About a year ago my cat (13 years of age) developed a small lump on the lower left side of one of her lower nipples. Around late January the lump became larger, the size of a nickel, and had a slight purple color to it. I took her to the vet and they did not know conclusively what the lump was but suggested a complete mastectomy. Being a college student I could not afford the near $1,000 procedure. From that point until early last week she was completely herself. She was playing with the other cat, jumping, eating regularly, and so on. Since early last week she has been engaging in several unordingary behaviors: not eating, not drinking as much as usual, not engaging in activities with the other cat. Also, she has had very bad breath. Yesterday her teeth looked like something was wrong and today her gums look like the have legions (sp?) on them and are almost foamy. She is a small cat (6 lbs) now she is down to about 4 lbs. All of her bones are very prominant and it seems as though she has no fat or muscle whatsoever. She is drinking water on her own and using the litter box still but still looks extremely dehydrated. I even did the test where you pull up on her skin and notice that it droops down very very slowly so she is in fact still dehydrated. She ate a whole can of tuna Friday evening but has not consumed any other food since then. She does drink water on her own , and I have been giving her Pedialite from a medicine dropper to try and assist in keeping her hydrated. She goes through periods of being distant and staying behind the computer desk and under the bed to sleeping on the bed beside the other cat. The lump has remained the same size since May and still does not seem to bother her when touched. I called the vet and they want a very expensive fee just to bring her in then several others on top of that to run a bunch of tests. I just want to know if my cat is dying or if she is sick and I can do something about it. I have had my cat since she was a kitten and I am a college student who pays for my own expenses, so this situation is putting me in a very hard place. I know you can't give out specific advice, but would you have any ideas/recommendations on what I can/should do to keep her as comfortable as possible. Any ideas if she is in fact showing the signs of a cat on her way out? I would appreciate any type of help or advice you can offer me.Thanks so much four your time!!

here are some pictures of the lump:

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Hi, Asemarti,

Many tumours like this on cats are malignant, and I think from seeing your photographs this is likely to be one of them. Even if she had undergone a radical mastectomy earler, it may well not have prevented the onset of the signs you describe, which, I think, are evidence of metastatic disease.
I do not really think that there would be any sense in spending a great deal of money which you cannot afford to have scans, biopsies, blood tests etc, to confirm the existence of a condition which a good clinical history, like the one you have provided, should lead to a positive diagnosis.
However, I think that you should spend some money on having her euthanased. There comes a time when we have to exercise responsibilty to our pets to save them further suffering, even though the decesion to do so is a very hard one.
I think that time has come in your case.

W
W

I have an 18 year old cat who has been losing weight rapidly (4 lbs. in the last year) eats ravenously and drinks a lot of water. His fur is thinning and he is constantly scratching himself. The vet has tested his blood twice for thyroid levels and for kidney disease and the blood profiles have come back normal. She has discovered a small mass in his abdomen and as X rays didn't show anything she suggested an ultrasound or exploratory surgery. I have said ok to an ultrasound but I don't like the idea of surgery on such an old cat.Is it possible that the cat has elevated thyroid levels even though the blood test doesn't show it?

Hi, Kathy,

I think it very likely that your cat is in advanced kidney failure, by far the commonest cause of these symptoms in elderly cats, though thyroid problems too are quite common.
18 years is a fair age for a cat. I would not be inclined to submit him to exploratory surgery or you to the expense of ultrasound.
A repeat blood test looking for elevated blood urea and serum creatinine levels may be advisable to give you some sort of prognosis but I would not advise going any further than that .

W

My cat is about 18years old,long fur,and she came to our family,about 5 years ago.She has had cat flu(last year)and recovered well.The last week,she kept messing up the corners,in out sitting room,she did not appear to be unwell,but it was runny,and she began to drink more.I have given her mainly fish diet,and introduced the litter tray,which is perminently in the loung.We have a cat flap,and she still goes out,but todayoctober 14th 07,she has not done any messing,and the last 2days it has not only changing from runny to solid but is changing colour to a light cream and back again.She is licking a lot her bottom,i have checked for worms etc she is mainly a house cat and has never ventured into the nearby neighboures garden,she has always soiled in her own.Can you advise please ? thank you Shirley

Hi, Shirley,

It is difficult to make a diagnosis without an examination and possibly tests.
she could have a bowel infection, such as Shigella, from eating contaminated food, or she could have metabolic problem, such as liver failure.
Make sure she has plenty to drink, and a light diet, but if shows no improvement after another couple of days, she should really be checked out by a vet.

