How to ease pain and keep my cat with advanced cancer comfortable?

Hi Linda! I certainly understand your concerns for Bugger and am sorry that he has such a large cancerous mass. The challenge in this situation is that it's difficult to know which treatment options would be best since the type of cancer is unknown. The ideal situation would be to take Bugger to an oncologist, as they would be able to advise you as to whether or not he would be a good candidate for chemotherapy and/or radiation. If that isn't something you're interested in pursuing (which is completely understandable), then unfortunately, there likely isn't anything that can be done to treat the cancer itself aside from gently cleaning the area and making sure that his eye is comfortable. If Bugger's eye is unable to blink normally, it could become dry and ulcerative, which is quite uncomfortable. You can very gently clean the eye area with a sterile eye wash solution (available in most drugstores), and you may want to ask your vet if they have concerns about his eye comfort. It's possible they may recommend eye lubricants and/or oral pain medications. While it sounds as though Bugger is still loving life now, the growth of this tumor is undoubtedly starting to affect his quality of life. This page has some helpful food for thought when it comes to assessing a pet's quality of life at home: https://vet.osu.edu/vmc/sites/default/files/import/assets/pdf/hospital/companionAnimals/HonoringtheBond/HowDoIKnowWhen.pdf. I'm wishing you and Bugger all the best!

I'm sorry that you and Bugger have been through so much together during his skin cancer management. Deciding when to euthanize a beloved pet is never easy and there often isn't a clear cut, black and white answer. Instead, we're left with a lot of maybes, what ifs, and gray areas. I think it's important to consider Bugger's overall quality of life. Namely, can he still do most of the things that he always used to enjoy? That may have meant chasing a bell ball or laser pointer, jumping onto a sunny perch, or following you around the house. If he's struggling to do many of his favorite things, that's a good indication that his quality of life isn't what it used to be. Eating and drinking are all well and good, but that doesn't always tell the whole picture. Based on your description, I simply don't have enough information in order to guide you one way or the other. Instead, I think it's important for you to try to take a step back and objectively assess Bugger. OSU has a quality of life guide that I think is really helpful in making these objective and less emotional assessments. Ultimately, when we make the decision to euthanize a pet, we do it as a kindness to them to ease their suffering, even though it can be gut-wrenching for us. I'm wishing you and Bugger all the best through this challenging time. https://vet.osu.edu/vmc/sites/default/files/import/assets/pdf/hospital/companionAnimals/HonoringtheBond/HowDoIKnowWhen.pdf https://www.petcoach.co/article/the-decision-of-euthanizing-your-pet/

I'm sorry to hear that Bugger has been diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma. Unfortunately, it is illegal for me (or any other vet on PetCoach) to make any specific dosage or medication recommendations for Bugger since I have not examined him in person. It's really important that you get Bugger established with a new vet for ongoing care, particularly since he has an ongoing chronic issue. He will need monitoring not only to track the progression of his SCC, but also to monitor his heart, liver and kidney function, and to be sure that he doesn't develop diabetes as a result of chronic steroid treatment. This article has more information about prednisone (prednisolone is equivalent, but in a form that is more bioavailable for cats): https://www.petcoach.co/pet-medication/prednisone/. I hope that everything goes well for Bugger!

Unfortunately ulcerated tumours are incredibly painful and analgesia will do little to help. If it cant be removed and cant heal you have limited options. Personally I would consider quality of life carefully and consider euthanasia. Othet management options would be to try orobase cream which makes a protective film over the open area and alleviates pain, but the cat would have to be amenable to you applying it. You could consider having an oesophageal feed tube placed so you can bypass the mouth completely whilst it heals. These tubes are usually temporary but there are linger term versions that allow you to put feed into the stomach directly. Consider carefully though as quality of life should be the overall deciding factor.

This is a tough question without knowing what things she is currently having trouble with. You are asking for advice on what we call palliative care, which means we are treating with medications/supplements to help make her comfortable. If she is having trouble eating, then offering soft canned food and pain medication would be the recommendation. If she is having trouble walking, then offering joint supplements and pain medication would be the recommendation. So it really just depends, because you won't be able to confirm if she has osteomyelitis or bone cancer without a bone biopsy here. And these two conditions are treated very differently. However, even with that said, treating Angel with a short course of antibiotics and low dose steroids may be beneficial, especially if she has any decrease in appetite or severe inflammation present. I hope this helps and best of luck moving forward with your pet Angel. Take care.

It's likely the pain medication making Tiger act like his normal self. This will take away his pain and keep him comfortable. Unfortunately this won't be a permanent change, and there will likely be a point where he goes downhill again. Enjoy this time with him now, but I would be ready to say goodbye at some point soon. I know you will never be truly ready, but you should be prepared. It will be what is best for him. I'm sorry you are in this position. I hope this helps.

Hi Linda. I'm sorry to hear that Bugger has squamous cell carcinoma. If you're cleaning the wound simply to remove any build up of discharge, then saline alone is sufficient. However, if you're looking more for antiseptic properties, cleansers like chlorhexidine (Hibiclens is a trade name) or betadine are more effective. Either of these should be rinsed well with water. With that said, if his SCC is near his eye, avoid other cleansers, as they could cause eye irritation. Generally speaking, I try to avoid medications containing neomycin in cats because many cats can react poorly. Additionally, the dexamethasone may help minimize some inflammation, but is likely to delay any healing. Ultimately, your best option is to establish a care protocol with Bugger's vet since I don't know the extent of this lesion nor its location. In the meantime, you can stick with saline cleaning if the lesion is near his eye, or switch to the antiseptic cleansers mentioned above if the lesion is elsewhere. I hope that everything goes well.