I just don’t know how to deal with it. He is my baby. This was Dhs and I first child. We adopted him from the human society when we were in college. We have had him our entire marriage and then some.
He is only 13.
He came up with what we thought was an abscess on his leg. We noticed it for the first time on Saturday night. He is a big cat and has a lot of fur. He began to lick at it and it revealed the mass and we took him first thing this morning.
Its huge. The dr said the size of a tangerine.
They believe it to be a rare form of vaccine cancer. Even sadder was we had been irresponsible about vaccines for about 2 years and we just got him back on the schedule 9 months ago.
And now its going to kill him.
The tissues are going off to the lab, but he expects it to come back confirmed as cancer by the end of the week and we can choose to remove Sebastian’s leg to slow it. But that the cancer has “legs” and spreads through his body, even from what we cant see.
I asked flat out if he was going to die and the dr said yes, but they dont know when yet.
I mean..this is our BABY.
I don’t know what to do.
I feel sick.
We just lost Mei Sei less then a year ago and I swore I would NEVER put a cat to sleep again. It was horrible.
And now I am facing the same decision.
He doesn’t deserve this.
i am sorry to here about your cat
I am so, so sorry. I will keep ya’ll in my prayers. I have lost all 3 of my cats in less than 3 years. One from cancer, pancreatitis, and urinary failure. All 3 were very young and they were my babies too! Praying that you have more time with your furrbaby and peace.
Sheri
I’m So Sorry Trisha. I’m Facing A Situation Alot Like This… I Just Got Told Today That My Cat Who Is 17 Has A Tumor…
I’m 17 Aswell And My Parents Got Him 2 Weeks Before I Was Born So It’s Really Strange To Think He’s Going To Leave Forever Soon And I Won’t Be Able To Get Hugs Anymore…
I Recently Have Started Getting Over The Loss Of My Other Cat Who Was Only 7 When He Died Due To Poisoning And The Fact That I’m Facing Losing Jazzy After All The Time We’ve Been Together Is Just So Scary And Heart Breaking. I Don’t Know How I’m Going To Cope.
But I’m Sure You’ll Make The Right Choice When The Time Comes.
We went through this several years ago. We had our cat’s leg removed and she lived on – and adjusted beautifully, never missed a beat. I hope for the best for you all and I hope you have our experience. Our cat outlived the vet’s best guess after the surgery by 3 years.
I’m so sorry for your saddness… I know you will do what is best fo your family.
{{{HUGS}}}
I’m so sorry, Trisha.
Im so sorry. I am living what you are right now and your story is making me see reality. My 15 year old cat has a tumor in his jaw. We found it a few weeks ago. There are no options to save him just to make him comfortable. All options cost over a 1000 dollars. The vet said he is not in pain right now but wants to discuss putting him down. I have never had to do this and its so hard to put him down right now when he still is acting normal. The vet said he is fine now but it will get worse fast. I dont know what decision to make. If he is in pain then no problem but I just cant do it at this point. Sigh, I just wanted to let you know that Im feeling your pain. Ive had my twin kitties since they were a week old. Then I worry about how his brother will react. I cant lose 2 at once.
Lucy
I’m so sorry Trisha. It’s so hard.
My heart goes out to you. WAIT for the results then you can make the RIGHT decision for your sweet kitty.
When I was having a hard time letting go of my Golden Retriever, who had lost the use of his back legs and was getting very weak, my friend told me that I would know when “it was time.” After awhile I realized that I was keeping Snickers alive for selfish reasons. I needed him and his unconditional love, but I wasn’t being fair to him. I spent one last night loving on him and talking with him and saying goodbye. The next day I took him to the vet and he drifted off to sleep. It wasn’t easy, and I still cry when I think about it, but sadly it’s the circle of life.
In the book I’m reading, “Tell Me Where It Hurts,” by Dr. Nick Trout, it reads: “In our high-speed, anonymous, and entitled world of complicated and overplayed lives, true love has never been harder to find and believe in, let alone sustain. When the cure for insecurity and meaningful conversation is to slap a cell phone against your ear, hide within your iPod, or tap out a cryptic instant message, is it any wonder that we find comfort and solace in hairy, furry, and scaly companions? Far from the sleazy bar scene, blind dated, and Web sites dedicated to finding your soul mate, pets offer a relationship guaranteed free from lies, deception, and infidelity, where silence feels comfortable, where words come easily and unforced, where demands and a need for tolerance are nominal (unless that special someone tries to claim the couch for themself or insists on sharing a bout of flatulence).
As I see it, the only downside to this bond between animal and man comes on the wrong end of this relationship, in the losing or letting go of it all.”
I’m so sorry Trisha, but you will know when the time is right.
Trisha – I am so, so sorry. I know the pain of a loved pet getting cancer. You have to make the decision based on what you FEEL is right…not just for YOU, but for your cat as well.
I am so sorry girl! That is very sad to hear. I hope you can find a way around it!
So sorry to read about your cat. I had never heard of such a thing. It’s terrible when you do something that’s supposed to help your animal, and it ends up hurting them instead. My daughter had her six-month-old Lab spayed last year, at the insistence of her vet. She was trying to be a good pet owner, but the dog died on the operating table. It broke her heart.
Wish there was something I could say to ease your pain. But I know there’s not.
I’m so sorry, Trisha, that you have to go through this. Our cat also had vaccine cancer. He had been diagnosed with a chronic liver disease when he was 5, which required monthly blood tests, daily steroids and antibiotics, and frequent biopsies & ultrasounds, so when he got the cancer at age 11, we knew he’d been through so much already we couldn’t bring ourselves to subject him to more treatment. He lived another year and a half with the cancer until it got to be untenable, then we put him down. Good luck with your decision, but I agree with some of the other posts that euthanasia is often the best, kindest thing you can do for your pet.
Sorry to hear about your kitty.
It is hard to lose a pet. I haven’t had a pet since I lived with my parents, but I still remember going on a Girl Guide trip and coming home to be told by my mom they had to put one of our dogs to sleep. I was so upset that I didn’t get to see the dog again and that they did it while I was away! But now I understand they didn’t want him to suffer any longer than he had to, but still….
If he isn’t in a lot of pain and it hasn’t spread, why not just remove either the tumor & do the drug therapy or amputate the leg?
I could not make this decision. I love my cat. he pees on everything but I still love him. He was our first baby too. We found him just after I found out I was supposed to be infertile. I expected to become the old cat lady. LOL
I wish you luck in your decision. Hopefully there will be a better ending than putting him down.
HUGS
they dont know yet that it hasnt spread..we wont know till we go to the surgery actually and the dr said that even if we dont see it on an ultrasound, it could still be there.
We are going to amputate his leg most likely and pray that slows or stops it.
I’m so sorry to hear that. We lost both of our cats two years ago and it was so hard.
Inquire with your vet about putting your cat on an anti-inflammatory steroid. Our dog was diagnosed with cancer in her throat in May and the vet gave her one to two weeks to live. A friend told us about when they put their dog on it (same issue) and got three more years. Our dog is still alive, though it appears to have spread. She doesn’t yet appear to be in too much pain, but we will probably have to put her down within the next month because of her difficulty with walking. However, the steroids did give us many more months to say our goodbyes and prepare our kids. You and your family are in our prayers, we know what you’re going through.
HUGS Trisha! IT’s so sad to lose a part of your family like that.
Kas
I’m so sorry Trisha! ((hugs))