W

My cat is only about 2 years old and he is very sick. For about a week-a week and a half he was throwing up blood, like chunks of blood at times and at other times just liquid blood. I took him to the vet and the vet just gave me a couple medications to last a few days and he did not let me know anything about what was going on and he didn't really seem to be helping my cat. I know that my cat didn't get into anything so i dont know what could be wrong. Now he is like a dead body. He doesn't like to eat or walk. He hides a lot now which is very unusual for him. The other day i had him on the coffee table and he jumped off and fell to the ground. Then as he walked away he was wobbling like a drunk person. He is very weak and just sits in one spot all day. Please help me figure out what's wrong with my cat. I cannot afford to take him to a vet again. Thank you very much. Any feedback is very much appreciated.

Hi, Kessley,

It sounds like your cat has a very acute viral infection, or has been poisoned. In either case he sounds so ill that I think he is unlikely to survive.
If he has to have any chance at all he must get prioper veterinary attention. There is no -do-it-yiourself treatment I can advise, sorry.
W

My cat kept being sick after eating and has now completely stopped eating. This started about 2 weeks ago. I took her to the vets and she was kept in on a drip and given antibiotics and anti sick treatment over the weekend. She has x-rays which failed to show anthing and also had blood tests that were nornal.She has now been home for a week, and although she ate no more then a teaspoon of food for the first two days home, she has now completely stopped eating again. I am reluctant to take her back to the vets as she returned so traumatised. Can anyone give me any idea what could be wrong with her. By the way, she is a 12 year old oriental cross.

Hi, Tiggie,

I am sorry, but if your vet was not able to make a diagnosis after examining her and taking blood tests and x-rays, it is unlikely that anyone will be able to do so just from reading your description of her signs and symptoms. Sorry.

W

Should I try another vet?

That would mean that you would have to pay again for all the investigations.
The right thing to do is to say to your vet, very politely, that since after all the investigation he has been unable to reach a positive diagnosis, would he mind if you asked for a second opinion, and would he provide you with the x-rays and the test results for you to take with you.

W

I took my cat back to the vets and they carried out explority surgery on her. No tumors were found and her livewr and kidneys are fine. She does have a problem with her Pancreas. Apparently instead of being pale pink, it was bright red. They have taken a biopsy and are carrying out further blood tests to try and find out the cause. They don't hold out much hope though. Anyone have any experiance of this sort of condition?

Thanks

Hi,

Acute pancreatitis is a serious condition, and even if your cat recovers she may well go into pancreatic failure and be unable to digest her food.
However, continue with any treatment prescribed and hope for the best. Get advice from your vet about her diet.

W

She has been diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis. she has been given antibiotics, anti sick, a tummy protection tablets and enzime powder. She has been given low fat high protien food. Until yesterday, things seemed to be improving, she was eating well and seemed back to her normal self. When I went downstaris yeaterday morning she had been sick (white froth) and on giving her medication (3 tablets) she was violently sick. Her stomach was so cramped she deficated at the same time. She was in obvious pain, and was panting for breath. This episode lasted for about 15 minutes after which she was exhausted. We tried a different method in giving her tablets last night. We grond them down and tried to give the powder to her, she took it but immediatly went into the same stressful situation as the morning. She is now very depressed and has not tried to eat for over 24 hours. I am taking her back to the vets tonight, but don't hold out much hope for her.

Hi, Tiggie,

It looks like my comments of 1st February are proving to be correct.
She cannot continue like this - maybe the time has come to spare her further suffering and ask you vet to put her to sleep for you.

w

We took her back to the vets last night, and she was given steriod injection and an antibiotic injection. Further blood was taken for more tests. She had about a table spoon of food and kept it down . I will see how she is this evening as i will need to give her an antibiotic tablet this evening. If she has the same reaction as Sunday, I will do the decent thing.

Unfortunately, the last visit to the vets didn't help and we reluctantly, but rightly put our beloved cat to sleep on Thursday. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do, but I know it was the right decision as she was in so much pain, and in the end was struggling to breath.

Hi, Tiggie,

I am sure that you have done the right thing. I know what a difficult decision it is to have a pet put to sleep, but it is a responsibility that we have to spare them further suffering.

