My cat has cancer, but her symptoms appeared so quickly. Why?

I'm so sorry you suddenly lost your cat! Without seeing her in person, I can't say for certain what caused her to pass away, but I can make some guesses. In senior cats, cancer is common, and because our animals can't tell us what is going on with them, oftentimes we find that they are suffering from cancer but we don't know it until it's too late. It could be possible that your kitty had cancer, and it ultimately took her life. She could have also been suffering from kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, diabetes, or other organ failure. I hope my guesses may give you some peace of mind, and again I'm sorry for your loss :-(

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Malignant tumours are very uncommon in such young kittens. If Moolah looks unwell, it is most likely because of fever, upper airways infection, abdominal pain, gastroenteritis and more. Once kittens become ill, they all of the sudden stop eating and playing and they look very sick. It does not mean that there is anything sinister going on. Please take Moolah to your local vets for a full clinical examination that will allow making definite diagnosis and starting appropriate treatment.

I'm sorry Murray isn't doing well!! Unfortunately with his symptoms cancer could be a likely diagnosis. Other causes could be a foreign body or intussecption (where the intestines telescope into themselves), but without seeing him in person I can't say for sure. Next step would be x-rays to try to visualize the intestines or an ultrasound. I recommend speaking to your vet about doing these tests.

I'm sorry Mickey passed so suddenly! Given that he passed away so suddenly, I would be concerned that he may have been injured (i.e. hit by a car) or got into something toxic. Without seeing him in person, I can't say for certain, but I am very sorry for your loss!

Oh no, poor Andy! And poor you, I can imagine how heartbreaking this is for you. I would be very concerned that he does have cancer, especially if he has had all these growths have shown up over his body in such a short period of time. I would have him seen by a vet immediately. With this spread, it's not likely that he can be cured, but there may be medications he can be given to help make him more comfortable. I would also consider that it may be time to let him go peacefully with euthanasia. If he does have cancer, he will be feeling extremely ill, and he's showing it by not eating and lying around all the time. Please take him into a vet now so he can be evaluated and a plan be made to look after him. I'm so sorry you are facing this, you have my condolences as I personally know how hard this is to go through :-(

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am so sorry for the loss of Lucifer! It sounds like a terrible ordeal. Cats are known for hiding their illness, sometimes until it is very advanced. They can have completely normal blood work with cancer. Sometimes if it is involving the bone marrow or liver we can start to see changes on blood work (very high or very low white blood cells and red blood cells or increased live enzymes). Lymphoma has the nickname of the "Great Pretender," meaning it can present like anything-a cold, a vomit/diarrhea episode, waxing and waning fevers, etc. It behaves this way in people too. You didn't miss anything. You did everything you could as soon as you knew he was sick. Sometimes things are out of our hands and progress so quickly we are blind sided. I wish you well and please feel free to reach out again if you have any other questions.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If she really is doing this poorly, it is very important to have her seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible as I worry she may be unstable. If this is all confirmed to be due to her cancer and you are not proceeding with treatment of the cancer, euthanasia may need to be considered.