My cat has a tumour; very sad couple days

on-ramp · 05:19 AM

My cat Kiwi was recently diagnosed with a tumour about 1" long in his abdomen , possibly around his intestine.
He's been throwing up the past month and has lost weight.

Have any of you had the loss of a good pet? I've had my cat for the past 10 years ever since he was 3 weeks old. I never thought it would be this hard at the possibility that he will die soon. He's scheduled to have surgery on Tues. and i've been very much in tears the past few days... i love the little guy very much.

here's his picture:

Langers · 12-19-2004, 05:25 AM

All I can say is don't get another cat soon after Kiwi passes, if he does. You can never replace pet. I lost a good cat a few years ago and after a few years got another one, after I accepted that my previous one could not be replaced. Each will be individual and that is the great part about it.

Best of luck for Tuesday.

12-19-2004, 05:29 AM

I'll keep Kiwi and you in my prayers. Keep Kiwi happy and warm and know that Vets can do great things.

cool_chick · 12-19-2004, 05:30 AM

Yes, it's not easy to lose a pet. Pets are family, no matter what some say, nothing can change the bond/love between this member of the family and you.

Perhaps he'll be fine after surgery. It's a possibility this tumor is benign, and that he will be just fine after surgery. He's still relatively young, I had a cat that lived to 18 years.

I will be praying for success.

Milu · 12-19-2004, 05:33 AM

I understand how you feel. I would be distraught if anything happpened to my cat. Give Kiwi some quality time.

Best wishes for Tues.

Milu

creaturecat · 11:56 AM

just lost my cat (19yrs). personally i found that rescuing another cat was the best thing. a valued pet deserves to go with some dignity - please do not let your friend suffer needlessly. best wishes for success with the surgery - vets can work wonders

elwood-914 · 12-19-2004, 07:57 AM

Pets are wonderful. They do reach deep into ones heart, and only for a short time in our lives are they here but they leave a life time of memories. Mine, they've dictate how they live in my house. But I love them. I hope your cat makes a speedy recovery.

Sonic dB · Sonic dB's Garage

I'll send my sympathies and prayers for Kiwi and you on ramp. I have 2 cats; one male age 12 and a female who is 9. Both are unique and I love them both. My male cat looks somewhat similar to your Kiwi. He is sitting next to me as I type this...putting his paws on the laptop keys trying to type something too...

Cats are cool and very loyal pets.... This weekend I have 3, as I am taking care of my friends Persian while she is out of town.

Perhaps the tumor can be removed successfully. Never give up hope on that. He is lucky to have a good friend like you to take care of him.

red ufo · 12-19-2004, 09:57 AM

Dude,

I feel your pain, I have a sick kitten right now and have lost cats in the past. I would always get a 2nd opinion from any vet. We have been scammed by vets in the past and I don't trust any of those frankenstein wanna be doctors.

One cat they wanted 80 to put him to sleep or 250 for experimental surgery. We said F that and brought him home to see what fate had in store. He lived 5 years after that and the vets were totally wrong. This wasn't the first or last time they tried to jack us. Can you confirm he has the tumor?

Many older cats throw up and get skinny. This is due to kidney diesese partially due to the dry cat food. Most of the time its terminal but you can prolong it. One cat had something like this and it was a hair ball in his stomach. But you might want to google for kidney diese and dry food. You'll be shocked what you find. Cats weren't meant to eat processed cat food, they should be eating birds and mice.

We have 4 cats and 2 of them are 15 years old suffering from this same type of thing. Kiwi probably won't die immediately from throwing up.

tabs · 12-19-2004, 11:01 AM

I got this little Calico Cat in early 1995, she was a GOOD cat...never doing damage inside of the house, never demanding much except to be near me...and always coming when I called her.... well in the Summer of 2003 she started dragging her back left leg, and after 2 weeks took her to the vet where they found a tumor under her Pelvis....by Christmas she had gone from 13 pounds to 2.5 pounds and was unable to eat or cr@p..During this period .I was always asking myself the question am I cutting her life short, giving her the benfit of doubt. The day after Christmas I took her in to be put to sleep, she was game to the end....In the end I feel like I kept her alive about a month or so longer than I should have... I LOVED that little cat...

