hi i havean old tom cat lucky , hes around 15 or so. in fine health apart
from ear mites which hes been suffering from for years.2 weeks ago i noticed
a growth(greyesh mass which discharges white stuff and something like a
small capsule fleshy like ) inside his ear just below the pinna and booked
an appointment for the vet. he called out earlier today and gave me the
bleak news that this growth is something a lot of old cats get and in the
end it proves fatal considering his age an op was out of the question. i
asked how long has lucky got, he said it depends sometimes weeks sometimes
months .has anyone has any experince with this and what to expect.thanks for
any help
cybercat - 15 Nov 2005 20:04 GMT
> hi i havean old tom cat lucky , hes around 15 or so. in fine health apart
> from ear mites which hes been suffering from for years.2 weeks ago i noticed
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> months .has anyone has any experince with this and what to expect.thanks for
> any help
I think I would want a second opinion. Why shouldn't this growth be removed?
15 is up there but I have heard of older cats going in for surgery. And it
is his
ear, not his heart. Also, can you be more specific? Did the vet say cancer?
CatNipped - 15 Nov 2005 20:15 GMT
> hi i havean old tom cat lucky , hes around 15 or so. in fine health apart
> from ear mites which hes been suffering from for years.2 weeks ago i noticed
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> months .has anyone has any experince with this and what to expect.thanks for
> any help
My 15-year-old underwent 3 surgeries in 3 weeks and came through just fine.
Anesthetics used today are safe and quickly metabolized. If your cat is
otherwise in good health, I'd opt for the surgery and get a second opinion
from another vet.
Hugs,
CatNipped
MaryL - 16 Nov 2005 14:15 GMT
> hi i havean old tom cat lucky , hes around 15 or so. in fine health apart
> from ear mites which hes been suffering from for years.2 weeks ago i
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> sometimes months .has anyone has any experince with this and what to
> expect.thanks for any help
I don't know what the growth is, but the prognosis isn't reasonable unless
this is a very fast-growing malignancy. Surgery should not be ruled out at
the age of 15. I had one cat that lived to be almost 20, and there are many
that live beyond that. It also doesn't sound like your vet gave you many
details. I would seek a second opinion -- immediately!
Good luck with this. I know how devastating it is to face life-or-death
decisions for our furbabies.
MaryL