My cat has squamous cell carcinoma | Dr. Justine Lee, DACVECC, DABT, Board-Certified Veterinary Specialist
If your cat was just diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma (commonly abbreviated “SCC”), I can whole-heartedly empathize. In this blog, I share my own story, along with some important information for cat owners to know if their cat was just diagnosed with this horrible cancer.
My own 19-year-old cat, Seamus, was just recently diagnosed with SCC last month, and I’m heartbroken. Seamus was previously diagnosed with chronic kidney failure (CKF) and so I weighed him once a month for years. I wanted to make sure he maintained his weight. Well, last month, he lost 0.7 pounds, and I instantly knew something more severe was going on. That’s when I did a complete physical exam and found a fast growing tumor in his mouth.
I took him to our board-certified veterinary dentist at my specialty clinic, where he was sedated and put under general anesthesia for dental x-rays, lymph node aspirate (for cytology), extraction of tooth and biopsy of the mass. Unfortunately, days later, he was diagnosed with SCC on the biopsy and lymph node aspirate.
SCC is one of the most common cancers seen in cats, and accounts for approximately 10% of the type of cancers that cats get. Unfortunately, the most common location that cats get SCC is in the mouth, which is hard for pet owners to be able to “see” it. Unfortunately, this is a really rapid, fast-growing cancer and is very invasive (which means it grows into the nearby tissue and lymph nodes). While it rarely spreads to other parts of the body, it can grow so quickly and cause pain and discomfort that it prevents cats from eating. Often, cats will express interest in food – in other words – they’ll still come to the food bowl, but then they turn away or eat only a few bites before giving up due to oral pain. That’s why it’s so important to diagnose it as soon as possible so treatment can started immediately.
Clinical signs of SCC in cats include:
- Drooling (even discolored brown drool)
- Bad breath (halitosis)
- Weight loss
- Not eating
- Frequent tongue movement or licking
- Dropping food
- Swelling on the side of the jaw (resulting in asymmetry)
- Pain on opening the mouth
Unfortunately, any aged cat can get SCC, but in research studies, the average age was 12.5 years of age (range 3-21 years of age). Some studies have looked at environmental toxins like tobacco smoke having an increased risk for cats developing SCC. For cat owners who smoked 1-19 cigarettes a day, their cats had a statistically significant 4X increase in the risk of SCC compared to non-smoking households. (No, I don’t smoke, and even my cat got SCC). In another study, cats that wore flea collars also had a statistically significant 5X increased risk of SCC. The same study that evaluated smoke exposure also found an increase in SCC in cats that frequently ate canned cat food (compared to those that ate dry food). This may be related to the nutrient content of these foods, the chemicals used in canned food, or even the hypothesis that cats that ate dry food have less tartar buildup and less dental disease. There is some thought that chronic inflammation or chronic dental disease may be a causative predisposing factor for SCC.
Diagnosis of SCC is typically based on:
- Oral exam
- Physical examination
- Blood work (as an elevated calcium level can sometimes be seen)
- Dental x-rays (which typically need to be done under general anesthesia) which may show a “lytic” or eaten away appearance to the bone
- Biopsy (which needs to be done under general anesthesia)
- Cytology of the lymph node (where a small needle is used to aspirate cells out)
- X-rays of the chest to make sure cancer hasn’t spread elsewhere
Treatment
Unfortunately, there isn’t much treatment or advances with treating SCC in cats, as it’s so aggressive. While surgery and radiation therapy can be considered, along with chemotherapy, they have been often unsuccessful with a poor long term survival. Only 10% of cats survive to 1 year, with most cats surviving an average of 3 months even with aggressive therapy. Without treatment, the average survival is only about one month.
So, what did I do as a veterinary specialist when my cat was diagnosed?
My goal was to preserve his quality of life. To spoil him. To make each surviving day a good quality of life where Seamus was happy. That meant keeping him on pain medications (such as buprenorphine and gabapentin). Since the mass is in the mouth, it’s often hard to pill your cat. And as my cat had a really painful mouth, I elected to use Simbadol (which is a once a day injection that lasts 24 hours) – your veterinarian will have to administer this, but it can be used for a few days initially to help. I also used a long acting antibiotic injection called Convenia for 2 weeks (1 injection, 7 days apart), as I was worried that there was a bacterial infection in his mouth from the decaying cancer tissue.
Lastly, canned food and cat treats…whatever Seamus wanted to eat. Here, my favorite treats that he loved:
- Bonito flakes
- Gerber Meat-based baby food
(e.g., chicken, turkey, chicken/veggie blends)
- Canned tuna in water
- Shrimp (frozen shrimp that was microwaved to cook it)
- Greenies cat treats
- Royal Canin Savory food
(e.g., chicken, turkey, chicken/veggie blends)
What about prevention?
While SCC is aggressive, the sooner it is found and the smaller it is at the time of diagnosis, the more treatment options are available. That’s one of the reasons why daily dental home care, regular oral exams and regular dental cleaning increase the chances of finding SCC early. When in doubt, talk to your veterinarian about this, as dental health is so important!
Most importantly, consider humane euthanasia when you feel like your cat’s quality of life is deteriorating. For me, the signs below indicate a poor quality of life. When in doubt, talk to your veterinarian.
- Not eating for 2 days in a row
- Continued weight loss
- Hiding
- Not moving
- Difficulty breathing
- Sleeping all the time
I wish I had better news for you. I’m right there with you, heartbroken with my old man. When in doubt, talk to a board-certified veterinary dentist or veterinary oncologist for more information… and hugs to your cat. This veterinarian’s thinking of you.
More information can be found here at Cornell’s website. Further information for your veterinarian (with links to the studies) can be found at DVM360.
Thank you for this post. My cat was just diagnosed and I, too, am heartbroken and feel lost. I plan to spoil him unconditionally until his time comes, and even though I know euthanasia is the humane course of action, the thought of saying goodbye is tearing me apart. It’s nice to hear the perspective of a professional in the veterinary field who also dealt with this in their personal life.
My heart goes out to you and your cat. It’s a terrible disease but my cat was very happy until the very end… talk to your vet about pain medication options to keep your cat eating and comfortable for the last few weeks. Prayers for you guys. Best, Dr. Justine Lee
Hello Dr Lee. Today was a bad day. I’ve been crying since noon and I still am and it’s 2:00 am. “T-Meow” is a cool masculine Louisiana cat that got into my soul 15 1/2 years ago. He swims with me in our pool, he opens doors and walks on in, and rides in the truck with his head out the window. I speak to him everyday in a language of our own. And “Gris Gris”, our other cat rides his coattail. My heart is breaking and I can’t stop it. I feel your pain. But part of me can’t let go without a fight. Because I Beleive that he could be the one who beats this. I would be so grateful if you could direct me to an oncologist or surgeon. Or a holistic dr who treats without or before chemo, for consultation. I’m impressed with your creditials. I mean no disrespect to you. I’m so lost. ..thank you for your blog.
I’m so sorry to hear that Keith. YOu can find an oncologist in your area here:
https://www.acvim.org/
My cat was diagnosed with SCC over a month ago, he has been on steroid & antibiotics for the first (3) weeks & now shots for a little over a week. My poor Felix, he really is a trooper, still eating. Just feel so bad for him!! Does anyone have any thoughts or help on making his quality of life better for the time he has left?
Buprenorphine for pain control. Talk to your veterinarian to get it. Best, Dr. Lee
Thank you, Dr Lee, for this comforting and compassionate post. I’m so sorry you lost your Seamus. My sweet Eddie is on my lap now. Her tumor is in her skull below her eye, but other than the bulging, she seems totally fine. Her symptoms first showed up as abscessed teeth, and she lost a lot of weight before we were able to get them removed & treated. Since the teeth came out, though, she’s been eating like a pig, jumping out the window onto the roof, meowing at all hours of the day & night, and generally acting like a contented. Perversely, she really loves extra scratchies right on the boniest part of the tumor. I wish now more than ever I could talk to her & discuss her options. The act of giving her buprenorphine or any other oral medicine seems to traumatize her more than whatever pain she may be in. Should I stop with the meds & just give extra tumor scratches? I don’t know! We will, however, keep feeding her “human tuna” for the duration, because that definitely makes her happy.
My heart is with all the cats who bear this diagnosis and with the humans who love them. Best wishes, everyone!
I’m so sorry to hear this. 🙁 Talk to your vet about the 24 hour lasting buprenorphine, Simbadol, and they can give it once a day. Otherwise, just under the tongue really quickly at home should work. You can also ask about a long acting antibiotic (Convenia) so you don’t have to medicate her. Try tuna benito flakes + tuna and spoil her as much as you can!
Deepest sympathies,
Dr. Justine Lee
Hi there is it normal
For a cat with oral cancer to bleed from her mouth? Should I put her to sleep? Is she suffering? Help
This post has been so helpful. Feels like this is the first post from someone knowledgeable who’s actually seeing what I’m seeing. Heartbroken. My little one got diagnosed just over a week ago. Today is the first day of her barely eating. Yesterday she ate some of her favorite food (mashed) pretty normally.
She’s been hiding periodically throughout the day for a few days and I can feel the lump getting a little bigger. Tonight I just scheduled an appointment for in-home euthanasia but could only get it for Tuesday morning (it’s Saturday morning). I worry that she’ll be in pain but I don’t want her last moments to be in fear, hence the in-home service. She’s on my lap right now. Such a sweet girl.
I’m babbling. Thanks for listening.
I’m so sorry to hear that. Keep her happy and keep tempting her to eat! Thinking of you guys.
