Cat sick, blood test shows mast cells, not eating

[Already_Miss_Him]

I don't even know what I'm doing...

My cat is has been throwing up non stop for a bit over a week. On Monday I took him to the vet and got a blood test, Tuesday got results and he keeps getting worse. He is only 11 why is this happening?

At this point he is not grooming, he hasn't used his litter box in a day, wasn't eating. The vet gave us a steroid to try since surgery is out of the question and he seemed to drink a good amount of water and he ate a few bites but had trouble swallowing.

He has been in the top of the cat tree since last night and hasn't moved. He isn't purring when I pet him anymore and looks so drained. I am supposed to give him another dose of steroids soon which he hates, but Im going to do it anyway.

I am so torn. What do I do? I seriously never thought this would be so hard. I can't stand the thought of putting him down, having my last interaction with him be shoving him in a crate and taking him to get killed. They won't even let me inside because of covid. He hates strangers so I'm not sure a home visit from a vet would be any better.

I'm seriously a grown man who can't get it together, this is killing me. I don't know what to do. What am I supposed to do? He doesn't seem in pain, just kinda sitting there staring out the window or sleeping. I feel like I'm gonna throw up...

[booktigger]

I'm sorry to hear this, what did the vet think his blood tests indicated?

[Already_Miss_Him]

The vet thinks there is an internal mast cell tumor. I cannot afford an ultrasound to confirm it, but all the signs are there. The cat is very sad and not eating or grooming or using the litter box. He has been going between his favorite places which are the cat tree, the closet and his favorite chair. he just kinds sits there staring or sleeping. He didn't come into bed at all last night. This is so heartbreaking

[booktigger]

It is a hard decision, I'd see if he can pick up over the weekend on the steroids but if not, I'd be questioning his quality of life

[Mollycat]

How our beloved furries can reduce us to a gibbering wreck when they are sick.

Just be very careful with the steroids, do not miss a dose or stop giving it suddenly. It's very important to reduce the dose gradually, or it can really mess them up. There is an injectable form that last 6 weeks, vets don't like giving it because once injected obviously it can't be adjusted and if they need Metacam while on the steroid they can't have it. With some diseases a diagnosis doesn't always help you because the treatment for the different possibilities can be the same anyway. You need your vet to be really brutally straight with you and for every option of possible cause they give you, question the progression - so if it's this we do that and the outcome could be this or that and the risks and costs are ... etc and write it all down so you can make some calm level headed decisions for his care, whether you are heading for a cure or to stabilise him and give him the best quality of life for the time he has. Remember, he doesn't know 11 years, he only knows if he feels well or unwell, and that you will do the best you can for him always.

My 15 year old boy died last summer, suspected either lymphoma or cancer, after months of gradual decline with many many vet visits. But my positive for you from that is this - One Friday he was really bad, we started to prepare for the end. We saw the vet and started him on the steroids that night. Saturday, no improvement. Sunday, just the same. I was begging him not to have to be put to sleep on his birthday, Monday. 4am Monday morning he was up with my partner and screaming for his breakfast - that's just not him at all. 11am he was yelling the house down for more. The steroids had kicked in.

[Already_Miss_Him]

How our beloved furries can reduce us to a gibbering wreck when they are sick.

Thank you for your reply. I think I will be giving the meds religiously through the weekend unless there is a screening sign that he is suffering, and reevaluate Sunday what to do next. He tried to eat a couple treats not long ago but he couldn't get them down. Hoping this works to give him a little more happy time with his family. My 9 month old human boy has been chasing him around the house and he is such a good sport. Man I don't know what is wrong with me, why can't I be one of those "just a pet" people....ugh

[Sandra b]

So sorry your cat isn’t doing too good. I know exactly how you are feeling as we’ve all been through it with our cats at some point. I hope the steroids have made an improvement over the weekend and he has managed to eat some food. You could ask your vet for a food called Royal Canin recovery which is a very soft pate. It’s given to sick cats as it’s very palatable and easy to eat. You could also try heating his food slightly as this can sometimes tempt them. I know it’s such a worrying time especially with vets not allowing us in but try to stay positive and your boy will let you know what is right to do for him.

[Ugliegirlie]

I'm so sorry. I just lost my cat to cancer a week ago. He didn't show any signs of being sick until a month and a half earlier. He started throwing up and the vet thought it might be a tapeworm so he was treated for that. He kept throwing up and stopped eating and had diarrhea. Then he had a bad seizure so I took him to the vet and she felt a lump so she did an x-ray followed by an exploratory surgery. She found four huge tumours wasn't be able to remove them. He was put to sleep and I'm devastated. He was my baby. It happened so fast and he was only 12. I've known and taken care of a lot of cats and this one felt like a soulmate. I'm heartbroken. I have very low income but my vet lets me make payments. You could try asking yours and talking to other vets around town. If not you can try starting a GoFundMe and share it on Facebook. on your page and ask other cat community pages if you could post it on theirs.