as problem is he doesn't want to eat dry food, but still eating normally for canned or cooked food, which is why I am guessing either his throat or digesting system is not working too good.......anyone have comment on that?

p.s. He is sleeping right now. I am not sure what it meant upside down, but he is sleeping lying down, with the 2 paws holding on the head(kinda like the tiger sleep when I saw the Discovery channel) that should be ok right?

[zodiacqueen]

Hi, I meant by upside down-cat on back with belly exposed and paws up in the air.  But, if the cat looks comfortable then that is good too.  Your cat is eating and playing that is great, too.  I wouldn't be overly worried about him not wanting dry food, maybe he's just going through a picky phase.  Cats can be soooo moody and picky sometimes.  But, gotta love them!!

I hope you're not worrying yourself too much over this-stay positive.  The vet said that it looks benign and that is good, and he should know, he's probably seen hundereds of tumors and knows what a malignant one looks like.

Stay positive-and keep us posted!!

Staci

[markhui]

I am trying to be positive the whole time, it just pretty said when I look at his face( there are couple lumps right on his head). I kinda blame myself all the time for not giving him the treatment, as it might have been better if he has the radiology. The good thing is that my wife is being very supportive, and we love him no less. And he got couple brothers company him all the time(we have 3 cats in total). I had seen bad stuff before, but all my previous pets are reptile, so I guess the impact was quite different......
I just hope I get to have more good times with him. He is still quite young(about 2 years old) and I hope we can have him with us as long as we could....

Thanks for everybody responds to this. Your moral support does means a lot. Thank you.

And I thank in advance for anybody that has more information that can help out. We will be greatly appreciated.

[zodiacqueen]

HI!!  I found some really good info on mast cell tumors, and I got it from

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/72231.htm

Here is an excerpt-The words in parenthesis are to help you figure out some of the medical lingo.

In cats, cutaneous(skin) mast cell tumors are common. In addition to cutaneous tumors, systemic(in the body), leukemic(white blood cell cancer), and GI(stomach and intestines) forms have been recognized. Two distinct variants of the form occur—a mast cell type analogous(similar) to, but not identical with, cutaneous mast cell tumors in dogs, and a histiocytic(tissue and cell) type unique to cats.
The mast cell type is most common. It is found primarily in cats >4(older than4) yr old and may develop anywhere on the body but most commonly on the head and neck. The tumors are single, alopecic(hairless) nodules(bumps), generally 2-3 cm in diameter, that occasionally extend into the subcutaneous fat(fat located directly below the skin). Lymphoid(part of immune system) nodules are common; eosinophils(type of white blood cell) are rare. Unlike mast cell tumors in dogs, those in cats are benign, and generally, atypia(not common) and clinical behavior are poorly correlated(don't go together). Surgical excision is the treatment of choice; <20%(less than 20%) of tumors recur after surgery and of those that do, considerably fewer metastasize(spread). Cryotherapy(freezing) may be a good option to treat multiple recurrent small lesions while avoiding anesthesia.
The histiocytic type of cutaneous mast cell tumor in cats is recognized primarily in Siamese cats <4 yr old. Lesions may develop anywhere on the body and appear as multiple, small (generally 0.5-1 cm in diameter), firm, subcutaneous papulonodules(fancy word for bumps). Usually, the older the cat, the fewer the lesions. This variant may be difficult to distinguish morphologically(type or shape of bumps) from a granulomatous inflammatory response(another disease condition). Because these tumors are reported to resolve spontaneously, no treatment is necessary.

This is GREAT news for you and your kitty!!  So DO NOT worry anymore