Cat diagnosed with (probable) stomach cancer - worth a second opinion?

Merry Prankster

Hi,

My 8 year old male cat has been getting sick for the past while and has also lost weight. The vet found a lump in the cat's abdomen when he examined him with his hands. He stated that it was more than likely cancer and that there was little point in operating on him.

Looking online, it seems that many vets will do blood tests etc. to help determine the exact nature of the malady. Would it be worth getting a second opinion, or is it the case that through his experiance the vet can make a fairly accurate diagnosis without recourse to a blood test?

Cheers for any advice.

loveisdivine

I'd definitely be getting a second opinion. You can't diagnose cancer by just having a feel of a lump, even if you're pretty sure, you should still be doing blood tests and such to confirm it.

tk123

If you went to to the GP with a lump in your tummy would you be happy with them just feeling it and telling you that it's cancer? I wouldn't anyways and would want it confirmed either way

irish_goat

A lump could be all sorts of things, definitely go get another opinion. Did the vet offer any treatment?

Merry Prankster

Thanks to all of you for your replies.

We've pretty much run out of vets to turn to at this stage. Our other two local vets let us down badly with another cat of ours who suffered a needlessly lonely and horrible death.

It looks like our cat is going to have to put up with a bit of travelling in our bid to find a competent vet.

irish_goat wrote: »

Did the vet offer any treatment?

Not really. He suggested I could bring my cat back in two weeks to be re-examined (?), but he said X-rays would be pointless because they would merely confirm the lump that he can feel with his hand. He pretty much said bring him home and let him waste away in the comfort of our home. Luckily, our cat isn't in any distress at the moment.

loveisdivine

That's outrageous! Even if it's not treatable the vet should be talking about palliative care.

Where are you based OP? perhaps someone can recommend a vet.

intheclouds

Thats really crappy of the vets.

Do post the area you are in and Im sure someone will be able to suggest a better vet.

boomerang

Weight loss and an abdominal mass - I'd be thinking lymphoma too OP.

Merry Prankster

I brought my cat to another vet today and she was very thorough, although unfortunately the prognosis is the same. The abdominal mass is very large, so the probability of successfully removing it, even if it were benign, is very slim. The vet reassured us that she can provide good pain relief solutions should the need arise, although at present my cat does not seem to show any signs of discomfort.

We've already lost two cats prematurely over the past four years (one disappeared, one died of complications due to suspected poisoning), so this news continues an extremely bad run of luck. All we can do is make Boris's remaining time happy and comfortable and hope that the disease moves slowly.

Thanks to everyone for all of the helpful replies.

Angel2016

Merry Prankster wrote: »

Hi,

My 8 year old male cat has been getting sick for the past while and has also lost weight. The vet found a lump in the cat's abdomen when he examined him with his hands. He stated that it was more than likely cancer and that there was little point in operating on him.

Looking online, it seems that many vets will do blood tests etc. to help determine the exact nature of the malady. Would it be worth getting a second opinion, or is it the case that through his experiance the vet can make a fairly accurate diagnosis without recourse to a blood test?

Cheers for any advice.

Yes get a second opinion I had a cat that had a mass in her abdomen and I was told it was most likely cancer and nothing really could be done as it was the size of a golf ball but I said to the vet can you open her up and take a look anyway if it can be removed please do so and if not them put her to sleep well she opened her up and it turned out to be a cyst or ball of puss in her abdomen it was removed and she is flying around now bold as ever.
If you are in Dublin I can recommend some really good vets

Victoria.

Ah the poor fellow, really sorry to hear about Boris.

If he's still doing ok OP then he's alright to stay home with you as long as he's comfortable. You sound like you know what's best for him. It's so tough. My own cat Tigger had cancer in a few places in his abdomen and the vet was at the other end of the spectrum in terms of wanting to do invasive things and send him to UCD for chemo, I was not ok with this at all. I took him home for a little while with palliative care until it was evident he was getting no enjoyment from life and then made the heartbreaking decision to let him go before his natural end as I felt it was kindest. If you feel things are getting too much for Boris just know that that's an option too and it could be the last act of kindness and love you can do for him. It's so tough. I have tears in my eyes writing about poor Tigger and thinking of your Boris.

All my love OP to you and Boris.

Merry Prankster

Hey everyone,

Cheers again for the nice replies. A quick update:

A few hours after my last post on the 23rd, I arrived home to find Boris limping down the stairs. There was no obvious sign of injury on his paw or leg, so I decided to give it a couple of days to see if it would right itself. With no improvement by the Monday, I brought him back to the original vet, who prescribed painkillers for a suspected sprain.

There was no improvement over the week, and following a brief but unsettling outburst on Friday in which Boris started wailing and hissing for no apparent reason, I brought him back to the second vet, fearing that the end was nigh. She examined the leg but could find nothing. She also examined his tummy and was sure that the lump had gotten slightly smaller. She decided that an X-ray was needed and booked one for today (the 2nd).

When I went to put him in the carrier today, I could see that he had licked his shoulder raw overnight - the source of the limp must be this, not the leg or paw. The X-ray confirmed that there was no break and that the limp was probably due to a cat bite (Boris, although neutered, is a pretty anti-social cat). The X-ray (and additional blood tests) also confirmed that the huge lump in his tummy is not cancer, but rather a massively swollen kidney.

So, Boris left the vet today with a body full of antibiotics and a much more positive prognosis for the future!

P.S. Victoria, that's such a sad story, but you can console yourself with the knowledge that you made the very best decision and saved Tigger from any unnecessary pain or suffering. It's a very tough decision to make, but ultimately you know your pet the best and you know when it's the right time. I'm sure Tigger would thank you if he could.

miezekatze

That's great news OP, so glad it's not cancer after all!

kathleen37

Oh wow - that's great news!!! Hope he gets sorted quickly now!

Ms Doubtfire1

OP- swollen kidney(s) are never a good sign. I would recommend to have full blood works done (including FELV and FIP).It could well be that kidney is only swollen due to having to process the excess poison from the infected bite, but if it was me I'd want to know. Especially since both FELV and FIP are infectious to other cats.