Abdominal Mass

[Bonzer]

Our 15 year old female cat has developed a solid mass in the last 7 months. In January our vet did not feel it and last week when we took her in for her Rabies booster it was discovered. It is a solid mass and our vet has given her 4 weeks to 4 months to be with us. The doctor is 99% sure that is is a malignancy.
Should we take her in every month for an xray to keep an eye on the mass for growth?
Thank you for any help.

[opus88]

first of all welcome and I am so sorry for the diagnosis and reason that brought you to MH..

I am glad you are getting confirmation today as to the medication being labeled for dog use....if there was a mistake made or if it is also approved for use in cats..let me know what this med is ok.

as far as the vomiting did the Vets think the mass they discovered is the cause of the vomiting..and why? was it blocking the bowel somehow? is Bandit having normal bowel movements?
I would clarify why the vomiting...as this seems to be his only issue thus far.
I can recommend an excellent herbal product to help with that if you are interested.

prednisone is a steroid as you know, it is used to reduce inflammation and is often used to treat tumors, but it does have its side effects too. a better choice for cats is PREDNISOLONE I will send you some info on that the last line states "data indicates oral prednisolone is a superior choice for cats"
this too is a steroid and has side effects....diabetes being one.
I would confirm with the Vets that using this would reduce the mass and therefore do they believe this would STOP the vomiting?????

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-3164.2004.00410_2-6.x/abstract

I hope Bandit is feeling better today and you are able to get more answers from your Vet regarding treatment. please post again with updates and anything else we can try and help with♥

[banditkitty]

My 13 yr old cat, Bandit, had been throwing up on and off 4-5 hours after eating. He began to throw up daily about a week ago and I noticed a rapid weight loss. I took him to the vet last night. The vet felt a mass close to his intestines that appeared solid. X-rays were done and the mass didn't seem to  interfere with the intestines. The vet did notice that the kidneys appeared smaller than normal and wanted to do blood work. Bandit was very dehydrated so they gave him fluids and sent us home and would call with the results today.  a different vet called today and indicated the blood work was fine. I asked about the kidneys and was told there was nothing to worry  about. The mass could be cancer or something else but they would need to do an ultra sound and a biopsy to determine the next steps. Probably survey to remove the mass and then chemo. I asked for something that might help with the vomiting and if surgery was the only option for the mass. I was told that prednisone could possibly shrink the mass but it would not be a cure. The vet didn't say anything about the dehydration. Bandit has not thrown up in 2 days. He has a huge appetite but I have limited the amount of food I give him at a time hoping that he can digest it better. I have been giving him water thru a syringe because he does not seem to be drinking on his own. I went to give him the medicine I purchased today from the vet and it clearly states on the box for dogs only!  I will be going back to the vet on Saturday to confirm I received the correct medicine and probably request prednisone. Do you think that is the best option at this time since the ultra sound, biopsy and probable chemo would 1 could be very expensive and 2 possibly make his quality of life worse for the amount of time he may has left. He does not appear to be in pain and still seeks constant attention. Bandit is such a sweet kitty and actually acts more like a dog than a cat  Thanks

[Bonzer]

Thank you so much everyone. We are going to just watch Chloe closely and when it is time, we will know. It is so heartbreaking to lose our pets who are a member of our family but we all know the time will come. Chloe is comfortable for now and we just give her all of the love we can for now.

[jerialice]

some of those cancers are slow growing- depends on what it is. i have had vets say that my cats were going... only to have them live for years.
when my mr.puss got real sick i took him in for one thing; a sonogram.
they were able to tell it was not cancer but could develop into cancer-
maybe just getting a confirmed diagnosis will give you more peace-
i have found that helped me and actually gave my cats more time and quality of life. it's hard to prepare when you don't know what you are dealing with. that's about the age stuff starts popping up....eh?
did they say it's lymphoma? also sometimes steroids can help with certain situations, also diet and vitamins! hope that helps you a bit, i been thru that a few times my self.

[Piparskeggr]

We lost our dear, sweet Kessie to intestinal lymphoma last year, beat ourselves up over the what ifs for quite awhile.  There was really nothing, which we could have done for her that wasn't really selfishly trying to keep her for us.

We did the right thing in trying to keep her as comfortable as possible, and by admitting the time had come when it did.

Sometimes you do everything right, and the conclusion is still foregone.

Do get a second opinion, we did, even though we trusted our vet at the time without reservation.   We wanted to be sure...

Take care.

[furmomof5]

I'm sorry to hear this, its always hard when one of our beloved pets get sick.  Please don't give up on her just yet.....I had a kitty that was diagnosed with mouth cancer and given just weeks to live.  They did offer me chemotherapy but told me it would only stretch her life out for maybe another 6 months.  I decided to keep her comfortable until that "time" came.  Well apparently she was too comfortable cause she lived for another 5 years! lol  Cats are amazing creatures and you never know what they will have in store for you.  
I think the monthly X-Rays will probably just add undo stress to both you and her, but it is a personal decision for you to make.  Like Opus said just enjoy every moment you have with her from here on out and when it is time to put her down just remember it is the ultimate act of kindness on your part but also the most dreaded moment of a pet parents life.  We are always here if we're needed.  Good luck to you and your fur-baby!

[ERB316]

What kind of medicines did you give her?

[shumski]

I have a 10 year old Norwegian Forest cat who has a large mass in her abdomen.  She is eating constantly, active, using the litter (no blood in urine or stool) however she has lost 11% of her body mass in 3 months and is nothing but bones.  She still grooms herself but not as well as she should and occasionally she poops & urinates in the bathroom.
I have an appointment today with an oncologist but am scared to death.  I don't believe she is in any pain. Is it necessary to go for more tests?  Do I have hope she may recover?  Help

[opus88]

I am so sorry to read this sad news about your dear kitty. goodbyes are never easy, cherish the time you have left with her.

I personally don't see any purpose in doing monthly checks or xrays....you will know yourself by just feeling for growth and by her symptoms as she weakens...I will send you an article or two on how to recognize the signs of pain that cats can hide very well, I hope your Vet will be ready to prescribe a good pain control medication for her.
and I hope you will come to terms with when its time to let her go....when her suffering is no longer a quality of life....this is the hardest decision us pet owner ever have to make, we are here to listen anytime.....((hugs))

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/07/10/diagnose-cat-condition.aspx?e_cid=20130710_PetsNL_art_1&utm_source=petnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20130710

http://www.catsofaustralia.com/cat-euthanasia.htm

http://www.medhelp.org/photos/show/9391143?type=posts