# Dying cat - Cancer? Hyperthyroidism? Infection? Help. :(



## hanhan27

I know this thread is disorganized and I apologize, but I literally just found out this news and I'm kind of emotional. Please bear with me.

Our 14 year old cat Soozie usually loses a little weight in the summer because she's an indoor/outdoor cat and spends a lot more time outside in the summer. Soozie's 'healthy' weight is about 7.5 pounds. A couple months ago, my mom and I noticed she was more skinny than normal for this time of year. Our cats are free fed and we noticed she was eating a bit more than normal. We took her to the vet back in July and the vet gave us 3 doses of dewormer. We gave her all 3 doses over the past 6 or so weeks, but didn't notice any improvement in her weight - she was actually looking even smaller.

I talked my mom into taking her back to the vet. He examined her and said that her thyroid felt 'hard' and that normally you can't actually feel a cat's thyroid, so he was suspecting hyperthyroidism, which he said could be managed with medication. He took blood to check her thyroid function. We took Soozie back today to find out the results of her blood work. Everything is perfectly normal except her white blood cell count is high. He no longer thinks that it's hyperthyroidism (I think he said 'her thyroid function is normal'). He said he suspects cancer, but that it could be some sort of infection. She's down to 5.9 pounds and we've noticed that sitting back on her haunches seems to cause her pain, and that she is no longer sleeping in bed with us at night. She's still eating like a horse and has normal bathroom habits, but she is most definitely not healthy - her spine is easily visible through her fur and holding her makes her very uncomfortable. She's having trouble jumping up to the cabinet that her food and water is kept on (about 3 feet off the ground) and it's obvious that she isn't comfortable. But... the other day, she killed a mole in our front yard, and she is still the affectionate princess she normally is. Plus the vet was not able to feel a mass and all of her tests were normal.

I don't know what's wrong with my baby. My mom and I don't believe in doing expensive tests and procedures on old animals if there's not much hope. We made that mistake with our springer spaniel mix and the last couple weeks of her life were most definitely not pleasant. The vet made it sound like palliative measures will only help Soozie for another month or so, maybe less. He said we can try administering antibiotics just in case it's some sort of infection causing her weight loss and lethargy, but he isn't hopeful and he actually suggested we have her euthanized today. My mom said no as I was not there and she would never say goodbye to one of our pets without letting me say goodbye as well.

Does anyone have any experience with this type of thing? I just want to make sure I cover all of my bases before agreeing to help her cross the rainbow bridge. Yes, she's old, but she is very special to me and if there's anything I can do to help her, I want to know. I don't trust our vet all that much and I know we have a wide variety of pet owners here so... if you have any insight, please share.


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## LizardGirl

That is heartbreaking, your poor kitty.  I'm afraid I don't have anything to contribute, but I just hope you can keep her comfortable and be sure to give her plenty of love until the end.


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## zorropirate

I am not sure what to say, however 14 isn't that old for cats these days. My oldest passed just after Christmas and she was just shy of 21. She had a stroke a few months before she passed, but was on a few preventative medications to keep her comfortable. (blood thinners, heart pills for a murmur and then probiotics for her tummy) 

I would discuss all the things that appear to be making her uncomfortable with the vet, perhaps they can provide something that will help with her discomfort. It could be all sorts of things, sorry I can't be more of a help, with my 2 cats who have had issues, it was just luck we found what was wrong through blood tests. (My other cat Max has cardiomyopothy and asthma)


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## Mommatobe

I would entertain the antibiotics if she still seems perky and is eating well and maybe have a lateral xray done of her abdomen/chest to ensure there is no mass present. If the antibiotics do not work and she is otherwise fine and no obvious mass but WBCs are still high and vet is still suspecting some kind of cancer you can also try prednisilone and pain management meds to make the rest of her time comfy. Also did they measure her calcium level? A high WBC count and calcium is more often then not clear that cancer is what you are dealing with. I am very sorry that you are dealing with this but if she is feeling fine otherwise you do not have to say goodbye yet and can keep her comfortable a little longer. Goodluck and hope this helps a little. I have had many cancer patients stay comfy on steroids and pain meds, it will give you a little more time with her and be able to keep her comfy during that time. Myself and all my critters are keeping you and your kitty in our thoughts. You will know when it is the right time but I would not give up yet if she is otherwise doing well. Please keep us posted...


