Has anyone had experience with external tumors on senior age cats? I'm very concerned about anethysia at this age.
Answers:
Honestly, as much as I hate to say it, I wouldn't put your 16 year old cat under to remove the tumor. The stress alone could be worse than the tumor. If you haven't had it examined by your vet, then that would be my first suggestion. But if it isn't affecting his everyday life, then I would just leave it be, but keep an eye on it and him.
They can run an echocardiogram to see if his heart has any obvious problems.but it cost $350.I had my cat checked at age 15 before routine dental work and they found undiagnosed heart disease.early detection %26 treatment, she lived to be 19.
PS the heart check was for tolerance of anesthesia, forgot to mention that!
See a vet! Though one question- how could you see a tumor without it having to be REALLY big? And punctering the skin?
My sister-in-law has an elderly male cat that has a tumor that hangs from his cheek. The vet has looked at it, ran a few tests, and said that it is benign. Because of his advanced age, they've decided to just let it be. That was about 4 years ago, and he's still kicking! My sister-in-law calls it his "cheek testicle," and it doesn't bother him at all. ;-)
Discuss this with your vet. If you don't understand what he's saying, write all your questions down when you get home and call him the next day. This way you aren't under pressure in the office and you have all your questions in front of you. If you still don't understand or are concerned, keep asking questions until you have the answer that satisfies you. This may not be the answer you want to hear, but he should be able to offer you an honest answer. For me, the questions for the vet would be:
1. How risky is anesthesia for a 16 year-old cat?
2. Have you ever anesthitized a cat of this age before? Where there any complications? What are the most common complications? How do you respond to them?
3. What pre-surgery tests will be performed to ensure that fluffy is healthy enough for anesthesia?
4. Will his (enter medical conditions that the cat has here) affect or complicate the anesthesia, surgery, or healing process? How?
5. What happens if the tumor is removed? Does it affect his lifespan? Is the healing process slow and painful?
6. What happens if the tumor is *not* removed? What is his life expectancy?
7. Are there any alternatives to full anesthesia? A local anesthetic, a 'downer' for the cat, and a partial removal of the tumor? How would this change his prognosis?
Good luck to you in this difficult decision! : )
I would encourage you to take him to a vet for a professional evaluation. The vet will tell you what the various options and ramifications are. Then you will be able to make an informed decision.
Back in 1992 my 19 year old cat had a tumor on the breast which later was diagnosed as breast cancer. She was in excellent health otherwise so I was absolutely floored. I opted for the surgery because I was not about to put down an otherwise healthy cat (my baby). Anyway, before the surgery an x-ray revealed that it had spread to her lungs. I still had him do the surgery (which required general anesthesia) and she almost made her 21st birthday. I really think she died of old age rather than the cancer because she could no longer hear very well and couldn't jump up on the couch.
I'm glad I was able to have her a while longer. Had she been suffering, I'd have put her down.
We had this problem with my husband's 11 yr old dog, and decided to take her to the vet.
The vet told us that this is VERY common in senior cats and dogs. The vet told me that if the lump is "free-floating", meaning it isn't attatched to the skin or muscle tissue,then it is ok. but if the lump seems solidly attatched to either, you may need to have it surgically removed. It may be a cancerous growth. The dog's tumor was attatched at the skin, and she did very well with the surgery. They kept her for 1 night, they cut out the lump, and the cancer is gone. That was over a year ago.
She did very well with the anesthesia, with only grogginess for a day or so. Talk to your vet also about these concerns. :)
obviously the random ppl on PetQnA.com arent going to be able to answer this one for you. GO TO A VET.
honey talk to the vet and see what he/she recommends for your cat but most of all love your pet and make your cat comfortable
thank you
a vet will need to remove it, any question you have you should be asking the vet
The best thing that you could do in this case is take him to your vet. Yes, he may be 16 years old, but cats can live and be perfectly healthy until late into their 20's.
My cat was 18 years old when I had to have her euthanized, and the only health problems she ever had were all due to old age. She began loosing her muscle mass when she was about 13 years old, and at 16 she became completely blind and deaf. All of these things are normal for old age, but what finally made me have to have her euthanized was when he liver failed.
However, at 16, I think it would be pretty safe to say that your cat, though deffinately a senior citizen, is still in his prime.
Take him to your vet and see what he says about the tumor, which very well may be nonmalegnant. He can remove it via surgery. It might not even be a tumor, it could be a cyst, which can be treated with antibiotics.
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