My 11 yr old cat Shelby was diagnosed with mouth cancer 3 years ago. She had surgery and the vet was able to remove 80% of the tumor. He told us she had anywhere from 6 months to 5 years before the cancer would come back. The cancer began to grow back slowly at first but now has taken over her entire lower jaw, and lower teeth. The doctor told us when she loses weight, it will be time to euthanize her. So far, she still eats and has only lost a little weight. Her jaw has become infected, yet she still eats, drinks and tries to groom herself. I know the whole mouth is painful as she cries when its touched even lightly. My husband and I are torn between putting her down or waiting for her to get worse and stop eating. Her spirit is so strong yet her body is failing. When do we say enough is enough?
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Cat with mouth cancer..when is it time?
Replies (2)
When the body is failing, in my opinion that is the time to consider having her euthanized. The infection could spread as well, which could cause more serious problems. Right now it is about "quality of life"....is her quality of life impaired by her pain, does it make her eat less, or is anything else impaired by her condition?
You don't mention if she was put on antibiotics for the infection....if she has been, then hopefully that helps alleviate some of the discomfort. And as for exactly WHEN - you will know. When it is time to ease her suffering and take her pain and make it yours, that is when it is time.
My thoughts are with you.
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Hello,
I am so sorry you are dealing with this.......oral cancers are very, very difficult, and it isn't easy to know when to make the decision.
Usually, when a cat stops eating, it's time to let go, but your baby is now in a great deal of pain. Please talk to the vet about the possibility of getting some pain meds for her, as well as an antibiotic if she isn't already on one. She needs to be as comfortable as possible for the time she has left. Convenia might be a good antibiotic in this case because it is injectable and lasts 2 weeks.
If she cannot be made more comfortable, I don't think it's fair to let her go on. My Smokey had cancer, a different type, but when the tumor recurred and became badly infected, I knew it was time. There was no more treatment for Smokey and she left this world in my arms. I gave her that gift when nothing else could be done for her medically.
Having such a seriously ill baby is so difficult for all of us. Please let us know what you decide. We have a support chat every night if you are interested and you are most welcome to attend.
Take Care,
PHKitkat
