My cat has possible bone cancer. How to keep her comfortable?

I'm sorry about Angel. Pain medication may be able to help her if it appears she is in pain. I'd recommend wet food to feed her, that way she doesn't have to move her jaw as much to chew. Keep track of her good days and bad days on a calendar. Mark each day as either good or bad. When the bad days start to outnumber the good days, then it's time to let her go. I hope this helps.

It’s important to keep her quiet with minimal stress. Your veterinarian may decide to switch from the metacam to prednisone at this stage as it may reduce the swelling that may ease her breathing and eating. Unfortunately this sounds like a life threatening cancer at some point so give her lots of love and enjoy every minute with her. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Moosh.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry that Bella has this cancer, but glad that she is still eating and happy. Depending on the type of cancer, steroid may or may not help, I would discuss with your vet about a steroid vs. an NSAID. The two cannot be given at the same time so you will have to pick one or the other. Gabapentin is good for pain as well, so continue this and ask your vet if you can increase this dose. CBD oil is controversial for sure, but the biggest issue is that the amount of drug in each 'pill'/'capsule' is highly variable, so sometimes there will be no drug and sometimes far too much. If Bella isn't responding well to it, then I would suggest stopping it. Ulcerated skin will be painful, but gauge her quality of life based on if she is eating, walking, wagging her tail, happy otherwise, you know her best. Best of luck with Bella, I hope she feels happy for a long time!

Hello Linda, So sorry that Bugger has this issue. The other thing you can do to make him more comfortable is to give him oral pain medications, such as piroxicam and/or buprenorphine. Those medications will reduce discomfort associated with the tumor. You will need to get those medications from your veterinarian as they are prescription only. Topical medications unfortunately, do not help. Again, I am sorry that you and Bugger are dealing with this. Cancer is a terrible disease.

I am sorry your kitty is so ill. I think rather than thinking about euthanasia, it is important to verify the diagnosis before taking such a drastic measure. The next step would be to do a bone marrow biopsy and to send the tissue harvested to a pathology laboratory. This will tell whether your cat indeed suffers from cancer of the bone marrow or another not so severe disease. If your vet cannot do the bone marrow biopsy, have him refer your kitty to either a veterinary oncologist or internist. Both of these specialists will also be able to inform you about less costly treatments and palliative care if needed. I think this would make more sense than putting down your cat on just the suspicion of a bone marrow cancer. Neka is very beautiful and certainly looks well taken care of. So I hope the diagnosis is not so dramatic after all.

Good morning. I'm so sorry to hear about Mimi. If you have seen a veterinarian recently then I would reach out to them for some pain management. Hopefully they will prescribe something for you over the phone since they are aware of her condition. There are not really any safe over the counter pain medications for cats. Also, you may want to discuss with your veterinarian their process for euthanasia. It's not always pleasant to talk about, but having a plan and knowing what to expect is usually very helpful when the time comes. I'm so sorry Mimi is sick, and I wish you both the best.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your cat. I am so sorry to hear of your loss. Based on the information you provided, I believe you made the correct choice. Bone cancer is extremely painful. If it was in the pelvis and inhibiting her ability to defecate, this would be even more painful. If bone cancer occurs in a limb, that leg can be amputated. This will provide the patient a few more months to live (even this is not a cure). This would likely not have been an option for the pelvis. You relieved her pain and suffering by electing to euthanize her. I know what a heartbreaking choice this is, but you should bravery by putting her needs above your own. I hope this information brings you some peace.