Best,
Dr. Justine Lee
Hello Dr. Lee, my sweet Taitai has been diagnosed 3 weeks ago and had the tumor debulked almost 2 weeks ago. He had been eating all his favorite food but this week he must be free from a syringe. He still has so much life, following me around and asking for fish from the fridge. I was hoping he could last for another month or so but I know I’m being selfish. He still comes to lie with me in bed but only stays long enough for some mama loving, then leaves to sleep on the cold floor. He seems to prefer the floor to his soft daybed. I dread losing him, and break out in tears and just hug his small little body, growing smaller by the day. Unless he is able to eat I will be forced to say goodbye by Monday. The staff at the veterinarian office are all rooting for him and they will grieve with me.
I’m so sorry – it’s a horrible cancer and on average, one only gets about 5 weeks, even with surgery and care. I wish him well as he crosses over the Rainbow bridge when you feel the time is “right.” Hang in there.
Best and thinking of you two,
Dr. Justine Lee
My cat Ruby was just diagnosed a week ago. She only turned 5 in April. My one male cat just had to be our down yesterday due to a blood clot in his lungs. He was 9. I’m so heart broken because it will leave my 3rd cat who is 8 all alone until we’re both ready to get a new friend. My vet put Ruby under and removed the mass and some teeth to make eating more comfortable for her. I know there’s no cure or solution. Right now she’s on pain meds and antibiotics. I keep crying because losing 2 so close together is so incredibly hard. I keep hoping that him removing a large amount of the mass will give her some more time. Do you believe it will? I’m just so terrified of losing her.
Sadly, even with “debulking’ removal, it typically only allows about a 1-2 month survival. However, the benefit of removal is that it’ll help immediately and allows for biopsy which is imperative!
Whoever has that problem use fenbendazole as cancer treatment
My guy was diagnosed today… and has had symptoms for a few weeks. The vet gave him steroids to help with pain. He is still so happy and constantly wanting attention. He also has an ulcer in his mouth so it bleeds slightly… the vet recommended to wait to see how bad it is with the biopsy(he did a FNA and looked to diagnose) and sutured the ulcer.. but I feel like I should have put him down. But then I feel like I’m giving up on him since he is so incredibly happy. I know some time next week will be the time because I don’t want him to start suffering. It’s just very hard
I’m so sorry. I will say that I rarely have an owner regret euthanizing too early when it comes to cancer…
Should I even wait for the biopsy then? The vet said he saw a large tumor under the tongue which was causing the deviation… he still wants a lot of attention but he’s a small cat anyway so his weight loss is significant on him. My vet said let’s wait for the biopsy then speak about options but I just don’t know what to do. I feel like he is still a happy cat but he isn’t the same. I know I wanted at least the weekend to say my goodbyes
Tiffany, how are you and how is your kitty? would love to share my story with you
Dr. Lee,
Thank you for sharing your touching story and such a lovely cat. Our cat Chloe was diagnosed in May this year and the mass under her tongue grew to 1cm (by June) where she could no longer use her tongue to eat. She was otherwise still energetic, engaged, and in good spirits. When we noticed her unable to eat on her own, we immediately started feeding her with a syringe and only give her pate wet food that she loves and eats 2-3x/day which we squeeze little by little with the plastic syringe. As you mention above, as long as we’re seeing she’s happy and engaged, we will continue to feed with the syringe, lots of love, playing, and massages. We give her pain med and antibiotic as needed and the Vet also gave us anti-inflammatory. Did you administer anti-inflammatory? What are you thoughts on anti-inflam medicine (metacam)? Many many thanks for your insight.
Thank you for saying that Dr. Lee. I’ve been concerned about knowing when the time is right to let my baby go. Sammy was diagnosed almost 2 months ago. He still eats well (I spoil him), wants love when he’s not hiding, and has maintained his weight. I appreciate this blog. I know it must be hard to hear your experiences long after you went through them, but it is helpful for us to hear others experience. When Sammy stops eating, that will be the time. He’s also diabetic so not eating would be a double whammy.
Hang in there and I think you’re spot on with his quality of life parameters – I agree, once a cat stops eating from SCC, I do feel it’s more humane. Oh, Sammy. Hang in there. Tempt him to eat lots of “junk food”!
Best,
Dr. Lee
I agree it’s helpful to hear other’s experiences. I am dealing with this right now with my 13 year old cat. She has had stomatitis for several years and about two months ago we noticed swelling on the side of her face that we thought was an abscessed tooth. Took her to the vet and she was diagnosed with SCC. She has been steadily losing weight but we were giving her soft foods along with prednisone. Our vet did not offer any pain medication but has given her Convenia. Now she has barely touched her food the past 2 days, seems restless and wandering around, and had some diarrhea yesterday. She still wants attention and purrs when I pick her up and pet her. I’m planning to call the vet in the morning. I don’t want to deny her what enjoyment she can still get in her life but I waited too long with another cat and don’t want to do that again.
My guy was diagnosed in early May and I think we’re coming to the end soon. He’s having trouble eating. And started bleeding within the last week. Im having trouble with the fact that I know I’ll have to make the call soon, but he still snuggles and purrs and loves laying in the sun. I just don’t know how long to wait.
My Moses was diagnosed in early May and I know we’re coming to the end soon. He’s having trouble eating and he’s started bleeding within the last week. Sometimes he seems frustrated that he can’t get this thing off of his chin. I know I’ll have to make the call soon, but he still loves snuggles and he purrs and loves laying in the sun. I just don’t know how long to wait.
Dr. Lee,
Thank you for sharing your touching story and such a lovely cat. Our cat Chloe was diagnosed in May this year and the mass under her tongue grew to 1cm (by June) where she could no longer use her tongue to eat. She was otherwise still energetic, engaged, and in good spirits. When we noticed her unable to eat on her own, we immediately started feeding her with a syringe and only give her pate wet food that she loves and eats 2-3x/day which we squeeze little by little with the plastic syringe. As you mention above, as long as we’re seeing she’s happy and engaged, we will continue to feed with the syringe, lots of love, playing, and massages. We give her pain med and antibiotic as needed and the Vet also gave us anti-inflammatory. Did you administer anti-inflammatory? What are you thoughts on anti-inflam medicine (metacam)? Many many thanks for your insight.
I’d make sure to use buprenorphine/buprenex for pain. I typically don’t use Metacam chronically, but as SCC is end stage and survival is typically only 5 weeks, I think it’s ok as long as the kidney function is normal! I’d check with your vet to be safe! Best of luck and prayers for Chloe.
Thank you for your response! Another thing we are considering as Chloe is eating less and less, is to have the vet set up a esophageal tube for feeding her. What are your thoughts on tube feeding at this stage of the disease (Chloe was diagnosed in early May).
Thanks,
Philippe & Sandra
I do prefer feeding tubes over syringe feeding, honestly, as it’s much less stressful to your cat!
P.S. got a steroid shot a few days ago at the 2nd opinion appointment, and a bag full of buprenorphine I give every 12 hours. At initial diagnosis 8 days ago I got antibiotics which I think definitely cleared up the infection. It all happened so fast. I scratch her under her chin every day (she loves it) and there was no lump two weeks ago.
Hi Dr. Lee and all pet parents,
I’m heartbroken for all of you out there I’m going through this and can’t believe it.
My 12-year-old baby girl was diagnosed on Tuesday and we’re still waiting for the biopsy results, but the doctor said that he’s 95% sure that it’s SCC.
What a horrible horrible disease. Her mind and body are great she just can’t eat.
He put her on butamorphine and I’m also adding Chinese herbs and a steroid from my other vet.
Here are my questions…
1). Specialist put her on 0.15ML butamorphine but my other vet said that’s a lot for her bodyweight (6.6 pounds) and said to back it down to 0.60 up to 0.10 max. I try to go 12 hours instead of eight because she seems to be more alert when I try to feed her when she’s not drugged up. any suggestions I want to keep her pain-free but not totally loopy. Is the pain worse now because of the biopsy or is it just because what it is?
2). If I syringe feed – I’m trying to stay on the opposite side of her mouth but am I hurting her.
What is the reason why they try to eat and it drops out? She wants to and just can’t.
At times I’m able to get her to take small pieces of wet freeze dried food or minced raw beef. And other times she gives up when it keeps dropping out. How much pain I am I causing her if I syringe feed her?
I can’t figure out what the feeling is that she’s feeling. And it kills me if I’m causing her more pain.
Poor thing was never a fan of baby food I’m trying all different things but she hates it.
Any and all advice, tips and tricks and ways to comfort her greatly appreciated.
Also curious if anybody has gone the holistic approach and tried Chinese herbs?
I’m so sorry to hear all that. If the buprenorphine, 0.15 mls doesn’t sound like a lot – typically give 0.3 mls orally every 6-8 hours, depending on the weight of your cat (if it’s a 0.3 mg/ml solution). Since she’s so small, yes, 0.15-0.2 mls is the typical dose. As for syringe feeding, I’m not a fan. My philosophy is that I ethically don’t unless it’s a pediatric patient. I generally think it’s a sign of quality of life concerns. You can consider mirtazipine as an appetite stimulant. Try Gerber meat based baby food as it’ll help her a lot. I also like Benito tuna flakes, canned tuna, anything she’ll eat.
Holistic doesn’t help much here in my opinion.
Best,
Dr. Justine Lee
I give a liquid steroid for appetite and inflammation. She wants to eat but can’t. She is able to be hand fed piece by piece about 45 minutes after the pain meds kick in. The syringe feeding is just to get the Chinese herbs into her. I mix it with baby food. (I figure it can’t hurt) . And she drinks water and goat milk on her own.
She seems to get a little to high and trouble walking on anything over 0.10 ML so I’m backing it down a bit. What causes the good to drop right out of her mouth? The lesion is under her tongue on one side. But it drops before it ever gets anywhere near the tongue.
