Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,
My 16 year old plus Cat Pandora was diagnosed with Lymphoma yesterday.Her vet had discovered a lump in her neck 2 weeks ago.A needle biopsy was done,and after waiting 9 days,the results came back as lymphoma.Thoe we do not know what type.
We have her penciled in for an operation to try remove on Wed's morning.I know nothing about this disease,I have tryed to read up on it but confused myself more.My vet says he cannot feel any other enlarged lymph nodes,not even the opposite one in her throat.I have so many questions,more decision making,hardly any answers,and little time to decide.I dont know if I should even put her through this operation.She also has a heart problem,and has just started FORTEKOR,and we were told that on a 1-10 scale her heart is about a 7.She had an x-ray at the same time as the biopsy by needle,which showed her to have an enlarged heart.
Can you advise me,sugest anything or enlighten me in any way at all.I would be most grateful,thankyou.I probably have missed important things out of my message here,but I am so confused at the moment.The vet told me I would be if I rad too much about it,guess he was right in that sense.
Many Thanks,
Gabby

Hi There,

It's always difficult to make a decision regarding having surgery done on an older kitty. I am so sorry that you are facing this.

First, you have to consider the general health of the cat. Obviously having a heart problem would put your baby at a higher risk. It might be a good idea to have a complete blood panel done to determine how her other organs are functioning and also a urinalysis. Maybe even an ultrasound to take a closer look at her heart. An ultrasound can also be used to look for any other tumors. If there is more than one, it would probably be better to not have the surgery done.

How does your cat do in her every day life? Is she happy and still enjoying things like lying in the sun, playing and eating well? These are also things to consider. If she is doing well for her age then having the surgery done might be a good thing.

This is a decision that only you can make. My oldest cat, who is also 16 has feline asthma. In her case I would not put her under anesthesia because of the risk. I also have a 12 year old with kidney failure, but she is stable and doing well. I might consider surgery for her if it was minimally invasive. Anything major would be too hard for her to go through so I wouldn't have it done. I had an 18 year old with a large hernia and the vet advised doing nothing because of her age. So, every case is different.

Chances are that there is more than one lymph node affected by the cancer, or that there is another mass somewhere that has spread to the node. For this reason I would highly recommend further diagnostics, including whole-body x-rays before you make your decision. It would be rare for only the one lymph node to be affected.

Sometimes it's best just to make a cat comfortable. This usually involves using steroids and possibly pain meds.

I personally would reschedule the surgery in order to have more time to consider my options.

Please let us know what you decide.

Regards,
PHKitkat