Suspected Brain Tumor?

Hi, my cat is now 17 years old and has been fine until recently. About 2 weeks ago he went for his usual check up and was passed fit and fine by the vet but also given a flu booster vaccine which he has had every year.

Everything was fine until a couple of days later when his back legs appeared to be a bit wonky and when he walked his balance seemed a bit off. He went back to the vet and they took some blood samples and they came back all clear.

He then stopped eating and when he walks he falls over. He is also losing his 'meow' a little bit and his head seems to suddenly start moving up and down every now and then.

The vet seems to think it is a tumor or at least a neurological disorder. I find it hard to believe that within 2 weeks my cat can go from being fine to really thin and not being able to walk far, its heart breaking to see.

I questioned the vet about the shot he was given at his usual check up and was told that it was a different vacine to what he has had previously due to 'political reasons' basically cost cutting measures which are apparently 'passed on' to us. This was not mentioned at the time and i only found this out when i questioned further.

Is it possible that instead of it being as severe as a tumor that the problem could be with the shot he was given? I just find it incredibly difficult to accept that a tumor could advance so fast within 2 weeks?

He was given a shot of steoriods or something i believe to try to encourage him to eat but that has not worked.

Your thoughts and opinions would be greatly appreciated.

I have never heard of a flu vaccine for cats? I would put my money on the vaccine, not a tumor.

really? We just had to put him down because we couldnt bare to see him as he was :( Im devestated.

Im going to find out some more information about what he was given, if its the vets fault im going to be furious! He seemed so sure that it would be a tumor but after reading thing on the internet it seems uncommon for older cats to suddenly develop a tumor? The vet said if it was rapidly growing it would but surely not within a 2 week period?

Il find out exactly what he was given and get back to you.

Hi, my cat is now 17 years old and has been fine until recently. About 2 weeks ago he went for his usual check up and was passed fit and fine by the vet but also given a flu booster vaccine which he has had every year.

The "flu" vaccine is probably the FVRC combo vax (for feline rhinotracheitis and calicivirus), which can help protect against upper respiratory infections in cats. You really don't need to get this every year, and at 17 yrs old, I'd recommend not getting anymore vaccines at all, regardless of whether this has caused your cat's current issues. http://www.vas-awareness.org/vaxreccs.htm

He then stopped eating and when he walks he falls over. He is also losing his 'meow' a little bit and his head seems to suddenly start moving up and down every now and then.

What do his eyes look like? Are they also moving back and forth? Ask the vet about feline vestibular disease (http://www.cathealth.com/vestibular.htm).

He was given a shot of steoriods or something i believe to try to encourage him to eat but that has not worked.

Yikes. Well your kitty has to eat, so perhaps an appropriate appetite stimulant (cyproheptadine, mertazapine) would help, but I don't get why vets use steroids for that. It can have some pretty drastic side effects and there are much better options. How long has he gone without food? If it's more than 48 hrs, he may need to be admitted to an emergency clinic. Cats are prone to something called hepatic lipidosis if they aren't getting enough food.

Can you tempt him to eat with stuff like plain meat baby food (no onions), tuna or salmon, yogurt, deli meat, cat treats, cooked chicken breast? Anything to jump-start his appetite. But if he does have something like vestibular disease, he probably feels pretty nauseous and will need meds to counteract that. I would seriously consider taking him to either a different vet or a 24 hr clinic.

really? We just had to put him down because we couldnt bare to see him as he was :( Im devestated.

OMG! I'm so sorry. I just posted my response when I saw this.

:rip: :candle:

Thank you for your detailed response! We had him put down today as we couldn't bare to see him how he was, it was really heartbreaking.

I will find out exactly what shot he was given, its the same one he has been having every year except this time it was a different company making it or something.

With regards to his eyes he seems focused and doesnt seem dazed and they didnt seem to wander around, on his left eye though it was partially covered by what appeared to be his eye lid.

When we tried to feed him he would lick his lips but not eat it and would move his head away, occationally his head would shake, rocking in a sort of up and down fashion.

It was just too heartbreaking to see him walk and fall over, the vet offered MRI scans and things but we felt that we didnt want to put him through that and he was getting thinner and thinner and didnt want him to suffer at all.

Is it possible for a tumor to develop like this? Im really devestated.