This post really resonated with me.
Our cat Minzi was diagnosed with this horrible cancer about 13 months ago, and she is still alive, which seems uncommon based on what I have been reading.
She did initially have the tumour in her upper jaw removed, but then 4 months later (in January this year), it was back.
Since then it has gradually turned into a huge growth affecting the whole left side of her face, leaving her unable to eat by her herself. So my wife and I have been hand-feeding her with cat treats (one by one) for months now already. It’s a time-consuming process, making sure she can catch each treat with her teeth and chew it, rather than the treat falling out of her mouth again.
She has been on steroids and medication to stop bleeding since the beginning of the year.
She is lethargic and now spends practically 24/7 in the same place, where she feels safe, except for mornings and evenings, when it’s meal time for us, and she expresses her desire to drink water from the running tap and be fed, though the amount she is eating has decreased significantly especially in the last week or so.
I feel that we have come to a point where she has no qualitiy of life left anymore, and it’s time to end her suffering and allow her to have a peaceful end by putting her to sleep.
However, my wife believes that since she does not show any obvious signs of being in pain, and still shows an appetite, it proves that she still has a will to live, and it’s not our right to ‘play God’. Her intention is to let nature run its course and wait for her to die naturally.
It’s a touchy subject, and I’m completely stressed out over this situation, unable to know what to do. It just breaks my heart seeing our furbaby like this every day, and getting weaker with each day.
Any views?
Oh man, it’s such a hard decision. I would keep her on buprenorphine for pain control and an appetite stimulant. If she’s not eating and seems painful, I’d recommend putting her to sleep. She won’t die naturally or peacefully at home, and will just slowly waste away. It’s so hard, but euthanasia is a gift, and I’ve never had a pet owner regret putting to sleep to early, but rather, waiting too long…
I hope that helps and my heart goes out to you.
Best,
Dr. Justine Lee
Thanks for the input, which basically confirms what I think is the right thing to do. Convincing my wife will be an entirely different matter, though.
Thanks for this post. I’ve been googling for days to get some real life info and this really helped. My guy is 18, and he’s such a part of our family. He grew old as my four girls grew up. He’s had some minor issues and weight loss for a couple of months but only found tumors Friday when his jaw seemed to to crooked out of nowhere and literally overnight. My hope is for him to make it through Christmas. He is eating wet food, and other than seeming more tired, he has moments of his usual spunk and seems normal. The smell is awful but the kids don’t care. He is getting non stop love and just like you said, we are spoiling him and loving him as much as we can. I won’t call euthanasia until I know he can no longer eat or has some other signs of pain. Taking it a day at a time and hoping that we will get a few more days with him. I’ve been a mess, so thank you for your post bc it was like it was written by me. It helped.
I’m so sorry – thinking of you and your old man, and make the last few days to weeks icing on the cake! Milk, canned tuna water, whatever he wants! Talk to your vet about bpurenex for pain medication.
My cat Furby has this awful disease too. He is 20 years old. He’s starting to sneeze mucus and cough a lot now, and I’m wondering if he’s probably in pain. He tries to eat soft food, but cannot without choking. Hard food is a bit better. I am at a loss of knowing when do I let him go.
I’m so sorry about everyone’s cats. My cat Mia was diagnosed with a tumor on the right side of her tongue 3 weeks ago. It is the deadly cancer squamous cell carcinoma. They gave her 2-6 weeks. She is declining but still can eat as long as its soft food. I give her Gerber Chicken baby food and cat fish/chicken snacks that I crush up. She hasn’t lost any weight yet. Mia also loves turkey deli meat smashed up. She is taking steroids and it seems to be working for the inflammation. Mia doesn’t seem like she is in pain. When she meows it seems to be not as loud, probably because her throat is closing up. She is not as active as before. She has an appetite because of the steroids. This is all heart wrenching to me. She was fine up until 4 weeks ago she wasn’t eating right and I saw her throw up blood and brought her to the vet. The worst night.
I am not sure when I should put her down. I want her to pass at home but I don’t want her to be in pain. I don’t think she is in pain. Her mind is all still there. My fear is that her throat will be closed up and she won’t be able to eat and I will have to bring her to the vet to put her down. Just the fear of Mia going to the vet would be horrible to her. She would look at me and say “mom, what are you doing to me”. I can’t stop crying about my poor Mia.
I’m so sorry, Mary. If it helps, I wrote this blog about the decision to euthanize here:
https://drjustinelee.com/for-love-of-dog-how-much-would-you-pay-for-your-dog-dr-justine-lee/
When in doubt, I always counsel people that I see people regretting euthanize TOO late, not too early. 🙁 It’s such a tough decision. There are appetite stimulants too to help.
Dr. Justine Lee
Thank you Dr. Lee and everyone who has posted. I, too, have been looking for something other than technical explanations of this condition and this site has been very helpful. My experience is similar to everyone who has posted. Our cat Smudge was diagnosed with oral SCC about 3 weeks ago. He started having trouble eating his dry food (fed in morning) but no trouble with canned food (fed in evening). I scheduled a dental exam/cleaning but a week before the procedure I could see he was very uncomfortable, took him to the vet for quick exam and pain meds and they moved his dental up. At the dental the Dr. felt a mass under his tongue (now making his tongue stick out most of the time) and the xrays of left lower jaw looked bad. Biopsy was positive for SCC. He’s on meloxicam every third day and buprenorphine every 12 hours. We’ve adjusted his drugs based on his behavior. The day he gets his meloxicam are his best days but he’s good the other 2 days acting like he always has except sleeping a little more. We’re feeding him a smooth pate cat food with some water added to make it easier for him to eat. He really wants dry food and after experimenting we now give him a morning snack by crushing the dry pieces into granules and adding a little water and putting it into a small bowl with steep sides so he can push it into his mouth easier. Vet says we can increase the meloxicam dose when needed and increase the buprenorphine to every 8 hours when needed. We will keep him comfortable and spoiled as long as we can. I hope this helps others trying to find a way to support and comfort their best friend.
hi Dr. Lee,
My Emma was diagnosed with OSSC last week, and my vet has her on Simbadol and Metacam. The current plan is to spoil her and to monitor her quality of life until it’s time to bring her in. My vet has made it clear Emma’s presentation is not a viable candidate for surgery, but I’m still considering looking into palliative radiation therapy. I’m worried though about the added stress. radiation side effects, potential need for feeding tube, and impacts on quality of life that may result, and weighing that against a couple more months with her. Can you share your thought process in considering radiation therapy, and why you ultimately chose to go the pain medication / management path with Seamus?
I’m so sorry to hear that – it’s worth talking and making an appointment with a DACVIM/DACVR for radiation oncology, but from my understanding, it doesn’t buy much more time, honestly. I wish there were more options; debulking surgery helps with comfort but in studies average survival was only about 5 weeks. 🙁
My 11 year old cat was just diagnosed with SCC yesterday and we are heartbroken. He can’t eat solids so we are pureeing foods and giving him soft pate style cat foods that he’s managing. The vet has prescribed meloxicam and that seems to be helping him. Are there other pain relief meds we should be asking the vet about?I just don’t want him to suffer at all. I feel devastated at the thought we’re going to have to let him go soon but also devastated that we might keep him alive for longer than its fair. He has a brother as well and I’m worried how he’s going to cope with the loss of his brother. Its awful.
I’m so sorry to hear that. I would ask for oral buprenorphine and gabapentin also!
My love, my Bengal cat, Charlie, had been healthy all his life, with the exception of developing hyperthyroidism 3-4 years ago. I pilled him 2x/day, and it was under control. At 18.5, he started drooling. I took him to his life-long vet, who feared that he had developed dental disease. He had tartar on his back teet that had developed since his last dental. We discussed the risks of anesthesia (I had had a cat die when induced 20 years ago), and his vet gave him an antibiotic injection. At that point, he saw no tumors, only some inflammation in his lower jaw. He said that if Charlie had an infected tooth, it would eventually fall out and heal over. He was still eating well—both his grilled meat Fancy Feast and Temptations cat treats.
Charlie rapidly deteriorated. He started losing weight, eating less, and became hard to pill. I took him back to his vet, who saw what he suggested might be SCC in his lower jaw. So I read everything I could find on SCC and then took Charlie to a board-certified veterinary oncologist, who diagnosed cancer before she even examined him. She said she could see it in his jaw from across the room. For reasons I won’t describe in detail here, she was not compassionate, did not suggest a biopsy, offered no hope, told me radiation and other treatments didn’t work, and dismissed us through her technician without bothering to return to talk to me after she examined him. She said appetite stimulants were cruel, forcing a cat in pain to eat, and that steroids wouldn’t help. Through the tech, she offered to start pain killers, but I decided I would keep his care with his vet.
My vet disagreed with her, not with the diagnosis, but with the palliative care we could offer him. He started Charlie on appetite stimulants, steroids, and buprenorphine for pain. Charlie had severely bad reactions to the meds, including agitation, insomnia, and howling—all known side effects, even though rare.
Over a period of less than a month, Charlie went from a normal elderly cat to one who lost half his body weight and muscle mass, drank continuously, couldn’t groom himself, was very weak (falling on the steps or when trying to stand in his litter box), and finally eating none of the Savory Centers, a loose pate, for four days. He was dehydrated, despite collapsing in front of one of his three water bowls where he drank abnormally often. We gave him s.c. fluids. Nothing “helped”—with the exception of one injection of his pain killer, which knocked him out for hours. I had been giving him the buprenorphine in his cheek pouch, but the side effects were bad.
