Please HELP - Lung lobectomy in 12 y/o old cat!!

[CrazyFrogLady]

Hello,

I am really stuck and desperately need some advice. My 12 y/o female rescue cat (who i've had for >10 years) was taken to the emergency vet where they found lung nodules and sent her to a referral center, where they repeated X-rays and confirmed she had one lung mass and possibly more but they can't tell from an X-ray and ultrasounds. They tried a FNA biopsy but the tumor was too close to her spine to safely get a sample. So now they're recommending that I get a CT scan done and I can either 1. go over the results with an oncologist and plan from there or 2. have her taken directly into a lobectomy surgery after the scan (1 round of anesthesia, 1 hour-long car ride there/back, 1 fasting period, etc.)

I'm really torn about the surgery, though. I called my regular vet and they warned me saying that's dangerous, risky, painful, and not worth it for the estimated 6 extra months. But the oncologist told me my cat was a good candidate for it since she's otherwise healthy and they said she would "not be negatively affected by it" which is like??? But she will be for some time, right?

The vet's (roughly) estimated life expectancy for her is 2-6 months without surgery and possibly >1 year with, I'm feeling very conflicted about moving forward. Is the lengthy recovery too much to put her through for maybe a few more months of life? Has anybody ever gotten this surgery before? I can't find any forum experiences ANYWHERE online. If you can, can you link it to me? What would you do?

Thank you so much for reading, I'm really at the end of my rope. I've already taken a week to think about it and I still have no idea what to do!! It's making me absolutely sick all day every day. This cat is my whole life and I just want to give her the safest, longest, most PAIN-FREE life I can.

[fjm]

I am so sorry - it is a harsh decision to have to make. My understanding is that lung cancer in cats is most commonly metastatic - the primary tumour is elsewhere in the body. If that is the case for your cat then removing the affected lung tissue may make very little difference. I think I would want to talk through alternative, non invasive options with the oncologist - is she a candidate for chemotherapy, for example? The kind used for cats tends to be far less unpleasant than human chemo, and it can give them many months of much improved life. Unless the op carried a high possibility of a complete cure I don't think I would put an animal I loved through it, especially as your own vet, who knows both you and your cat, is advising against it. The scan and a discussion of treatment options with the oncologist would give you more information on which to base your decision - the anaesthetic for the scan is presumably much lighter and briefer than that needed for major surgery. If all the evidence then indicates primary lung cancer, and that the lobectomy would significantly improve and extend her life you woud still have the option of taking her back for the operation in a week or two.

[Mollycat]

To be completely blunt it sounds like you love your cat and above all else want to make the best decision for her, and are being bulldozed into doing what the vet wants without giving you time or information to make a decision of your own. Never let a vet bulldoze you, your cat is in your care, your responsibility, and as long as you take that responsibility seriously and in your cat's best interests, then the best vet will give you all the information and support your decision.

Just because we can, doesn't always mean we should. Never feel guilty about choosing no treatment, it is one of the treatment options and sometimes it actually is the best one in the cat's best interests. I'm not saying this to encourage you to do nothing, only to balance out the guilt we always feel for considering it and the pressure often put on us by the professionals who sometimes forget they are here to preserve a certain quality of life and lnot life at all costs.

I know 12 feels young and it is, though without our intervention 12 would be quite old, and animals are not cursed with the thoughts of time the way we are - all they know is I feel fine or I feel not fine - tired, in pain, stressed etc. Be sure that if you do choose surgery that you really know the journey of recovery, what's involved for you and her, and how much decent quality of life is likely for her out the other side of recovery.

[CrazyFrogLady]

Thank you both for your thoughtful replies. I will have a phone consultation with the surgeon tomorrow and we'll take it from there. I'll ask them all these questions and if I feel like she'd be suffering more than anything for a short period of extension, I won't go through with it. Thank you for the help!