Both of my dogs have Tumors just under the skin...I have had them biopsed, and they have come back as being beign...fatty cell tumors...

So the fact that the tumor is removable is a good sign, and I wish Kiwi well...

The picture is the Last one I took of Tuddy

on-ramp · 12:13 PM

thank you for your comments and your sympathies. I normally do not post personal stuff but i have noticed this board has a very reliable way of being helpful in times of need. without sounding too sappy, time is the best thing you can give to those you love, and sometimes you don't really know how much you love them until you're suddenly faced with the realization that it might be coming to an end.

red ufo,

you're right about vets, you have to be careful and ask a lot of questions....this had been an on-going event of vomiting weight-loss and it was not until yesterday that our local vet here in town found the tumour.
I decided to get a second opinion and on on the same day rushed him in to the best animal hospital i could find within a 60 mile radius(emergency visit). they have a big faciliity there, full of specialists, surgeons, etc...about 7 people working behind the front desk, clean and big with good equipment, not like my local vet which is one of those house-transformed-into-a-vet-clinic type of deals...so anyway, they found nothing on the X-rays, normal, blood tests normal, temperature normal. They confirmed the "abdominal mass" and the weight loss. he's down to 7.1 lbs from 8.5 lbs....we're bringing him back tomorow to do ultra-sound and the surgery on tuesday which appears likely. ($2500 by the way).

at this point, i just pray they do a good job and everything turns out alright....although i dont normally ask for anything at Christmas time, this time around the only thing i want is to have him here... that would be the best gift.
thanks again for your thoughts...i appreciate them.

red ufo · 12-19-2004, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by on-ramp
thank you for your comments and your sympathies. I normally do not post personal stuff but i have noticed this board has a very reliable way of being helpful in times of need. without sounding too sappy, time is the best thing you can give to those you love, and sometimes you don't really know how much you love them until you're suddenly faced with the realization that it might be coming to an end.

red ufo,

you're right about vets, you have to be careful and ask a lot of questions....this had been an on-going event of vomiting weight-loss and it was not until yesterday that our local vet here in town found the tumour.
I decided to get a second opinion and on on the same day rushed him in to the best animal hospital i could find within a 60 mile radius(emergency visit). they have a big faciliity there, full of specialists, surgeons, etc...about 7 people working behind the front desk, clean and big with good equipment, not like my local vet which is one of those house-transformed-into-a-vet-clinic type of deals...so anyway, they found nothing on the X-rays, normal, blood tests normal, temperature normal. They confirmed the "abdominal mass" and the weight loss. he's down to 7.1 lbs from 8.5 lbs....we're bringing him back tomorow to do ultra-sound and the surgery on tuesday which appears likely. ($2500 by the way).

at this point, i just pray they do a good job and everything turns out alright....although i dont normally ask for anything at Christmas time, this time around the only thing i want is to have him here... that would be the best gift.
thanks again for your thoughts...i appreciate them.

Here is our cat Sasha, she looks just like Tabs cat, but mine is smarter

Other other kitten SQL

has a fever and is sick. She goes to the vet Monday

on-ramp · 12:36 PM

your cats are darlings, ufo, may SQL have a good vet's visit tomorrow and i hope she recovers soon. ..Sasha looks like a short hair domestic cat (just like mine) and her brown stripes make her look very cool.

pwd72s · 12-19-2004, 06:13 PM

On Ramp? Wishing you the best...the little furry nuisances sure have a way of worming themselves into your heart, don't they? Cindy & I lost our 16 year old beloved cat on July 11th. I know you're not supposed to have favorites, but the two that remain have some damned big paw prints to fill. Yeah, it's true...things haven't been "right" around here since July 11th. This isn't "like" a member of your family...Kiwi IS a member of your family. I hope the surgery goes well. As far as I'm concerned, the $2,500 is well spent.

84porsche · 84porsche's Garage

Onramp,

I know what you are going through and I know its tough. My dalmation of 10 years has a brain tumor and its inoperable. I wish you and your cat the best.

pwd72s · 12-19-2004, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by 84porsche
Onramp,

I know what you are going through and I know its tough. My dalmation of 10 years has a brain tumor and its inoperable. I wish you and your cat the best.