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## Mommatobe

Sorry, forgot one thing...make sure they check her for viral stuff too. She is an outdoor cat so it could be feline leukemia or FIP or FIV. These are specific tests that usually have to be sent out to an exterior lab and are not part of a regular blood panel. If she is up to date on vaccines and has been her entire life then these may not be an issue however sometimes cats that are vaccinated can still contract the viruses. Hope some of this helps!


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## hanhan27

Thank you for the insight. From what I gather, it seems as if she doesn't have much time left. She seems a little worse every day. I'm thinking palliative measures to keep the rest of her time bearable will be our best option as the emaciation and elevated white blood cell count are the only indications of something being wrong. I do think I will call another vet tomorrow for a second opinion though. I'll keep this thread updated


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## Immortalia

Keeping you and your kitty in our thoughts!

I don't have much to add, other then I agree about getting X-rays just to see if there are any masses. 
Also, there are snap tests for feLV that just needs 3 drops of blood. We do this for the rescue cats and capture/release cats before we spay/neuter, as otherwise we euth if they are feleuk positive. 

It most likely isn't FIP as FIP usually causes massive bloating/swelling. 

We recently had a feLV pos kitty and she was very skinny and she didn't have the strength to move anymore. Downside is that she's part of a stray colony, which means that entire group is most likely infected as well 

The snap test is about $70CAD.


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## hanhan27

What happens if they do an x-ray and find a mass? Does that change the outcome of anything if we can't afford to pay thousands of dollars for a surgery? The vet seemed doubtful that there's a mass as Soozie is so skinny now that he thinks he'd feel anything internal if there was something there. Or so he says... Like I said before, I don't trust him all that much.

She's been up to date on all of her vaccines from the moment she came to our home when she was a kitten. Idk how much that means. 

I feel like I shouldn't fight this and that euthanasia is inevitable. We've had 5 animals pass in the past 4 years and 4 of them suffered with cancer for at least a couple weeks before we made the choice to help them pass. When it comes to cancer, I feel helpless. I don't want to just give up on her but I'm so afraid of making the last of her time miserable by trying to save her when she can't be saved or waiting too long.


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## Immortalia

Unfortunately, euthanasia is always inevitable. And I also completely understand where you are coming from, as I lost a few in recent years as well. 

I agree with you that at this point, it's a matter of quality of life. You can try the snap test for the feLV if you wish(especially if you have multiple cats, or there are many cats in your neighbourhood, as it is highly contagious and cats are never 100% safe, which is why vets don't recommend letting cats outdoors without supervision)

You know your kitty the best, and she will let you know when it's time. She has lived a nice long life with you, and you have provided her with the best of care possible. Also, the xray may help you make the decision as well, as it will also show how her internal organs are. We recently had an older cat come to the clinic because he was acting "off". He was also diabetic. Xrays showed an enlarged liver, pancreas, one enlarged kidney and the other kidney half the size and probably no longer functioning. He also had kidney stones as well as bladder stones. So with all that information, the owners decided to euth. His blood results didn't scream as much as his xrays did. Actually, his cbc's came back completely normal(I remember cause I wrote them down from the machine, they were all within the normal range), and his glucose was up(obviously, since he was diabetic), but nothing in his blood work was overly alarming. 

So the xray may give you a better peace of mind at making the right decision, or it may completely stump you even more, if nothing abnormal turns up. So it is essentially, up to you. I know the vet said all her blood work looked normal other than wbc's, but to have lost that much weight, there's got to be something off.

