Anyone help?

[Churchillsmom1]

I posted a few days ago about us being told our cat probable had Kidney cancer. The vet has now, after more tests, decided it's actually intestinal cancer. Does anyone have experience of this?
We have been told we prob have 6-12 months left with her, although it's a fast growing tumour so it could be quicker. We have also been told she with get sickness and diarrhoea and can be given steroids to combat this if she starts to get uncomfortable. She has always been a sicky cat, vomits most days (she is 13) has done since a kitten, she eats a lot of grass.
She seems really well at the moment, you wouldn't know anything was wrong with her. I just wondered if anyone had been through this and what I'm to expect

Thank you

[hgale]

I'm so sorry to read about your poor cat.

In February 2012 my cat Kitten went to the Vet for a check-up, and the Vet found a lump in her stomach. It wasn't hurting her (you wouldn't have thought there was anything wrong) and until November, it didn't grow at all - the Vet could even feel it and she just continued purring!

Then, in November, the Vet said it had grown slightly. She was still ok, no sickness, runs or anything out of the ordinary. But into December, she started having problems laying down, she couldn't get comfortable. I took her in just before Christmas that year, and it had grown 10% in a month, and had moved. Even though (outwardly) she was fine (still walking around at the Vet, "chatting" to us - she always was a talker), I knew there was only one more decision I could make for her.

Every cancer and cat is different. My only advice would be to keep a careful eye on her, contact your Vet if you have any worries - no matter how small - and cherish the remaining time you have with her. Take loads of photos, her favourite foods (Kitten loved Dairylea cheese!), and of course, loads of fuss for her.

And do keep in touch on here - the support I had on here when Kitten first went blind in 2011 was
much appreciated and made things a lot easier.

A {hug} for you and a big fuss to your lovely girl from Helen.

[lilynmitz]

I'm really sorry to hear this sad news. I've lost two cats to cancer, but in each case it was only found a few days before one passed away (he was taken in for further tests, xrays etc, which found a massive growth in his chest), and the other post mortem (liver cancer). We knew there was something wrong and were carrying out tests, monitoring, treating symptoms, but the end for each of them came very suddenly, and in each case, other than being off their food and losing weight, and a little less active than usual, they had good quality of life right to the end. In some ways I'm glad I didn't know sooner, as it would have overshadowed our last times together, but on the other hand, had I known sooner, I could perhaps have given them better palliative care - pain relief etc. But both of them were happy in themselves, even going out in the garden (one was climbing trees the day before he died), but when the time came, one of them died suddenly when one of the tumours ruptured and he bled internally, slipping away peacefully in a sunny spot in the garden by the front door, the other it was clear his time had come and we called the vet to let him go peacefully in my arms.

I'm saying this to reassure you that however long she has, it can still be good quality time, and as you know her condition, you can treat the symptoms to make her remaining time as comfortable as possible. Cherish the coming weeks and months, take lots of photos. You'll know when she's had enough, but enjoy your time together meanwhile.