Experience with feline lymphoma?

[drloretta]

Hi, I'm new to this board, veteran of the boards in general. We just got a diagnosis of lymphoma/lymphosarcoma for our (DH's) 13yo kitty. If anyone has experiences to share, i'd love to hear them. We're waiting on the vet to let us know what kind of protocol he's considering.

[kayakjenn]

I'm so sorry about your cat's illness. I unfortunately had a sad outcome to my lymphoma story, 12 years ago my 6 year old cat was diagnosed. Surgery was not an option and when I asked my vet to give the same treatment he would give his own cat, he prescribed steroids to slow the growth and basically sent me off to spoil him for the short time he had left. He estimated we would have 3 weeks to 3 months and instead we had 6 months of a very high quality of life until he acted uncomfortable and stopped eating one day. I had him put to sleep the day after he stopped eating because his end was inevitable and I couldn't bear the thought of him suffering in any way.

I'm hopeful for you that they've made advancements in the last 12 years and can give you more than the one option I was given. I'll be thinking of you and your sweet kitty.

[drloretta]

Thanks for the good thoughts. The doctor is researching protocols that may work for him, and we're hoping to hear back. The cat was great after surgery on Friday, but he seems to have stopped eating again. I'm concerned he may not have much quality of life left. I'll keep you posted on what happens. H is going to be so sad.

[mich1]

While is was never officially diagnosed, The vet suspected Gomez had a dessimated lymphoma of the bowel. As he was an elderly cat, I choose not to go with treatment, but management of the symptoms. He ate well, but lost a lot f weight very quickly, despite the fact he was eating a lot of calories. He went from 12 lbs to 4 lbs and even kitten milk was not sufficient calories to keep him from losing weight.

The vet did tell me that they had very good results with chemo, and most times the cat died of something else.

Good luck,

[drloretta]

It looks like we're going to go with oral meds for the next 6 months (assuming he responds) and take it from there. DH is also going to talk to the doctor about end of life options, whether that happens next month or next year. We want him to go out with a decent quality of life. DH is holding up much better than I expected.

[drloretta]

Update: He has stopped eating again. DH needs the weekend to wrap his brain/heart around losing his buddy, and we have a final appointment with the vet Monday morning. Thank you for giving me your experiences and letting me pop in here for the brief time I visited.

[cmeon]

I'm so sorry- it's awful to watch pets suffer, and saying good-bye is always tough, even when you know it's coming.

[kayakjenn]

drloretta, I am really sorry to hear of your update. Please know I was thinking of your sweet kitty.