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hi alicat,
i, too am very sorry for your loss. 16 years is certainly a long time and it can be hard to let go.
oral cancers in cats can arise quickly, and as you know are very aggressive. cats are good at hiding the symptoms so it is likely that the mass was there long before you noticed and was only detected when it was big enough to interfere with daily function. in general, oral masses in cats are usually malignant while they are usually benign in dogs.
considering the circumstances, i think the kindest thing you did for your cat was euthanize, as difficult as it was for you to do. oral surgery can be quite invasive and anesthesia and surgery recovery at 16 is not always easy.
the high cholesterol may have been due to a recent meal, and to my knowledge is not usually indicitive of anything. the low lymphocytes, however in hindsight may have been a clue that there was something amiss, but there is no way to know for sure. (wait, just scrolled down again and saw that cyberkitten said that, sorry didn't mean to get repetitive).
it sure sounds like your cat was lucky to have someone care for him so well. you have my deepest sympathies.
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