What are treatment options for my senior cat's mammary tumor?

First off, I'm very sorry that Mama Kitty has mammary tumors! Unfortunately, 90% of mammary tumors in cats are malignant. I think your best option in this case is to enjoy the time you have left with her. Spoil her, give her lots of love and attention, feed her favorite foods (but not ones that are toxic!). Spend as much time with her as you can. Monitor her in regards to her quality of life, and if that starts to decline (i.e. she stops eating, stops drinking, loses more weight, becomes very lethargic, appears to be pain), then it's time to discuss with your vet humane euthanasia. It's a hard thing to do, but it will allow her to go peacefully and without any further pain. You can keep in touch with your vet to discuss her quality of life which will help you make an informed and objective decision. I work for a home euthanasia service and help owners with these decisions all the time, so if you'd like to talk with me further, you can request a consult with me. Just click the consult online button under my answer. Otherwise, again I'm sorry and I hope this helps somewhat.

That's a complicated recommendation to give, especially since we don't know the type of cancer. It is possible that local excision could be curative. It is also possible that after local excision and a diagnosis from histopathology, we find that amputation is needed. In my opinion solely based on the pictures, I would probably remove the tumor and not try to get aggressive clean borders and wait to see what the tumor is before doing anything more drastic.

There is no correct answer to help you. The sad truth is mammary timors in cats are 85% malignant, so it is cancerous cells that are replicating and spreading once the first growth is noticed. Complete surgical removal of the entire mammary chain is recommended for best results but if it is already spreading then that will not help much as you would not have been able to address all of them.

I have to agree with Mano's vet. Even though her mammary mass is currently benign, the presence of AMPK angiogenesis indicates that new blood vessels are growing in the mass, which in turn causes the growth of more tumor cells. Surgical excision of the mass with a biopsy afterwards to assure that all tumor cells have been removed is the best course of action.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Fiona. Unfortunately, there is no way to determine if the mass is cancerous or not just by looking at it. Her veterinarian could perform a simple procedure known as a fine needle aspirated. The doctor would use a small needle to collect a sample of cells to evaluate under the microscope. This can lead to a diagnosis in some cases, but can be inaccurate. For a more accurate diagnosis, the mass would need to surgically removed and the whole mass submitted to the laboratory for a pathologist to review. I understand your hesitancy to do so given her age. That being said, cats have a higher rate of cancerous mammary tumors compared to dogs. Furthermore, the mass appears ulcerated in your picture. This can can associated with malignancy as well. Unfortunately, there is a good chance that it is cancerous. I hope this information helps.

If you want additional treatments, I would recommend that you discuss referral with your vet to a veterinary oncologist. This question isn't an easy one to answer since it depends on the type, location, current health, potential for spread, etc.

I would recommend spaying her and then while she is under anesthesia get a biopsy of that mass. The biopsy can tell you what it is then a treatment plan can be made. That mass is going to be very difficult to resect surgically. Hopefully, based on the biopsy report this can be treated topically or with oral medication. That would be my plan of action. Hope this helps. If you have more questions you can always opt for a private consultation where we can chat back and forth. That way you can ask as many questions as you'd like. Best wishes.