On Friday of last week, his vet told me euthanasia was the compassionate course of action. I said I couldn’t kill my child. By the next day, I realized I had to. He was even weaker, and still dehydrated, even though he had been given more fluids in the morning at the vet’s. He wouldn’t leave his water bowls (like he had kidney failure). He was so weak, he kept spilling water, laid in it, and he was soaked. He ate no food. The pain killer did not help. I could tell he was miserable. I carried him to his litter box, where he attempted to “go,” but couldn’t. He moaned a lot.
I didn’t want him to suffer the anxiety or going back to the vet, so I tried to get the recommended at-home vet to come to my house to put him to sleep. They told me the earliest would be two days later. I didn’t feel he would make it, so I took him to his vet, where he was euthanized.
The SCC in his lower jaw progressed amazingly rapidly. From no signs of a tumor, other than drooling, to death in a month was devastating. I don’t understand why veterinary science hasn’t worked more aggressively on diagnosis and treatment for SCC. I’ve read everything I could find, and while some studies have shown a slight increase in longevity, there is little hope for cat mothers who live for their fur babies. I’ve never smoked, he never wore a flea collar, he was a snow marble, so had white fur in his jaw, but was an indoor cat. His sun exposure was limited to sleeping in a sunny window spot when he could.
I wrote this through tears to warn others to examine their cat’s mouths as much as possible and get their vet to do so too. Had we ever found a discernible tumor, we might have extended his happy life. We examined him after death (too painful right before) and saw that the whole area under his tongue was inflamed and swollen. No wonder he couldn’t eat. Be aware of this vicious cancer.
I feel so much for your situation. The same happened with my Little Girl. She had a lesion under her tongue, which turned out to be SCC in her tongue itself. I wonder if there is any correlation with either hyperthyroidism or the medication to treat hyperthyroidism. My kitty was on medication to treat hyperthyroidism for 4 years, and had just undergone the radio-iodine treatment in January. Her thyroid levels were perfect afterwards, but then her symptoms of food dropping started in March. They tell me there is no correlation. It’s so hard to believe it was unrelated. It’s so so to read all these similar stories to mine. She was euthanized yesterday and I am devastated.
I’ve been trawling the internet for days, while I comfort my beautiful girl, looking for something to make the reality of losing her less awful.
Dusky has been my best friend for 15 years- since I was 13. My mother heard her crying under a building when she was only a few weeks old and meowed to her to get her to come out. She was such a sick little kitten and so vicious. We had to bathe her daily in a anti-fungal solution, as part of her myriad of treatments, and she scratched us so badly that the scars are still visible. But we persisted and we loved her unconditionally. Years on and Dusky has known nothing but love and is the sweetest, most trusting cat you’ve ever met.. She loves cuddles, pats, being carried around, snuggling up under blankets- she even loves belly rubs! She has been by my side through some of the lowest points of my life, coming running when I call her name and jumping straight into my lap.
Now that I’m a little bit older, I live in a city apartment where cats aren’t allowed and so Dusky stays with my parents. I see her for four months of year when I return home to be with my family and it’s just like old times. I tap away on my laptop, working long distance, while Dusky purrs loudly on my lap, content just to be near me. I noticed a few weeks ago, when I was absentmindedly scratching her chin that she had a new bump. I usually pick up on new bumps fairly quickly because Dusky loves scritches EVERYWHERE- leave no patch of fur unruffled. I asked my parents when the last vet trip was and they responded that the vet had said it was an enlarged scenting gland. I wasn’t convinced and decided to take her back to the vet. My mum convinced me an hour before the appointment to let my Dad take her, because I think she realised that it was cancer, as I did when I started googling Dusky’s symptoms, and she wanted to spare me the news.
Dusky had been drooling for a few months and, while I was away in another state, too busy to check on her, my parents had assumed that it was old age. I realise now that the signs were there and the guilt is absolutely unbelievable. Dusky has squamous cell carcinoma in her lower jaw and in just a few weeks it has gone from a small lump to extending from her chin to her throat and over half her jaw. The diagnosis came two weeks ago and I was completely in denial. I looked through all of the research papers online, I googled other people’s experiences, I was obsessively convinced that a mandibulectomy would cure her, that 10 days of radio therapy would give us two more years. I was experiencing so much grief that I would have spent thousands to save her, would have done anything.
I went back to the vet with Dusky for a check up (she also has mega colon and, though we treat it as best we can, all she wants to eat now is dry food and it is exacerbating her condition) , planning to have a rational conversation about how my girl would beat this. Once I actually started talking, I realised that I was pleading, that I was trying to fight the inevitable. That any of those options would put her through unimaginable pain and distress for a less than 50% shot at a few more months. Instead, when Dusky had to be booked in the next day for an enema, the vet said she would put her under a general anaesthesia, remove a lose tooth to lessen the pain in her jaw and take a biopsy, just in case it was a misdiagnosis. It was too late for a tooth extraction though, the jaw was too weak. Instead, the troublesome tooth was filed back and a biopsy taken.
I got the call today, confirming the SCC. I already knew it two weeks ago- I just didn’t want to believe it. On and off, it has been tremendous grief. I am a very shy person, and I have a closer connection to Dusky than I do to all but my very close family. I have to give her oral pain medication every day and a stool softener twice a day, and I hate trying to open her mouth without causing her pain. These last few weeks have been a constant emotional battle between trying to decide what’s best for her and draw the line at where I start impeding on her quality of life. I feel so guilty at having the biopsy taken because I just couldn’t believe that it could be cancer. I feel guilty that I didn’t catch it sooner. I feel guilty that she has to visit the vet, when the only place she wants to be as at home with me and my parents. Sometimes I feel like everything is the same and then other times she chitters and winces in pain and I lose it- the grief takes over and I realise I’m really losing her.
I’m at some kind of peace now. I know she doesn’t have more than a few weeks. I spend the days lying with her, scratching her ears, making her favourite foods, sitting in the garden with her while she basks in the sunlight, telling her how much I love her. I will take her to the vets for checkups and tomorrow I will see if I can get her a stronger pain medication. When she is no longer comfortable, the at-home vets will come to our house and we will give her the only thing we can- an easy way out from the pain that the cancer would become. But I want her to be in a place that she’s comfortable, with the people that love her most.. I just couldn’t bear to lose her at the vets surgery.
I still feel so unsure that I’ve made the right decisions along the way. I hate that I could have stopped this. But the one thing that gives me comfort is how deeply she has been treasured her whole life, and how much joy she has brought to my family. Dusky has a black coat, and her name means shadowy, or dark, but her entire life she has been nothing but pure light. I’m going to spend the last few weeks in the twilight of her life loving her unconditionally, and trying to accept that I did what was best for her.
Thankyou for sharing your story. A lot of articles give false hope but I wanted to know that end of life care can sometimes be the kindest, most gentle option. God bless and I wish you strength in grieving your friend.
I’m so sorry to hear about Dusky – honestly, even if you caught it really earlier, there wasn’t much more you could do. Even with surgery, the prognosis isn’t too different, sadly. That’s why I hate this cancer. You can always talk to your vet about an injection called Simbadol which is the pain medication but that lasts 24 hours.
My heart goes out to you – hang in there, and know that each day forward is icing on the cake. Spoil the crap out of her.
Bless you guys,
Dr. Justine Lee
I’m so sorry. Your love for your baby made me cry again, knowing you have gone through what I lived with my Charlie. Charlie’s first symptom was also drooling. Now, too late, I know that sudden drooling is not normal, certainly not a sign of a happy cat, as I had read initially. Sending hugs.
My poor little baby was diagnosed with SCC a couple weeks ago. She seems to be doing okay, she’s just extra cuddley but I’m making the most out of it hoping it’s making her happy. I can’t tell if she’s in pain and it’s killing me. I don’t know when the right time is to put her down. I don’t want to cut her life short but I don’t want her living in pain.
I’m so sorry you’re going through this too. 🙁 MY general guideline is that if she stops eating, starts hiding, and is drooling a lot, it’s time. When in doubt, I’ve never had a pet owner regret euthanizing too early, but rather they regret euthanizing too late. 🙁 Thinking of you guys.
Best,
Dr. Justine Lee
Thank you so much for posting this article. I am in the early stages of figuring out if the mass in my Tilly’s cheek is SCC or an infection. I have a feeling it’s SCC but her surgery and biopsy is Wednesday so I will know for sure when we get the results. Ironically, my vets cat had SCC as well so she knows the process.
Thank you so much for this post. It’s heartbreaking to read all the stories of our beloved kitties. My boy Howard has a diagnosis on Tuesday and today (Saturday) is the first day he is really struggling to eat. He wants to eat but can’t seem to keep the food in his mouth. We are so deviated as like so many on this post he had not symptoms just over a month ago. It’s taken us 3 weeks to have it confirmed but in a week the tumour has grown a lot. It’s really tough but we are too just giving him so much love. He is nearly 13 and I’ve had him since he was a kitten with his brother from the same litter. I know the time is coming that we will have to say goodbye and it really hurts but I don’t want him to suffer. Sending out love to all those other cats with this awful condition and their owners
My youngest was diagnosed in December. They didn’t do a biopsy for it though, but she has every symptom.
The tumor is on her lower jaw and so far, it’s been slow growing. She’s been eating soft food OK and acting like normal, but lately, I’ve noticed her licking her mouth more and today, some of it was peeling off her.
I know I’ve been very blessed that she’s still with me now, but I am wondering if those two are signs that it will progress more rapidly now.
