Cats and cancer

[cooncatbob]

I've lost several of my childhood friends and my Mother to this scourge and in May it took my beloved Samantha.
What type of cancers afflict cats most often?
What's the cure rate and when is a cat probably too old for surgery?
My Mom was 76 and in generally poor health for quite awhile but the surgery just made her condition much worse and it was a blessing that she soon passed due to heart failure.
Samantha was 16 and seemed healthy but she was a Maine Coon and had lost more weight then I realized.
They did a ultra sound scans and determined that she had tumors in her intestines which were causing a blockage and also around her spleen.
The only option was surgery and even if things went well the prognosis wasn't very good, maybe another year best case .
She had gone from a vibrant kitty to old and feeble seemingly over night and I could not bear to put her through the ordeal so I let her go and she peacefully died in my arms.
I have another cat who's 12 and want to be better prepared for the future.
I'm going to keep an better eye on her weight for one thing.
I wouldn't want to put her through surgery if her quality of life is going to be greatly diminished, but I don't want to put her down if there's a good hope for some quality.
I want to do what best for the kitty, not what's easiest or convenient for me.

[catloverami]

Cancer seems to be the scourge of mankind and now our fur friends too. My mom died of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma at age 67, my husband has had skin cancer, myself papillary thyroid cancer (I'm a 20 yr. survivor). One of my Manx neuters died of malignant inoperable tumor in bladder at age 15, another one died of tumors on her spine at age 16---both cats were euthanized. Many of our friends have, had or are in treatment for cancer.

There are websites that refer to clinical trials of cancer in dogs, but couldn't find any for cats.

Here's some websites that talk about cancer and cats; apparently cancer's not as prevalent in cats as it is in dogs.

Comprehensive guide to cancer diagnosis and treatment in cats and dogs.

Cancer in Cats: Types, Symptoms, Prevention, and Treatment on MedicineNet

[amuck10]

well in my world recovery from cancer has not been successful in any of my cats. tried surgery with all, in 2 cases surgery multiple time, tried chemotherapy in 2, and all 7 cats i had with cancer, all seven died from cancer. but the type does matter, 2 were vaccine induced fibrosarcomas before injections were switched to the leg, one was late stage mammary cancer in a cat i had just taken in, one was brain cancer, 2 were Lymphoma, one was late stage Squamous Cell Carcinoma in a cat I found (tumor was almost as big as his head) all of these were cancers with a very low cure rate or were treated late stage making success unlikely, so maybe others have had better experiences

[cooncatbob]

Thanks for the links, interesting read.
Kinda confirms my decision, if you don't catch it early with an elderly cat the out look is rather bleak.
My experience is cats aren't very good patients, as much as it still hurts I couldn't let them cut open my 16 year old baby for a little more time.
I'd have paid any price to make her better, maxed out the credit cards but not to see her suffer.
I'm going to keep a close eye on Chiquita as she enters her golden years, weigh her regularly between trip to the Vet.

[marie73]

I lost Cinderella to pancreatic cancer last year, she was only 7. Found out she was ill on February 4th, said goodbye on March 6th. The vets and specialists actually thought it was FIP until nearly the end.