My cat has a fibrosarcoma on his leg, help!!

[beckiandthetrio]

Hi,

Ive been a member for awhile here but havent been around for alittle bit. Anyhow Im wondering if anyone else here has a cat that has a fibrosarcoma.

My cat Panda who is 7, was diagnosed two days ago with what the vet is pretty sure a fibrosarcoma on his right thigh. It is pretty big and wraps around the leg but doesn't seem to bother him at all. We think this may be related to a rabies vaccine but unsure though. The last 3 years he has had the purevax and is due now for his next one so its been awhile since the last. My vet did do a needle aspiration twice and yesterday she called and said that she could not find any "cancer" cells but it ruled out other things such as a lymphoma or a hematoma. I decided not to agressivley treat this though and just make him comfortable until he is ready to go. This breaks my heart but the vet said that chemo/amputation/radiation would really only buy maybe a few months extra and he may go through alot of pain with this. I don't have a whole lot of money to spend on this either so all these factors come into play.

So, my question is if you have had a cat with this or similar problem what did you do? How long do cats generally live after this diagnosis? Anything that I can do to help him stay comfortable (he seems to be right now)?

My other problem is that his appetite has gone down. He is a big cat (17lbs) but has lost about 1lb in the past 7 months or so. Im trying everything I can to get him to eat but I was wondering if anyone had some ideas? He does drink plenty of water and will snack on canned food. I have tried baby food (chicken) which he likes somewhat and even resorted to cheap treats which he does seem interested in.

If you have gotten through all that, I thank you. Please let me know if you have any suggestions at all? I appreciate anything.

Becki

[Love4himies]

I am so sorry to hear that

I don't have any experience with cancer, however the fear of it is why I won't get my cats vaccinated anymore.

Did the vet do any bloodwork to determine how the organs are working? What about a thyroid check?

Have you tried Fancy Feast (the pate styles that aren't full of wheat gluten)?

Another food, but is NOT nutritionally complete is Almo Nature. My cats go crazy for it. It is real meat in a can with lots of juice so cat get their fluids too .

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by beckiandthetrio

My cat Panda who is 7, was diagnosed two days ago with what the vet is pretty sure a fibrosarcoma on his right thigh.

Brutal!! I'm so sorry Becki. I know you said that money is tight, but is there any possibility of getting a referal to an oncologist? They might be able to narrow down what exactly is going on, and help you come up with a hospice (aka "pawspice") plan to maintain Panda's comfort as the cancer progresses.

In the meantime, you might consider joining the Feline VAS Support group on Yahoo: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Feline_VAS_Support/

Originally Posted by beckiandthetrio

Im trying everything I can to get him to eat but I was wondering if anyone had some ideas? He does drink plenty of water and will snack on canned food. I have tried baby food (chicken) which he likes somewhat and even resorted to cheap treats which he does seem interested in.

Can you increase the amount and variety of canned food that you feed him? Where cancer is concerned, the lower the carbs - the better, as cancer cells use sugar for growth. Does he like fresh meat at all? Sprinkling pulverized treats on some canned food might make him eat more. Here is a link to some more tips on how to deal with inappetance:
http://assistfeed.com/Enticing.htm

[beckiandthetrio]

Thanks for your advice and thoughts. I will try pulverizing some treats and put that on the canned food. I do normally feed grain free canned but he is not feeling the "usual" stuff. He would rather eat whiskas and fancy feast! I even bought some kitten chow in hopes that I could at least get some calories down him.

SCM: I would get an oncologist referral but I feel that since I dont plan on treating it then what's the point? Although, I do like the idea of "pawpice" so that may be an idea?

I feel so stupid right now that I could have done this to him. I never liked getting them vaccinated but my vet (whom I love) requires at least Rabbies. I can't believe I didnt really notice the mass at all either. Im very intune usually with my cats but that one flew by me. I thought it was part of his leg and never bothered to feel both at the same time to tell the difference.

Becki