6 year old cat with inflamed lymph node

[ksmankoo]

Hi

I'm new on the forum and I have a 6 year old male silver tabby named Kimbo who last week stopped eating and became very lethargic all of a sudden. Upon taking him to the vet, they confirmed he had a growth in his abdomen and after some scans and blood tests it showed up as a non cancerous inflamed lymph node.

The vet just called me a short while ago saying that as he's not eating it's not wise operating on him, but it's worthwhile doing another test to see if they can find cancer in another part of the lymph node. So once diagnosed they know what treatment to give him.

My issue is the fact Kimbo is not eating, it's been 3 days and he's not had any solids but they are feeding him via a drip. Would it be wise for me to try and feed him while he's at the vet, or would this freak him out more? Has anyone had this happen to their cat, and if so what route did you take?

I'm just hoping it's not cancer, but at the same time I want it to be something so we know what to do about it.

[Crewella]

I'm sorry your boy's not well, but yes I've made frequent trips to the vets to feed mine when they've been 'hospitalised' and I do think it helps them, and 'home food' can help too. Our vets are lovely and actively encourage visiting as they think it helps.

I wish I had something useful to offer, but I've not had a cat with theis issue - I wish him better soon.

[lilynmitz]

I'm so sorry to hear about Kimbo, and I hope the further tests give some positive news. It's such a worrying time.

I've fed my cats at the vet in the past, and they seemed to find it comforting and we were able to get something into them. Sometimes a familiar face really works. But it really depends on how poorly the cat is feeling as to whether they will have the appetite for this. It also depends on how busy and/or accommodating your vet is as to whether they are happy for you to do this. If you can imagine every concerned owner wanting to do this (ie all of us!), it would be complete chaos!

When Mitz was in for further investigations under similar circumstances they put him on pain relief and he perked up no end and was able to feed himself a little, but if the condition is that advanced, as it sadly was with Mitz, this makes little difference to the outcome.

However, looking on the positive side, if your vet feels this would be helpful, I found that hand feeding works well - I had to do this with Lily for months at one stage, until she got over that particular medical condition, and I'm sure it saved her life. I found pate foods mixed with a little water were easiest to hand feed, if a little messy. (Put a tissue on the surface underneath them to catch the fallout!)

Everything crossed for Kimbo that they can get to the bottom of his condition quickly and find a suitable treatment to get him back on the road to recovery.