Garfield is 17 years old and have had him when he was a kitten. He was also diagnosed with this just this month. February 14th. He has lost 11 pounds. He was a true Garfield weighing one time at 18 pounds. He grew up with two other kitties but have long been gone from our lives as they passed over. Garfield with my youngest son’s which helped him with his autism. They were pals. It has been hard to discuss this with my son as Garfield is very weak. The other day, he purred as he laid on his lap. The night before last, he slept with me even with his brother the dog. This was very unusual but I felt blessed that he chose me to sleep with. after resting all night at my side, he got up and left and slept on one of the basement stair runs. I noticed a large wet area on my comforter that had a very bad odor. His vet told me 2 weeks to two months. It is getting time but my son will not talk about it. Garfield has a very hard time eating and will come to his food bowl to eat at times. I do mix his med in his food and he will eat a full can for me. I do not know what to do.
Ask your vet to give him the pain medication that lasts 24 hours, or even mix it into a tiny amount of food. When he stops eating, I would recommend humanely euthanizing him.
I feel so lost and so broken. It’s hard to believe that just in December my baby was ok and everything was fine, then now as March approaches she’s declined in the matter of months. I can’t watch her suffer anymore but I don’t want to let her go. Even as I write this I’m sobbing so much. My brother smoked in the house for some time despite mine and my mother’s pleas for him to stop, even later when he knew Patches had cancer he still smoked in the house. I remember closing my door tight, sobbing and listening to Patches claw at the door for me to let her out, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t do anything to save her, a cat who has done so so much for me in my childhood, during my spouts of depression and loneliness, during all the pain I associate with my teenage years. She was always there. And yet I can’t even help her now, the way she looks up at me almost expecting me to just reach down and pick the tumor off. Just a bit ago I watched her jaw spasm as she struggled to drink water from the faucet. I’m so frustrated and so upset. She’s all I have left. What if when she dies she’s lonely? What if she’s confused and scared? What if her spirit follows me, wondering why I seemingly pay her no mind? I don’t want to forget the feeling of her soft fur and her kind affection, I don’t want life to move on as if she was never here. I would do ANYTHING to just make everything ok again. I knew she wouldn’t be here forever but why does she have to go in such a painful way? She’s only about 14, I remember picking her out as a kitten when I was only 6, she’s been my life ever since. I don’t know what to do right now. Today I cooked up a chicken pate for her and she loved it, and I almost cried because she didn’t eat yesterday and I just felt so relieved. I know within the next week I have to make the decision to let her go. I refuse to put her down at the vet because she hates it there so much, but I don’t think the local vet does in-house euthanasia, what do I do?
I’m sick to my stomach, my 14 year old Lizzy was diagnosed yesterday . She is a Maine Coon and for her breed she is small . Having read your post , her symptoms were classic . Just 6 months ago she had a small cyst removed from her ear and my
Vet examined her ,intubated her and she was perfectly fine . She stopped eating and lost weight .
I am a retired CCU nurse and after I retired I volunteered for Hospice . I know the stages of death and could help the families through that process . I’m lost right now . Shes so small , she is only drinking goats milk , she is on Buprenorphine every 12 hrs . How do know if shes in pain . If she’s not in pain and drinking the goats milk , is that enough to wait ? I just cannot make the decision to euthanize . When will I know .. I’m crying as I type .My vet said that the descision would not be unreasonable, even now. I’m not ready now but when ? You did say when she stops eating , she’s not eating solids but drinking the milk . Am I just buying time knowing what I have to do ? That sounds selfish and I know its about her , not me …. it’s awful
My only other cats passed peacefully of old age not a sik day in their lives , one was 19 and the other one was 20 .. I could only cry about an hour knowing that they had a good life , sohas Lizzie , but it will be by my hand .
Unfortunately, cats don’t typically pass away peacefully at home, and in my opinion, it’s more humane if they stop eating, but see if you could keep her comfortable until you need to make the decision. My heart goes to you.
Thinking of you,
Dr. Justine Lee
I have same problem with my cat Siyah use fenbendazole as a cancer treatment What I am about to do
My 12 year old Little Girl kitty began dropping food one month following Radio-iodine 131 treatment. Then I found an ulcerated lesion under her tongue. Now her Thyroid levels are perfect, but a biopsy revealed SCC in her tongue. I am afraid the iodine treatment caused it -since so much inflammation occurred right where the tumor started. I used to be an LVT, and I have been syringe feeding her for 2 weeks now. She is on Palladia and Onsior palliative chemo protocol, and Gabapentin. I am struggling over the decision to try Radiation Therapy. I am afraid of putting her through the pain of radiation. The place that does it is 2.5 hours away. Even if it did help, the cancer would likely return. She would also require a feeding tube. I’m afraid she would become neurotic with a feeding tube, as she has tried to scratch off collars in the past. She is not eating on her own besides an occasional lick, but she still jumps in my lap and purrs in the sun. There are times she eagerly syringe feeds and other times she growls and I stop. The decision of whether to try radiation or more aggressive chemo is tearing me apart, as I am the type who wants to try every possible opportunity, but I don’t want the cost to be her suffering. Her oncologist is great, but he can’t tell me what to decide. When I sought a second opinion, they did not even recommend radiation, since it would get worse before it got better. So it is hard when there are differing opinions.
Oh, I’m so, so sorry. The I131 wouldn’t have caused it – it’s likely it was already slowly growing. My heart goes out to you. 🙁 Think about an esophagostomy tube?
Thank you. I’ve been debating about the feeding tube, but I’m now wondering if it is soon time to make a decision about euthanasia instead. She started acting more uncomfortable in between medicating, so we did add Buprenorphine yesterday. I read that a tolerance can develop to Gabapentin, so I’m wondering if that dose should be increased too. I don’t think radiation is an option now since she is already painful. But part of me still wants a CT scan so I can see where the cancer is. She has no grossly large tumor like I see in photos. The rest of her mouth looks fine, but she won’t allow me to look under her tongue. My oncologist said the spot doesn’t look very large, but she has no frenulum. I don’t know if the radiation oncologist would even perform a CT scan if I already know I don’t want to pursue radiation.
Katie,
Can you please let me know if the Palladia had any effect on your cat? I have a 19 year old cat who just got diagnosed with this and I am utterly devastated. She is in stage 4 kidney failure, so radiation therapy and palliative therapy are out the door for fear of what the anesthesia would do to her kidneys. My vet wants to put her to sleep but I am torn on this situation. She is still actively eating, drinking water, going to the bathroom all on her own. We have been giving her Clindamycin twice a day to make sure if there is an infection, the antibiotic would be able to fend it off. I know the vet gave her a pain injection that supposedly lasts 72 hrs, although I don’t remember what it was. I can say that a side effect I noticed is that there was a bout of insomnia going on. I think that is starting to wear off and was wondering if there was a pain medication that we could administer that wont do that to her. It was rough watching her not be able to sleep when she’s used to sleeping a good chunk of the day. The hardest thing I am going through is knowing when the right time is. I have read through several of the entries and the general advice is once the eating stops. So, idk why my vet is being so pushy about doing it now…
Whoever cats have SCC diagnosed try Fenbendazole. I have same problem with my cat Siyah use fenbendazole as a cancer treatment What I am about to do
Fenbendazole is a dewormer and not recommended for the treatment of SCC.
My 19-yo cat was diagnosed with oral cancer in January this year. It all started with a tooth abscess that made the side of his jaw swollen, it was picked by a vet and that’s when a lump at the bottom of his jaw appeared. It was gone after a few weaks, but a mass under his tongue was growing, making his tongue go up and being constantly near the palate and slightly to the right. His lower left fang was moving to the front and sticking out of the mouth, and his mouth was constantly open – he couldn’t close it due to the mass of tissue that was apparently getting bigger. He had an xray showing that his jaw bone was very thin and had holes in it, it was broken in one place. He lost much weight over the last weeks, so yesterday he weighted 2,2 kg. He was actually losing weight during the last two years, maybe due to the cancer growing or maybe because of the liver failure (his liver tests were not that good, high alat etc.). Eventually he couldn’t eat solid food even though I was fork-mashing it. I used a blender to make his favourite solid food smooth and added quite a lot of water to it as he wasn’t drinking plain water even though he tried. So he was drinking such semi-liquid soups for over a week and it seemed ok – he used his litter box a few times a day, there were no problems with that. He seemed full of energy (as full as he could be being 19) and happy, basking in the sun, sharpening his claws, coming to my lap and he was interested in food. Sometimes he seemed lethargic and had bad days when he didn’t eat much and was hiding away. That’s when I was giving him metacam injections and they usually helped so he would start eating again within a couple of days. I also tried a few series if antibiotics (sinulox) as I noticed that sometimes his saliva was mixed with puss. When he was eating, he produced a lot of mucus that formed kind of strings hanging from his mouth. He tried to chew them off and I helped him het rid of them during eating whenever I was around. The worst thung was that when he was chewing like that during eating, a blood started to trickle from the tissue mass inside his mouth and dripping into his bowl. There were days when there was no blood, but recently it had been showing up more and more frequently. Yesterday when I came back home, I saw lots of blood drops on the floor and in the places that he went to. I cleaned that and was unsure about what to do about it, as I didn’t want to remove his bowl because he wanted to it. Afyer a couple of hours he started bleeding again and then again, so I called the local vet before they closed to let her know that we were coming. I decided to put him down as I was afraid that he could lose too much blood during the night and I wouldn’t even know about it. Maybe it was a bad decision as bleeding didn’t make him worried or he didn’t seem to be in pain. As far as I know based on my experience bleeding from a.tooth isn’t painful… So I’m not sure it was a good decision to put him down. I know it was to be done at some point but maybe the bleeding would stop as it did before and he would be with us for a few more days, weeks… He really wanted to live and had a healthy heart and lungs, kidneys weren’t bad either. I can’t believe he us not here anymore 😳 His litterbox is still in it’s place, I see his fur everywhere, it’s heartbreaking.. He was such a good cat, he would fetch his toys, like a dog, and he was never crossed with me for taking him to a vet, for giving him injections or other unpleasant things that I had to do like sponge-washing his mouth, paws, clipping his claws.. As soon as I was done, he would come back to me and rub against my legs. He wanted to be carried around on my left shoulder and we looked out the window watching dogs walking with their owners, cats and busses passing by. He was such a good friend. His name was Pysio, which means a sweet little mouth in Polish. And it was sweet, all of him…
Awh, I’m so so sorry. He sounded like an amazing cat! RIP, Pysio!
