Mammary Cancer



Kitty at the laptop, my photo

 I was going to blog a little more about my LPN experience....but today I am a little sad....One of my precious cats, Kit #2, has developed Mammary Cancer. As an RN I knew from the looks of the lump near her right fore nipple - it was cancer. I knew it before I took her to the Vet for an actual diagnosis. I knew there was nothing that could be done but I still wanted to know. I told the vet that I knew it was Cancer.... to which he replied...."Oh no....those lumps are usually benign".

But, once he examined her....he confirmed my worst fears.

I knew that for cats...if they develop cancer, the treatment you would normally do for humans would be next to inhumane for a cat, especially since without treatment the aggressive forms will kill them within a year - or sooner - and with treatment - they are lucky to last 3 years maximum - but at what cost (and I don't mean money here)?

I found Kit#2 at an SPCA four years after I got Kit#1. Kit#2 was abandoned by her original owners at the SPCA (they lied and said the "owner had died" - but I know they didn't because I talked with them 4 yrs later when I was making inquiries with the same phone number I had saved in Kit #1's file) with what would be her last batch of kittens. Years later - when comparing a photo of Kit#1 with her mother that the previous owner gave me at the time - I would discover that Kit#2 was the mother of Kit#1! So, based on calculations, Kit#2 had had her first batch of kittens at age 10 months. ( This really upsets me for several reasons....ONE...no kitten should be having kittens....TWO..who dumps a cat because the owners are too irresponsible to prevent another batch of kittens??? It was obvious that is why she was dumped, because I could see that the kittens were not "all Siamese" like my Kit#1...but mixed.)

ANYWAY. Any adult female cat can develop mammary cancer, but the average age is usually 10-14 years of age.
Strike one for Kit#2.
Siamese cats appear to have a genetic predisposition for developing mammary cancer and are twice as likely to develop it as other breeds.
Strike two for Kit#2.
Unspayed females are at a much greater risk of developing mammary cancer. Female cats that were spayed after having one to several heat cycles, with or without having kittens, are also at a greater risk than a cat that was spayed before her first heat cycle.
Strike three for Kit#2.
I guess Kit#2 just didn't have a chance.

So now the tumor has burst open and my poor Kit#2 has a huge draining hole. I cleaned it up this am. It is getting *slightly* stinky but there doesn't seem to be much necrotic tissue at this point but I am sure it will be getting that way soon. That's just what cancer does. It doesn't appear to be infected at this point - the drainage is serous type and clear. She has no pain or fever. I have towels laid out in every area she lays down to catch the serous drainage, and launder these frequently. At this point most people would question - WHY NOT PUT HER DOWN??? (certainly my husband thinks this.)

My answer to that is: Quality of Life. The moment I don't see her prancing out of the "bathroom" after her daily dump, the day I see that she is having pain, the meal I don't see her eat ravenously, the moment I think that her quality of life is compromised - that is when she will be euthanized.

Kitty on her Cat-porch, my photo

At this moment, she is happy. There is nothing more that she enjoys but to lie in front of the fireplace and bask in it's warmth. She cuddles with us, she bosses Tia around, she begs for more soft food rather than the kibble. She jumps up to the windowsill and watches from her perch the world beyond the window. She visits the outdoors via their "catporch" and is interested in what is going on around her. She just doesn't seem bothered at all with that draining plum sized tumor on her chest. She keeps her fur meticulously, she makes sure the drainage is kept to a minimum......

Quality of Life. I know more PEOPLE with less "quality of life" that aren't sick.

So I will continue to monitor my baby (yes, when you have no children - they ARE our babies! FACT: 70% of animal owners- cat and dog- have no children!) and the moment she is uncomfortable, or won't eat, or has declined to the point where she just isn't Kit#2 anymore........I will think about euthanization.

AND - I won't be taking her to a VET to do it. She HATES the Vet office. I will have it done at home where she isn't traumatized in her last hours................ It's the least I can do for an animal that has given me so much joy and unconditional love.