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 Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 5:19 pm |
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As most of you know I have 3 cats, my oldest will be 16 and the youngest is 1. I am having problems with my 16 year old, he has a cyst on the top of his head. I have taken him to the vet a number of times and she said to keep bringing him back to get it drained, only because I don't want to put him under for surgery because of his age. But when I get it drained it fills up again the same day. So today I brought him to a wonderful vet (not our usual one) They have special things they do with older animals ( a very high tech. vet clinic) But today they found out that he has a pretty bad heart murmur, they rate murmurs on a scale from 1-6, they said his is a 5  I just had him at our reg. vet last week and she never said anything about a murmur. Plus the surgery to remove the cyst and part of his ear (because of the cyst) will cost between $600-$900 Now mind you I love him to death, he has been one of the best cats and he has been sooooo good through all of this. The cyst doesn't hurt him and he will let me drain it myself. So my question is...If you were me, would you have the surgery done knowing that he might only have a year left and might not even make it through surgery, would you have it done? or seeing as he doesn't mind me draining it, would you just keep draining it and see what happens? He just gets so stressed out when I take him to the vet and now I know that is just not good for his heart. I am just torn about this 
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puddlejmpr
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| Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 5:46 pm |
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Oh, puddle! My heart is breaking! You're asking for opinions, so I'll give mine. You can take it and play around with it. I'm sure others will give you their opinions also. But, personally, I would continue to drain it myself IF it's not causing him any pain. He is an older animal, which is cause for concern regarding surgery. A big concern. One of my dogs got deathly ill at one point a few years ago. The vet actually wanted me to put her to sleep. HELL NO. I took the medicine home with me, took my dog home with me, and I spent DAYS with no sleep giving her medicine with a syringe and giving her water with a syringe because she was too weak to lift her head. I called in work and missed days. She was way too important to me to let ANYTHING stand in my way of her recovering. Puddle, after days of endless worry and concern and 100% care just from myself, she recovered fully. I know you love your cat. And I know you have the knowledge to drain it yourself. I think you can do it. I know this is probably killing you. I'm so sorry. But, I personally (just me here!) would do it on my own. I just have the belief that our pets are more comfortable with US not vets. And I believe that we can do it with the knowledge. That's just my opinion, puddle. You do what you think is best for your kitty cat. You could extend YEARS on his life just by taking care of him yourself. As long as he is not in any pain. And you won't cause him stress - those vet visits will. I will keep you and your kitty in my heart. I hope he feels better. And I hope you can make your decision. It's always hard when deciding what to do with someone you love so much. 
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cannr
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| Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 6:27 pm |
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I agree with Cannr...I would take care of it myself and make him as comfortable as possible.
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Morningstarr430
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| Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 6:31 pm |
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Puddle...this touches me as I have a cat (Tom) who is creeping up on age, he is 8 and now qualifies for a "senior cat exam"  We got a vet reminder card for his checkup and I just went "senior cat"????
I know he is going to have some health problems due to his weight...he is 22 pounds (tabby/siamese mix) and he hasnt been able to lose weight.
I would do whatever it takes to keep him alive as long as possible, and if I have to drain a cyst every day, etc...I would do it in a heartbeat! As long as whatever is in the cyst isnt a danger to cause any toxic issues, then I say go for it.
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volleyballmom
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| Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 7:03 pm |
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Thank you for your suggestions!!! I was thinking that I would take care of this myself first and see where it goes from there. Today it was drained with a needle (not like the reg. vet did) and so far so good,it isn't getting bigger again. So I am going to do this myself. I had some issues with having the surgery because hubby and I both agreed that because of his age we did not want to put him through that.
It is hard to think that he is really that old and that his time is coming to an end. But then I look at my son and see how much he has grown since we got the cat. When I got the cat my vet told me his birthdate I just about died, because it was the same as my sons. So with my son coming up on his 16th birthday I know that so is the cat. So my son knows we have had the cat as long as he can remember, which is true. He was upset when the vet told us about his heart. I felt so bad. But I guess things are looking up a bit because it is not getting bigger, yet. 