Thank you! Yes, he was amazing.. I’ll never forget him. There will always be a place for him in my lap and in my heart.
It sounds like you made the right decision. It is a heartbreaking choice, but 19 years is a great age for a kitty to reach. You did everything for him to make sure he was comfortable. My cat has tongue cancer and I’ve decided to put her to sleep on Monday. It is very painful for her to eat by syringe now. It’s a very hard decision.
I know how you’re feeling now 😒 Be strong and cherish every moment spent together. If you can tell she’s in pain, this is the right decision and as devastated as you will be, you’ll also feel relieved that she’s not suffering anymore. I’m praying for you both!
Thank you. I decided to have the home vet come out yesterday to put her to sleep, after a bad evening. I have never experienced so much grief over a pet before. It helps to share and see everyone’s stories.
Oh 😢 I’m so sorry… at least you know she isn’t in pain anymore. My vet told me.she doesn’t like doing it at home because she doesn’t have all the medicines she might need, but at least pets aren’t that scared. I still remember huge round eyes of my.kitty and his shaking with fear 🙁 I truly believe though that we all will meet with our beloved pets in heaven. If we love them so much, God does even more! He created them after all…
My Cat Nitty was just diagnosed today. Honestly it came as a very big shock because she seems very healthy especially for 15! Her auburn Tubby fur with white socks, boots, and chest is still super shiny and she plays/runs/ jumps like she’s a kitten! We noticed that she was getting upset when she was eating so, we took her to the vet and they noticed that she needed some teeth polled so she had some teeth pulled. While she was having her teeth pulled the Vet noticed a small tissue that potentially felt like it could be cancerous so she cut some off for a biopsy and it turned out to be cancerous. We haven’t yet taken her to oncology to see her options for treatment or To even have an x-ray of the cancer yet but, it seems that we may have caught it very early so I don’t know if you have any suggestions? From what I have read she can potentially have a better chance at surgically removing it? At least that’s what I’m hoping. I have had her literally her whole entire life, I was there the day she was born and she also has been my BFF since I was 12. She is just as precious to me she is my baby. In reading through the comments it has made me so sad. I’m so sorry for all the people that have gone through this! I definitely feel similar emotions. And don’t know if I am just in denial of the reality of her near future or I’m just hopeful at this point. All and all I just want spoil her till I can’t anymore!
I’m so sorry to hear that – it’s so hard!
I euthanized my cat two days ago and now I am regretting not waiting longer but I have no idea if I am right or wrong.
She was gagging as if she had a hairball for at least a week then on Sunday she didn’t go to her litter tray. By the afternoon I knew she had to pee so I took her there to persuade her. Then I put food in her bowl to see if she was eating and she only ate a few pellets before going back to her bed. Every time she went to her bowl she would give up after about 3 pellets. I was concerned so examined her. Her skin was bad which I knew and assumed it was because she was fiv positive for about 8 years. Then I just happened to feel under her neck and there it was, a big lump right under her throat. I had no idea that it was there. It explained the gagging and the minimal eating and the loud swallowing when she drank. In retrospect I realise that her meow had changed and she was more irritable than normal and of course now not thinking about the litter tray.
I booked an appointment at the vet for the next day and I know I didn’t expect to euthanize her because I noted her last flea treatment before I went in to make sure I didn’t forget. The vet said “oh 12 years is not that old” and took her to the examination room alone because of Covid19 social distancing rules. 5 minutes later she came back with a totally different expression on her face and she said “That is a very sick kitty and the tumour has been growing quietly for awhile. You have caught it right at the beginning and she is still fat and happy” followed by speech about it being impossible to operate and “if it was my cat I would euthanize her”. I said “Now?” And she said “Yes” so I did right then. They forgot Covid19 rules and I sat with her on my lap and I know she was calm and trusting when she went, but now I am feeling so guilty that I didn’t take longer to say goodbye. It was such a shock and I just went with what the vet said. This grief is very hard.
Oh – you did the right thing! Please know that cats don’t show signs until it’s really severe and honestly, I see more people regretting TOO early. It sounds like the cancer was really bad, and I know, know, know you made the right decision. Cats really only show illness when it’s end stage. My heart goes out to you – please know you did the right thing. Thinking of you…
Dr. Justine Lee
Thank you Dr Justine Lee. Do you mean that you see more people regretting doing it too late? I got that from the rest of the comments here. Thank you for your reply and for your reassurances. I know objectively that I did the right thing and that the vet wouldn’t have told me too if there was something else I could have done. It’s just hard to get control of the emotions. I jump from one regret to the next never sure what I will be crying about next. Now it’s changed to accepting the euthanize but regretting not being able to give her special attention and love because she was sick because I never knew. I hope one day I will stop blaming myself.
Yes, I’m so sorry – I meant that as a veterinarian, I see people regretting euthanizing TOO LATE. Know that even with my own cat, he “hit the statistic” dead on – the average survival with SCC is 5-6 weeks, and that’s all I got with him. I’ll also say that as a pet owner, if you could physically feel a lump, that means it was really, really severe, as most of the time, you can’t palpate it… which means it had metastasized really badly. Please have peace in knowing that she is a peace and looking down from up above in comfort!
Thank you so much. It is so good to hear the opinion of another vet. Your opinion seems to be exactly the same as the vet I saw. I am feeling a lot better about my decision thanks to your reply. Thank you. I found your blog while endlessly Googling this morning and it has really helped. Wishing you all the best.
Hi, Thank you for your blog. It has been very comforting and supportive.
Our beloved 18 year old seems to have SCC. We didn’t do the biopsy. We happened to find out after it appeared he ate a bird (would have been his first time! There were bird feathers everywhere in our private patio and seemed to have pretty bad digestive issues), so we took him in to get x-rays. The vets found a growth on the upper part of his throat. While the emergency care said they took a needle sample, there general opinion was SCC, but a biopsy would confirm it.
It has been 4 week since the x-rays and he is progressively declining. He still walks (staggers though), uses the litter box, moves from favorite sleeping spot to sleeping spot. We give him scrap food like salmon, chicken and pork, which he eats by hand-feeding. We have given some puree by syringe to ensure he has sufficient food since he has lost weight. He breathes in through his nose and out of his mouth. We give him fluids about every 3 days (coming from onset of kidney disease from 7 months back so that has been a standard for us now).
We began buprenix for the first time on Friday in lieu of a home euthanizing vet appointment. So far, he has gotten 2 doses a day (instead of the 3, each being 8 hr). The biggest thing we notice is that he feels much more rested. He has a will to live and seems very alert at times. I guess my main question is when should we really stop aiding him with buprenix/fluids/syringe food. People tell me that if he can’t walk or if he soils himself or if it has incredibly labored breathing, you will see that it is best to put him to sleep. It is such a roller coaster ride though. Are we doing the right thing? Every day that we have him now is such a blessing. He was scheduled for that home vet and when we canceled, it was the biggest sigh of relief of my life. That was 3 days ago and I do not regret canceling the appointment at all. But we are so confused. Can one give buprenix until it is obvious that we shouldn’t continue?
It’s so hard. I will say that most people don’t regret euthanizing earlier, but too late. I would say that it’s a daily battle. As a veterinarian, I really struggled with the decision with my own pets too. Keeping him on pain medication is totally fine, but I will say I’m not a huge fan of syringing food. Ask your vet for mirtazipine (it’s an appetite stimulant and comes as a transdermal form too) to see if he’ll eat. Or even a non-steroidal pain to steroid to help. Otherwise, I wouldn’t wait too long, as cats get miserable pretty quickly. 🙁
Hi Dr. Lee
My cat Tub is 16– I’ve had him since I was 7! He is the love of my life. He didn’t go to the vet much for the middle of his life because he has always had an intense fear. I took him in January (probably the first time in 10 years) because he had some ear issues. While they were looking at that, they also checked out his teeth and told me he had pretty bad tooth resorption and I should get his teeth pulled. I was super nervous about the anesthesia due to his age and because he is a bit overweight, so I decided to help him lose some weight by changing his diet to make it a little less risky as he hadn’t shown any signs of difficulty eating. He lost about 2 pounds in six months and only recently I he started struggling when he ate. It’s not that he couldn’t eat, just that he kind of moved the food from side to side in his mouth. I made an appointment for a dental consultation with an expert in feline dentistry. She told me that while he teeth don’t look great, he really had a mass in his mouth that’s causing the issues. She said that these are usually malignant and I should put him to sleep right away. I was stunned– I didn’t even think of this possibility. I took him home and the next day, I brought him to the vet that told me he had bad teeth in January. She told me that there was a mass under his tongue and that she probably wouldn’t recommend doing a biopsy or anything. I just feel so confused because it feels wrong to make any decisions when I don’t know. He’s still excited about food and eats plenty, still sleeping with me, still drinking water and going to the litter box. He drools quite a bit and it’s gotten to the point where his mouth is often open. I guess my question is: is it common to put them down when you really don’t know? I’m afraid that maybe this isn’t cancer, maybe something can be done and I’m not doing it.
Yes, sadly, it is common to have to euthanize when we don’t have a definitive answer 100%. If they saw a mass, the prognosis is grave. If it gives you peace, you can get it biopsied, but not sure if it would change much in the end. My heart goes out to you.