W

My cat is 9 1/2 years old and has always been very social, very loving and loved to eat. I took him to the vet approximately six weeks ago because he had stopped eating, had lost weight and had become lethargic. When I took him in, he was dehydrated, blood tests revealed an increased liver enzyme and a urine test revealed a UTI. He was given a fluid treatment, was put on an antibiotic for the UTI, and lixotinic & actigall, flagyl and prednisone for the liver issue. A week later, his UTI was gone, but we were still dealing with the liver issue. He still was not eating much, but was drinking, but was still dehydrated. He was given another fluid treatment and put on ciproheptadine to stimulate his appetite. In the beginning, it appeared to be working, as he was not only drinking water and eating the canned food, but also munching on his dry food as well. At that point, he gained back half a pound and instead of a weekly appointment, we decided to go two weeks. A week and a half later, he seemed to lose his appetite again. When we went to the vet, he had lost another pound, was dehydrated, his temperature was 99.7 and his heart rate was 160. He also looked pale and the vet suspected he may be anemic. Blood was drawn, but before tests were run, we discussed euthanasia as he didn't appear to be getting better, as well as the slowing heart rate and lower body temp. We decided to go ahead and run the blood tests while I took him home for a proper goodbye with my family. When the vet called with the results, this time his liver enzymes were normal, but he was severely anemic and his white blood cells were twice the normal amount. Due to the fact that the medication had done its job as now the liver was not the problem, we made the decision to try an antibiotic for the suspected infection due to the increased white blood cells. We started him on clindamycin that evening and on epogen injections the following day for the anemia. I have begin pureeing lamb with rice canned food and feeding him with a dropper as often as he'll eat, averaging 20 ml four times per day. I am also giving him Nutri-Cal. He will have three epogen injections next week, with a blood work up after the third injection to see if there has been any improvements. He rests comfortably, and does not appear to be suffering or in pain. He also does not have any bathroom problems. He just appears to not feel well. I am struggling because of the fact that he responded to the medication for the UTI and to the medication for the liver issue, so I am wondering if there's not something that we're missing. Any insight no matter what it is would be so appreciated. I don't want to give up on him, but I don't want to be selfish, either.

Hi,

Did your vet carry out a blood test for Feline Leukaemia ?
It sounds to me like a typical case.
I am afraid that eithanasia is your only option. Sorry.

W

My cat is very lethargic and keeps heaving. I noticed a white frothy deposit outside and also a frothy bloody deposit. She is 4 years old. Normally she is quite a chatty cat, but she is very quite and not moving around much. She has eaten a little dried food, but nothing much. Can you give me any indication as to what may be the problem.

Hi,

I am sorry, but I cannot really make any useful suggestions. You should really attend a vet ASAP with your cat.

W

Our cat is 18 years old. For the past two weeks she has eaten very little and drinks only when water is offered to her on a spoon. Her breathing is very quick and she is constantly purring (very loudly). He back legs seem very weak, which means she stays in the same place for most of the day - mostly asleep. We have visited the vet and had blood samples taken which point to liver disease and the vet says she has a heart murmour too. The vet wants to do some scans (which are very expensive) but I am reluctant to put her through lots of tests as she gets very distressed when she is handled.

I realise she is a very old cat, but can't bring myself to end her life unnecessarily.

Your advice please.

Hi,

With all the signs and symptoms you describe, putting an 18 year-old cat to sleep can hardly be defined as 'unnecessary'
What I DO consider to be unnecessary is spending a graet deal of money on procedure which will be of no benefit to your cat, and will only pfovide confirmation of the diagnosis of a terminal illness which has already been identified.
As I have said many times before on this site, we must consider the quality of life which our elderly pets have. We have the responsiblity of sparing our pets the suffering of a terminal illness, and, fortunately, the privilege of being able to do something about - humane euthanasia

W

Hi.


My cat is about 10 years old. Lately (in the past month) she's taking a very drastic turn. She has stopped eatting, except for extremely small amounts a day. She has barely drinks water or milk. She has lost weight drastically and wobbles when she walks. She easily falls if even brushed up against. She lives with 3 other male cats which are all healthy and neutured. I work part time and am in college, making financial life VERY difficult. I recently bought senior cat food (wet) to hopefully encourage her to eat, but she still hasn't. She was brought up on dry food. She has a hard time urinating (it takes her at least 5-8 minutes).

I am uncertain what to do, and am unable to pay for her to be treated. Any advice or heads up on what is possibly wrong would be GREATLY appreciated.

On another note; I've had her since she was a kitten, she is and was always and house cat. She's never had kittens, she isn't spayed.

hi my cat is almost 21
this morning i got up and she is very unsteady on her feet she cant walk very far she usually is in very good health, im worried if i take her to the vet they will just put her to sleep is there any advice you can give me
tanks

Dear Susan, and Helen,

I am afraid that your cats seem to be seriously ill, and need urgent attention.
It may be that your best choice is euthanasia if you cannot afford treatment, but you must not allow them to continue like this.

W

My husbands 14 year old cat, has been lethargic and seems to be in alot of pain when trying to move, took her to the Vet and they gave her Medicam, which from what I understand is a temporary fix for her pain, she has been diagnosed with arthritis in almost every bone, I love this cat dearly and as a Vet Tech myself can't deal with this old girl being in pain, the problem is my husband can't let go, I know it is hard have been there several times myself, well we gave her the Medicam that is suppose to be given once a day and it lasted 2 hours and now she is rite here with me lying on the kitchen floor, any suggestions on how I can explain to my husband the most logical thing to do, seeing the pain this kitty is going thru is killing me, any advice would help greatly...........

Hi,

Arthritis is being diagnosed in cats more and more frequently, and there are several very good medicines now available. It may well be that your vet can prescribe one which is more effective than Medicam.
I feel very stongly that terminally ill animals should be helped on their way to obviate their suffereing, but I really do think that in this case there are still more options open to you for treatment.

W