Cat Chat Feline Forum

Has anyone on here for any experience of a cat with throat cancer? My poor Meg is only 2.5 but she has already had a severe bout of pancreatitis and was diagnosed 6 months ago with hip dysplasia, luxating patella and a spinal cord issue for which she is on forever metacam for.
She is a bit of an odd dwarf type shape and for the last year or so has always snored when sleeping, but this week her breathing went from normal to noisy and laboured in the space of 12 hours, went to vets and they said she needed camera down throat but they needed to get it off other surgery so would be a week, I asked if she could have anything to help her and was told no, so I went straight to another vet who sedated her today and had a look, she has an area of white growths in her throat that have made windpipe so narrow they couldn't even get a tube near, vets suspect it's cancer if she doesn't respond to steroids. She is brighter and breathing better since steroid but still clearly has a problem. Is there anything in the throat this could be if not cancer????
I'm so worried and will feel even worse having To make this decision on the basis of her response to steroids. I was offered referral vet but I don't want her having surgery for a biopsy when it's completely inoperable anyway, she's been through enough.
Any thoughts welcome.
Thank you.

Poor little Meg

I don't have any idea what it could be, other than an odd thing that happened to me in the early 80s. I had a really sore throat. I went to see my GP (I was living in Shepherds Bush then) who was also the local police doctor. He said he hadn't seen anything like it before - the back of my throat was covered in white lumps. It was a long time ago, so a bit sketchy. He asked if he could take some photos as he wanted to do a paper to be published in The Lancet! - I remember him having a camera on a stand. He asked if I was allergic to penicillin and one detail I remember (amazingly after just over 30 years) is that he gave me amoxicillin and whatever it was responded to treatment.

Fast forward to about 15 years ago, which may or may not be connected, I was sent to various tests due to chest pains (turned out to be nothing) and when the x-ray came back, my GP asked when when I had pneumonia. I said that I had never had it. He said, yes I had and I had the scars on my lungs



Sorry if all the above it totally useless info, but it does sound similar.

I guess the vet took a scrape to test for bacteria?

Mmm that's very strange but I guess backs up the issue that you can never tell what's going on in the areas you can't see!
She is covered with antibiotics too but they are fairly confident its growth tissue as opposed to infection unfortunately.
Google only seems to come up with cancer

I googled too. Another thing that comes up is Mononucleosis (Glandular fever apparently)

Hoping it isn't cancer.

Thanks, didn't know cats could get that, but her glands aren't up either so guess not highly likely, it's further down into her throat than you could see on a cat, could only see it with the scope and her unconscious so her tongue was right out.

Could they be polyps? I know you can get them in the ears and nose, I think you can also get them in the nasopharynx which isn't far from the throat....

Just another thought, maybe something like tonsillitis?

I'm not sure I will ask about polyps, I don't think it's tonsillitis as its too far down the throat *i think*
She is so much more comfortable on the steroids so that's the main thing I guess....

I have no experience of this and nothing of use to offer, I'm afraid. All I can send is positive vibes and wish her well. xx