*hugs* For one of my cats, she had cancer. We did not put her through any surgeries. We just left the lumps, and let her rule the house. Whatever she wanted to eat, she got, whatever she wanted to do, she was allowed to do. For our first dog, we did everything possible under the sun, removing lump after lump. We learned our lesson and vowed not to do that again. So for my cat, we left her be and let her live out her life. When it was time, my mom and I took her to the vets and helped her cross. 
And just a little under 2 years ago, I had to take my own kitty, my very first real long term pet of my own, to the vets and he had to be euthanised. I did as much as I could for him, he had renal failure, and after around the clock care for 3 days, I had to make the decision to let him go. 
I know exactly how helpless you feel(I type this as I start tearing up... heh...). 

I'm sorry I can't be of much more help. At this age, when they are like this, there's only so much you can do. It may just be better to get the antibiotics, to get the pain meds and just keep her happy for as long as possible. Move all her dishes to the ground where she can reach it better, ask what type of foods you should supplement her with(whether the vet has something special for possible cancer patients, or even just Recovery/Hills a/d type of post-op nutrient packed food.


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## Mommatobe

Reading the last couple of posts has been hard. I too have lost a few pets to cancer and it is never easy. My first couple posts were from a medical view since that is what I do for a living but like Immortalia said, euthanasia does seem inevitable and ultimately it comes down to what you and your family feel is right for all of you and her. I would say do the xray to possibly help make the decision easier and possibly try meds if she is doing okay. It is always hard to say goodbye to a pet, but knowing that you did what you could to potentially find out what was wrong and to keep her comfortable can help in the process. Whatever you choose to do will be the right decision. We will all be thinking of you and her and you're family through this difficult time. I hope you can find comfort in the days to come knowing she has lived a full and happy life and you are doing everything you can for her. She is very lucky to have a Mom like you, just posting shows your love for her. We support you fully in what you choose to do, there is no wrong decision at this point. I will be keeping you in my thoughts and prayers.


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## hanhan27

Thank you so much for the support. I'm so torn up over this, especially because I feel like if we had taken her significant weight loss more seriously 2 months ago, something preventative could have been done. Ugh.

Soozie has been avoiding my mom and I since my first post yesterday, and today I noticed that she is drooling and the drool is black and mucousy. I don't know what that means, but it's definitely not a good thing. She refused to come in the house last night and I would have felt terrible forcing her to come in, so she's been outside for almost 24 hours meaning she hasn't eaten anything, but she has no interest in coming in.  I called Milly's vet this morning to get his opinion on Soozie, and he said he would do an x-ray just to try to get a better idea of what's going on, but that he doesn't think it's an infection either and it sounds like it might almost be her time what with the weight loss and her lethargy. He very nicely offered to squeeze a visit with her in today, but he's an hour and a half away and I don't want to put Soozie through that drive when she was just poked and prodded yesterday at our local vet.

I'm starting to feel like by the time the vet opens again, it will be way too late for any other tests. The last 24 hours have made me believe that she's started a downward spiral and I'm just sick about it. I know it's unfair to hold on to an animal too long just because it's hard to say goodbye, but I absolutely hate this part of being a pet parent. My mom is much more practical when it comes to helping an animal pass and she has way better judgment than me, so she's helping me stay grounded and clear headed. 

I'm going to get pain meds for her on Monday. We put her kitty bed on the front porch in the shade and put her food and water nearby. We will see how the rest of the weekend goes and make more decisions on Monday.


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## hanhan27

Soozie was doing a bit better on Monday. We had xrays done and the vet couldn't find any masses. We got pain meds for her and she actually seems to be feeling better, but her weight was down even more and she looks awful. Palliative measures for now until we start suspecting low quality of life again...


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## JaimieG

So sorry to hear about your kitty, I had to put one of mine down a while back for cancer. I don't want to sound pessimistic but she is up there in age, and being an outdoor cat there is so many different things that could be wrong. I'm kinda in the same shoes with my girl, she is 13 now and has dropped alot of weight as well and it makes me nervous. I hope that she is comfortable until the unfortunate day comes. HUGS


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## Lilysmommy

I'm sorry you guys are going through this.  I hope you enjoy the rest of your time with her, at least, however long that is. <3


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