Olivia,
Your situation sound like the one I am dealing with. I took my Sammy to the vet for what I believed to be an abscessed tooth, and they told me that it was a mass and more than likely aggressive cancer. They told me I should have him euthanized by the end of that week. We didn’t do a biopsy either, and I am questioning everything. I am taking him to another vet tomorrow for a second opinion. It has been 4 weeks since his diagnosis, and the mass is growing, but he is still with me. He still eats, but sleeps a lot and drools. I feel like I need this second opinion, just for my own peace.
I am so glad I found this article. We are currently waiting for biopsy results for my Oscar who is 13 years old. He is my heart. I am at such a loss a f feel like I have failed him for not noticing sooner that something was wrong. I know he’s a senior in cat years but he has so much life left in him. I’m not ready to say goodbye. My heart breaks because I can’t help him. I am going to pick him up some of tje meat baby food and see if he’ll that as you suggested above. I am still praying that the results come back as something else that can be treated. Holding on to some hope so I don’t have to say goodbye yet.
Thank you for this post and everyone’s comments. Her Majesty Queen Sadie is about 19 and currently sleeping on my lap. I’ve had the pleasure of being owned by her the last 16 years (let’s be real, cats own people). The vet found her tumor yesterday but looking back this has probably been going on for a few weeks. The vet gave her a steroid and fluids to give me a little time. She eats but not much and is drooling quite a bit.
I took today off thinking I’d take her in this afternoon and I also have Friday off (I’d take tomorrow off too if not for a required class) and am thinking that might be the end. I’m thankful for everyone’s posts telling their experience with this awful cancer. I’ve being trying to rationalize my way out this since I found out yesterday but there is no way out except to say goodbye. Dr. Lee thank you for the continued comment about people regretting waiting too long.
Sadie will get all the loves, tuna, a car ride of two, and I think a picture with her.
Much love to Sadie. You are both in our thoughts.
I want to thank you for the information you have given here-it has provided the answers I have been searching for.
My lovely 16yr old, Charlie, was humanely euthanised 2 weeks ago and I have been unable to cry as I felt so guilty and responsible – it was eating me up inside. Even though he had stopped eating and getting any meds into him felt like I was torturing him I felt he could have gone on for longer if I had just done more or something different, the feeling that I had let him down was unbearable. I asked for a dose of I.m. pain relief for him & it made no difference, he still couldn’t eat & I couldn’t bear his suffering.He lasted a week from diagnosis & it was 3 weeks since the start of any obvious symptoms–he must have been in some pain or discomfort before then but I didn’t see anything in his behaviour that alerted me to something being wrong.
Now I can accept that leaving him longer was not an option & the guilt is because we have always done what was needed to keep him healthy & well & when you can’t do that for them it weighs so heavily on you.
Thank you and I’m so sorry you have had to go through this as well.
Thank you for this write up.
Haru was diagnosed 2 weeks ago, the ulcer is under her tongue, against her frenulum. While I understand there isn’t anything I can do at this point and have been making every single day a good one for her. She’s still eating, drinking and doing everything normally though wincing as she does so..
It breaks my heart to see her like this and I’ve considered making the call before she’s in too much pain but I also don’t want to do it too soon and miss out on my last days with her. Sadly, my vet had told me 2-4 months life expectancy without treatment and I am just now learning that 5 weeks is a more accurate average. This is making me worry with how much she’s drooling and sleeping, though everything else she’s doing normally.
It helps to read things from the perspective of not only a cat parent but a professional in the field as well and I hope when the time comes, I can make the correct decision. Haru means the world and more to me and I just want to do right by her and not force her to suffer for my own selfish desires.
She’s currently taking Meloxicam, as prescribed by the vet but it doesn’t seem to be helping much, if at all.
I’m so sorry… yes, by the time it’s diagnosed, it’s just a few days to weeks. Thinking of you during this hard time. Ask your vet for pain medication too (Simbadol or buprenex).
Best,
Dr. Justine Lee
Thank you for the very insightful article. It’s helping me understand what’s going on with my little guy. A little trick I’ve learned for cats that have it on their mandible or close to the throat… I’ve elevated his food dish enough so that Friday (my cat) can eat comfortably without the mass getting in the way. He’s been eating well for a little more than a week. I realize this is only a band-aid but at least he’s comfortable.
Also trying CBD oil to help with the swelling. I haven’t seen any results yet but will report back if I notice anything.
Thanks again. My heart goes out to all those fur parents having to dea with this.
I lost my Sammy who was 12 years old to this horrible disease yesterday. My son found him in a barn when he was just a tiny kitten. He was starving and so sick. I bottle fed him and nursed him back to health. He was a little fighter!
He was diagnosed about 7 weeks ago. I took him to the vet for what I believed to be an abscessed tooth and the vet said it was an aggressive cancerous mass. The mass continued to grow rapidly on his upper gum. He was losing weight, however his appetite was fine.
He continued to be a sweet, loving cat. I took him to another vet for a second opinion, and they told me the same thing, that it was just a matter of time. How could my precious cat go from being healthy 2 months ago to dying 7 weeks later? Did I miss something? Could I have caught it sooner? So many questions, and so much pain! I feel like a piece of my heart has been ripped out. I knew the time was coming. The odor was terrible, and the mass was getting larger. Yesterday his mouth was really bleeding and he kept scratching at it. I called the vet and made that unbearable trip to the vet’s office.
He was such a good boy, just sitting on my lap during the ride. I didn’t go in with him, which now I wish I would have. I can’t stop crying.
I am thankful that I found this website. It gave me a lot of information. I am just sorry that so many people have to lose their precious cats to this horrible disease.
Thank you for sharing your story and your suggestions. Lionel, my cat for the last 15 years, was just diagnosed with this, and is rapidly deteriorating. He was already mostly getting Berber chicken baby food, but I am glad to have more treats to supplement with, and a reminder not to worry about getting the prescription kidney food into him. He is also on antibiotics and gabapentin, as well as a steroid. I’m hoping he is in less pain tomorrow, and can enjoy a little pampering from his people before his time with us ends.
Hi Dr. Lee, and other loving pet owners,
I euthanized my cat a few days ago. She was diagnosed in July, and by the end of August, she was struggling to eat, but still had an appetite. I wanted to wait a bit longer, but I knew that euthanizing her before she really started to go downhill was the kindest thing I could do. It is by far, the hardest thing I have ever had to do.
Now, I am searching for answers. I am a non-smoker, so there is no link there, but I was wondering about the canned cat food. Are there specific ingredients and brands to avoid? Can brushing a cat’s teeth daily make a major difference? I’m terrified of getting another cat down the road. I want to do everything I can to prevent this from happening again.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I’m so sorry to hear about your cat – it sounds like you really made the “right” decision. Please know that if a cat’s vet can get SCC, anyone’s cat can. It’s NOTHING that you did or missed. I would say that having a thorough oral exam + physical exam once a year is the easiest way to enhance prevention, but there’s no environmental issues that are DIRECTLY linked. I would say that untreated dental disease could potentially hypothetically be associated (as there’s more miosis), so I’d work on making sure your cat has healthy gums and teeth. My heart goes out to you. Best, Dr. Justine Lee
Thank you Dr. Lee. Thank you for your advice and comforting words. You are doing a great service to all pet owners.
Hi Dr. Lee and pet parents/family here, I am griefing over the loss of my 12 y/o Siamese Mimi. She was diagnosed with OSCC on 25/7 and we had to let her go on 23/8 after weekly visits to our regular vet. It was painful to see her grow smaller by the day and losing her ability to eat. We progressed from vetergesic 12hrly to 8hrly, oral steroid to injected steroid. Tried the fentanyl patch as well but she hated it on her, hahaha.
She loved kibbles and could still eat them in the first 2 weeks but slowly she could only stare at them while drooling. We tried breaking it up to smaller pieces but it wouldnt work. We fed her snacks all day, anything she wanted, she got it. Ciao Churu wet treats Scallop flavour was her favourite – on her last days, it was all she would eat.
It’s been 2 weeks but I am still heartbroken. I still come to this post ever so often to read the comments and find strength that it was the right thing to do, and as much as it was really difficult to let her go, it was in her interests. Thank you so much for this post, Dr. Lee.
Hope Mimi is running across the rainbow bridge with all your kitties <3
Thank you for this post. I’ve read through all the comments and was surprised to see you responding to so many of them, even recently. That’s very kind of you. I am hoping that you might respond to mine, as I have so many doubts and questions about what has happened and am searching for answers and a second opinion.
In the middle of May of 2020, my cat was brought into the vet to have her claws trimmed. She was a seemingly-healthy Maine Coon cat, 14 and a half years old. We tried to keep the claws trimmed ourselves, but she never liked having her paws touched and this made it very difficult for us to keep on top of this. They started getting long enough to reach her paw pads, so we took her in for the vet to do it. Due to the coronavirus measures, they took her inside alone while we had to wait outside, unable to see what was happening within.
We got her back after the trim and took her home. Immediately after that, she started hiding away pretty much all the time, no longer keeping us company and no longer sleeping on my bed. We figured that she was upset about being taken to the vet, and that they probably had to restrain her to do the claw trimmings and she must’ve been unhappy with that. Because of social distancing, I wasn’t even able to go in with her when she went to the vet, so I wasn’t able to see what had actually happened during the appointment. I wondered if maybe they had been quite rough with her and I felt guilty about not being there with her. I thought that maybe she hated me now for having done that to her.
Her distant behaviour continued, and I tried to find ways to cheer her up, obtain her forgiveness, and lure her back into my bedroom. I tried giving her treats more often and tried putting together makeshift toys/mazes out of spare cardboard boxes. This actually seemed to work a bit, and she gradually started to come back into my bedroom a little bit more often. She would still spend a lot of time on her own though.