Thank you again  , now I have to have hubby go and get some more needles, just incase I need them tomorrow. I will let you know how it goes.
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puddlejmpr
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| Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 7:22 pm |
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You should do what is best for your cat. What did your vet suggest?
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FYI
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| Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 7:30 pm |
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The vet wanted to do surgery, but also stated that because of the heart murmur and his age he may not make it through. But they did say that they do have a lot of docs. there and that if something did happen there would be someone to help with him. The vet also said that if I felt comfortable with draining it myself I could do that also, as long as it doesn't bother the cat. Well he isn't in any pain from the cyst and he just sits there while you are draining it. So the vet really told me it is up to me, but if I wanted it gone completely then have surgery and take the risk of losing him.
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puddlejmpr
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| Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 8:32 pm |
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puddle, I think you can do this, my friend! It's not hurting pretty kitty and he probably feels so much more at ease with you doing it and not traumatized by the vet's office. I'll have you and your pretty kitty in my prayers. Please hug him for me.
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cannr
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| Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 9:03 pm |
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Yes I will too have you and your kitty in my prayers. I had a dog that had lymphoma. Vet gave me the option of putting him down or giving him meds that would just keep him comfortable, but said that there would come the time that he would no longer be able to fight the cancer and then i should have him put down. He ended up passing away at home about 6 months after he was diagnosed. But those 6 months were good months. He just quit breathing and that was that...
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whiterock73
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| Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 9:09 pm |
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OK now that i am done crying...I currently have two dogs..boths strays (some how they all find me) and a cat.. Dogs are getting up in years and one is partially blind..but they keep me going.the little fat dog likes to chase the cat.. the cat then decides to do the sneak attack and get him when he is least expected. So they keep me amused.
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whiterock73
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puddlejmpr
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| Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 9:36 pm |
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they are so cute!!!
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whiterock73
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| Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 6:04 am |
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Puddle, I c an only speak thruogh experience. My sweet boy cat had crf. Chronic renal failure. They dont know that cats have it until the kidneys are almostc 90% gone. I had choices also. I chose to medicate him myself and administer IVs to him 2 times a day. He unfortunately did not make it, but the last months of his life were filled with love. I know that in some way HE KNEW i was making him feel better, and the rewards I felt were great.
Take care of him yourself. YOu will fee so good knowing you are helping him. BY the way I got 2 new kittens. Not to replace the ones I lost , but just to add new life to my home. I am here if you need a shoulder
Jan
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kashzan
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| Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 8:15 am |
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puddle, thanks for posting a picture of your baby! Now we know who we're talking about! And we are all pulling together to help him get better. Please give him a hug from me.
kash, I'm happy to hear you got two kittens. My heart still goes out to you; however, I'm glad to know you have some "friends" there so it's not so empty.
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cannr
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| Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 8:24 am |
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Puddlejmpr, I'm sorry to hear of your dilemma. Looking at things from a medical standpoint (more like a physicians stand point, but keep in mind I don't know a whole lot about veterinary science) The key point that physicians refer to when it comes to deciding if surgery is warranted is if the benefits outweigh the risks. In this case you have these risk factors.
1. The cat's age, this not only is a issue in regards to general complications (such as cardiovascular events) but also to the possible adverse effects of anesthetics.
2. The problem in question, is it merely an inconvenience which would only cause minor health related issues(if left unchecked or with minor procedures) or if the condition/illness would result in the patients death.
In this case the cyst (which is more or less a pocket of fluid) may even be benign in nature.
Without further analysis of the cyst (to determine if it is benign or cancerous) at this point I would suggest draining it as needed and avoid surgery. Even so you still have to consider the cat's age.
Ultimately the choice is yours, I hope I don't sound too cold or uncaring in my post but I am trying to approach it from a logistics standpoint.
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