Ahh, GEEZE! Guys (and girls)...just scritch and hug and cuddle them while you can...

WOODPIE · 12-19-2004, 08:21 PM

At the end of the day, this last Friday, I found myself lingering around the shop, at work, not wanting to go home. I should have wanted to go home; it being Friday and all, and I had gotten a big Christmas bonus that morning, so I should have been looking forward to wrapping up the last few details of Christmas preparation with my wife, and to having a few hours of relaxation to tide us over these next hectic holidays.

No. There I was, wandering around the shop, and sort of dreading the thought of going home. Finally, I found myself in the hall, staring out the front door, where, almost exactly one year ago, a tiny grey-over-white kitten wandered up. Underfed and filthy, and sporting a raw open sore on the back of it's neck, I took that kitten in and adopted it. We had her attended to medically, and had her neutered, to match our other cat, Rocky. We named her Adrianne, but I called her Miss Poo, because of her ability to overwhelm a catbox in one day.

Addy was good company for the older Rocky as a kitten, but ended up being the dominate cat, owing mostly to her youth, I'd guess. She had her own personality quirks; she hated walking on the carpet in the living room, so she would jump from one piece of furniture to the next to get where she wanted to go; she'd sneak into the bedroom to nap on the foot of our bed, even though each time she was caught at it, she faced the wrath of my wife, who would chase her out of the house with a pillow or fly-swatter or roled-up newspaper, whatever was close at hand. We trained her to sit up on her haunches and beg for cat treats, and Suz, my wife, trained her to shake hands (sort of). She was trained to take her business outside, and she would scratch at the door loudly and furiously to be let out and in, a mixed blessing, I'd say.

So these things, and others, passed though my mind, staring out the front door of my business, late Friday afternoon. Earlier that afternoon, I had taken a rare and tearfilled call from Suz, asking me to please come home, Addy was in the middle of the street.

"Has she been run over?"
"Y-yes..."

So, I went home, and we buried poor Addy under the apple tree in the backyard. Rocky was watching and meowed some. I went back to work, and toyed with the idea of channeling all my sadness and gloom into hate for the unknown taker of my cat's life.

But what I was reluctant to go home to, standing there in the doorway, was the husbandly duty of comforting my wife's grief, and allowing her to comfort me.

The house is just a little bit quieter this Sunday night. Rocky's still here, of course, and deep down he's probably enjoying his regained monopoly for our affection. He spends more time napping next to me on the couch, and he doesn't have to share his food bowl anymore. But I think I see him, now and again, looking around corners or out the kitchen door, for his buddy. And he sometimes sees me doing the same.

on-ramp, take some comfort, that you provided Kiwi with a good and healthy life, and returned all his love in kind.

Ed

M.D. Holloway · 12-19-2004, 08:51 PM

Sorry to hear about your cat - they require so little from us yet give us so much. I'll sit - try to ease any suffering. Sorry again.

VaSteve · 12:29 PM

My cat is 12 years old and I have had him since he was a kitten. He is one of the coolest cats around. If you call him, he'll come. If you talk to him, he will talk back. His younger "sister" beats on him, but he takes it well.

A couple of weeks ago we found a lump on his side and we had it removed. Turned out to be cancerous.

Look up "feline fibrosarcoma". These are vaccine-related tumors, which makes it so much worse. There is a 1 in 10,000 chance of getting such a tumor, but this is my second cat to have one. (The last one had to be put down in 2003.)

We are taking him to a specialist next week who may be able to perform radical surgery on him. It's tearing me and my wife apart because we're so close to our pets.

Good luck on-ramp. I feel for you!

concentric · 12-20-2004, 09:41 AM

I feel for you, man. We lost one of our cats, Blue last year. He had a severe fall or was hit by a car and his pelvis was separated from his spine. We rushed him to the hospital, but after about 5 days of care, he got an internal infection and we had to put him down. It was agonizing, and we were there to hold him as we sent him off to where-ever he gets to go now.

What was heartening, even though it didn't work out for us, is the amazing advances they've made in veterinary medicine. The emergency animal hospital here has nearly 10 speciality surgeons on staff and they can handle a wide range of issues.

Here's what our little guy looked like: