Four months ago (early November 2019), the vet told us that my cat had a 5cm abdominal tumour and only a few weeks left to live... By December, huge lumps had appeared on his neck and back. My cat was hardly moving, had diarrhoea and was struggling to eat; we were on the verge of taking him for that final trip to the vet to have him put down several times...
But here’s the thing: since mid-January, the lumps on his neck and back have completely vanished, and he’s doing better and better (he can manage three flights of stairs no problem and eats three pouches of wet food a day, even though he still has quite persistent diarrhoea).
None of the vets have been able to explain how this is possible.
I wanted to see if I could find an explanation with you all, mostly because I don't want to get my hopes up for nothing :(
Thanks a lot!
Translated from French
The forum content is sometimes translated from another language, and posts may concern countries with different animal laws. Do your research before making any decisions.
Since the forum is translated by AI, the translations may contain errors.
Hi! It’s been 4 months now (since early November 2019) since the vet told us that my cat had a 5cm abdominal tumour and only had a few weeks left to live... In December, huge swollen glands appeared on his neck and back. My cat was hardly moving, had diarrhoea and was struggling to eat; we even considered taking him to the vet to be put to sleep several times. The thing is: since mid-January, the lumps on his neck and back have completely disappeared, and he’s doing better and better (he can manage three flights of stairs with no trouble and eats three pouches of wet food a day, despite the diarrhoea still being quite bad). No vet has been able to explain how this is possible. I was hoping to find some answers here so I don’t get my hopes up for nothing :( Thanks a lot!
I hope your cat is still with us.
My first Maine Coon has been quite delicate ever since I adopted her. At 4 months old, she was diagnosed with IBD following bouts of diarrhoea: we managed to resolve the issue by switching her to a raw diet. For several months now, she’s seemed very tired, had no appetite, and most notably, she’s lost nearly all the fur at the base of her tail. As she was so weak, the vet did some blood tests and an ultrasound. After consulting an oncologist, the diagnosis was a very invasive lymphoma (running from her spine to her pancreas). But for the last 3 months, she’s been getting better and better; she’s put on weight, she’s playing, and I just don’t know what to think? The vet told me it wasn't advisable to give her her boosters this year given her condition, but now I’m in two minds! Could it have been a misdiagnosis, or can a cat actually recover from invasive lymphoma? If anyone can help me understand this and figure out what to do, please.
Hi, this might sound silly, but was this tumour definitely diagnosed with something like an X-ray or a scan? Could it have been anything else?
Hi there!
Yes, probably an X-ray since Vdbey mentioned 5 cm, and as a rule, lymphoma is fatal quite quickly. A misdiagnosis seems unlikely, but it's not impossible if the clinic isn't well-equipped and the vet is newly qualified...
My Roméo (who I hasn't been registered here because I tend to be a bit of a pessimist) is suffering from several fibrosarcomas which started as eye tumours (the vet said they were aggressive) at the start of October, so 4 months ago now.
At the moment he's eating (he's on steroids), purring and doesn't seem to be in any pain.
Hi there, this might sound a bit daft, but was the tumour definitely diagnosed with an X-ray or a scan, for example? Is there any chance it could be something else?
Hi there,
Could what you’re calling swollen glands be a reaction to the injections given when the internal tumour was diagnosed? That would explain why they’ve cleared up.
Has the abdominal tumour progressed? It might be the cause of the diarrhoea if it’s affecting the intestinal area.
Is your cat on any treatment at the moment?
Three pouches of wet food a day is quite a lot; try switching to half dry food to see if the diarrhoea stops, but do make sure he’s drinking plenty of water. How old is he?
As long as he’s eating, that’s a good sign. Sadly, if he has another relapse, you’ll have to consider putting him to sleep.
https://www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-advice/lymphoma-cats
Liza
