Do you put a 19 year cat through an operation to remove a lump inside her?
by Michael
(London, UK)
This is a dilemma I have. My lady cat is 18-19 years old. I am told by the veterinarian that she has a lump inside her. She diagnosed this by feeling her. The lump is at the area of her upper intestine, I think. It can be felt on the side of the cat. I am not sure how reliable this form of diagnosis is. How reliable is it?
She is also diagnosed with having a heart murmur. She will probably have to be sedated for an ultrasound test that will confirm the lump but not what type it is.
She will have to be sedated to aspirate a part of the lump to diagnose it.
She will have to be anesthetised for the surgery if that is decided.
If the lump is malignant will its removal prolong her life? If it is benign why remove it?
With a heart murmur surgery, anesthesia might kill her.
There are lots of potentially unsettling and dangerous procedures. She has some dementia, by the way. But she is healthy, eats well, urinates well but may have constipation – this is being checked by me on an ongoing basis…..
Hang on…as I write I smell sh*t. I have never been more pleased to smell the stuff! It has put a smile on my face. While writing she went to the toilet.
What would you do? Is there any benefit to doing tests etc. if at the end of the day a decision is made not to operate to remove the lump (if it actually exists) because of the danger of the operation and its lack of benefit bearing in mind her age. She has had a good life.
The same kind of questions are asked in relation to elderly people and whether to do major surgery. My mother had colon cancer and a weak heart. She had the operation and she died of a heart attack four days or so after the operation.
I would be pleased to hear comments.