In the middle of June, we noticed that she had a weepy eye (usually on the right side, but sometimes her left eye would be a bit weepy too). Once or twice I also noticed snot from her right nostril. She would occasionally sneeze. She seemed to be sleeping and hiding away even more often. She would basically be sleeping in one spot almost 24/7, apart from when she ate her food. She didn’t seem to have any problems with eating, although she was eating a bit less than usual. We looked up the symptoms online, and they seemed to fit with cat flu. We figured that she might have picked up a cold when we took her out previously to the vet for the claw trimming. We dreaded the idea of taking her back to the vet again to have it checked, because of how she seemed to hate us for it the last time, so we decided to just leave her be and keep an eye on her as she recovers from the “flu”.
On the 1st of August, she started to paw at her mouth when eating. She would lift her paw and sort of press it against the side of her mouth or bat at her mouth, while tilting her head. While doing this, she occasionally seemed to almost gag, or lunge her head forward as if throwing up. There was definitely some kind of discomfort, or like she had something stuck in her mouth. This was a weekend, so on Monday morning we called our vet, and the earliest appointment we could get was for Thursday the 6th of August. In the time going up to that appointment, she continued to paw at her mouth, and it seemed to get a little bit more frequent. It wasn’t just while she ate, but also at random times when she wasn’t asleep. Whenever she’d be standing or walking around, she’d stop every now and then to paw at her mouth.
When we took her in on the 6th of August, the vet checked her over and told us that she had lost a lot of weight, had lost some teeth, and appeared to have an infection in her mouth. They suggested that it could be gum disease, and booked her in for another appointment the following Tuesday. This appointment would be for a dental cleaning under anaesthesia, and they told us they’d also take a biopsy to check for any possible cancer. In the meantime, they prescribed antibiotics and painkillers. She seemed to perk up a little bit after taking the medicine, suggesting that they were having some effect. But even so, she continued to paw at her mouth a lot, and spent almost all of her time hiding away and sleeping.
On the 11th of August, the day of her dental cleaning, she kept pestering us for food. Sadly, we weren’t allowed to give her any food as it would interfere with the anaesthesia, so we couldn’t give her what she was asking for. She was hungry and kept meowing for food. Instead, we got ready and put her into the carrier, and took her to the vet. We dropped her off, and I watched as the lady carried her into their back room. We then went home. I felt quite anxious throughout the day, as we had had her for such a long time and she had never needed to stay at the vet’s for a period of time like this before. Maybe she thought that we had abandoned her there. But at least she would be back home later the day feeling better with her mouth nice and clean, right?
Around 2 PM, the vet phoned. They informed us that she appeared to have a very aggressive cancer in her mouth, that she had lost her right upper jaw, and that she now had a large cavity in her mouth. The vet said that if she wakes up, she would be in agony, feeling the hole inside her mouth/face after the dead necrotic tissue had been removed. They also said that the roof of her mouth was soft, when it should normally be hard. They said there was no point in taking the biopsy, and recommended that we put her down right away while she’s still under anaesthesia.
I was in complete shock. Under no circumstances whatsoever was I expecting to be told to put her down, or that she might soon be dead. She was only 14 and a half. I expected to have many more years with her. After that is mostly a blur. We discussed it as a family, albeit very briefly due to the limited time and pressure of having to make a decision before she wakes up from the anaesthesia. The vet didn’t really present us with any options other than “put her down while she’s still asleep” and “wake her up to say goodbye, then put her down right away”. Taking her back home with us didn’t seem to even be an option. We decided it would be better to do it while she was still asleep, to save her from waking up and feeling that pain. So, we went and did that.
Over some later phonecalls, the vet went into a little bit more detail. They claimed that:
1. There was no tumour or mass that could be removed to treat it, because this was a kind of cancer that eats away and destroys tissue (leaving dead necrotic tissue behind), rather than creating new cancerous tissue.
2. It couldn’t have been gum disease, because that doesn’t eat at bone.
3. Before the dental cleaning, she had a “soup” of dead bone and dead teeth filling the space in her mouth and holding things in place, which was letting her continue to eat. But after the dental cleaning, that tissue had been removed, and so she had a big hole in her mouth going up towards her nasal cavity and eye socket, and that if she was woken up then she’d feel great pain from that and be unable to eat anything. If she did somehow want to eat anything, then food would go straight up that hole causing more pain and infection.
4. Painkillers wouldn’t have helped us to keep her comfortable, as the stronger ones could only be administered in the practice and tablet ones would go up into the mouth hole.
It’s been a month since then, and I just can’t accept it. The information that I have been given seems inconsistent and I am not totally convinced. I feel like I betrayed my cat and let her down when she needed me most.
Was it really cancer? I wonder if the vet could have misdiagnosed it. I realise that this blog post is about SCC, and that seems to be the most common type of mouth cancer. I’ve read a lot online about OSCC, as well as other mouth cancers. Everything that I read suggests that there is a mass or tumour that can be surgically removed. I’m not seeing anything about this mysterious cancer that just eats away at tissue instead of growing. But I am seeing things about bone infections, and how gum disease can lead to bone infections. Could it have been that instead of cancer?
The main reason why the vet seemed to insist on euthanasia was because of the hole in her mouth, and that if she was woken up and tried to eat, then food would go up into it towards her nasal cavity and eye orbit. I don’t understand why this hole couldn’t have just been filled in. Surely modern medicine has the technology to do that? If a soup of dead bone and dead teeth could provide support so that she could eat, then surely there must be something more hygienic that could be put into her mouth to do that same job? Or couldn’t she have been fed with a feeding tube or something? Am I just crazy?
I don’t know if she really needed to be put down or not. From my perspective, she was suffering somewhat (hiding away, sleeping a lot, pawing at her mouth towards the end), but she was still continuing to ask for food and actually eating that food, prior to the dental cleaning. She still had life in her. She didn’t just die – she was killed, by a lethal injection. I literally only have the vet’s word that it was necessary, that she would have been in agony and that she would have declined further. What if the vet was wrong? I should have fought harder, asked more questions, gotten a second opinion, instead of just obediently following the authority of the vet…
So to conclude:
1. I don’t know what kind of cancer it was, or even if it was a cancer. No biopsy was taken, and I can’t find anything online about this mysterious cancer that eats away at tissue without creating any cancerous growth. I have no idea if it was OSCC, the most common type of mouth cancer, or something totally different.
2. I don’t know if it was right or not to put her down. I only have the vet’s word.
3. Even if it was right to put her down, I definitely should have fought harder first, asked more questions, and gotten a second opinion. Maybe it could have ended differently. Maybe a better vet or some kind of specialist could have done something. I know I’ve let her down by not doing this.
4. In hindsight I realise that there were bad symptoms earlier on, and that I should have taken her in to get checked at an earlier stage. Maybe it would have been different then, if she had been looked at before her mouth got that bad. It was only when she started pawing at her mouth that I took her in, but before then she had been hiding away more, sleeping more, and had some discharge from her eyes and nose. I disregarded these things as her being upset about her previous trip to the vet, or it being cat flu. I was afraid to take her to the vet because of the coronavirus measures meaning I couldn’t go in with her. Again, I know I’ve let her down by not being more on the ball with this. I wasn’t there for her when she needed me the most.
My apologies for the long post. If you have any time, I really would appreciate it if you could let me know your thoughts. Thanks.
Oh, I’m so sorry to hear this. First, please know that you tried to do everything for your cat. This whole COVID19 thing has been a nightmare for veterinarians too, but it makes me so sad you weren’t able to see her and be with her. I do agree with your vet in that for it to cause a hole in the mouth, it is almost always cancer. Yes, severe stomatitis and severe feline resorptive cervical lesions can be very severe, but from the way you described it, I sadly also believe it was SCC. Last week, I had the same sad scenario – an owner who brought her cat in for a swollen cheek and eye, and the cancer was eating into the bone and jaw/face. Without a biopsy, I ended up euthanizing that poor cat, as he was really painful. The owner also asked if there was more that they could do… but by that stage, it’s really too late.
You definitely did NOT let her down – but rather you trusted your vet to make the medical decision to euthanize, even though it’s so hard. Please know that you can always take your cat home (and wake them up from anesthesia), but I agree, it puts them through more and is likely more for “us” then “them.” You can always get to a veterinary dentist too for an evaluation, but likely they would have said the same. I’m so sorry – my heart goes out to you guys. Hang in there and know that she is pain free and in kitty heaven.
Best,
Dr. Justine Lee
Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to respond to me. It’s incredibly kind of you. It really means a lot and is helpful for me to get an opinion from somebody else.
I think the thing I’m stuck on most at the moment is how the vet described it as a cancer that “just eats away” and that “doesn’t create new cancerous tissue”. Because of that, removing a lump/mass wasn’t an option, because there was no lump to remove. The mouth was apparently just eroding away, with the decay spreading up towards her nose and eyes… It just doesn’t seem to line up with what I’m reading about SCC, or even any other kind of mouth cancer. Everything I read says that there’s a lump or mass. Your blog post too also says about a “fast growing tumor”.
The vet did remove some dead, necrotic tissue though, which is what left the hole in her mouth. She described it as a “soup of dead teeth and bone”, but I wonder if perhaps there was a tumor inside all of that?
I just don’t know… Obviously I’m not a vet and haven’t studied biology or medicine. I don’t know a lot about cancer. But not knowing the exact details is making it very difficult for me.
Hi Justine- my cat, Nala, just turned nine years old. She was diagnosed with SCC on her chin in January. Since then, the tumor has continued to grow – thankfully, mostly off of her body and down toward her neck, although a portion of it has pulled down her lip. Prior to this, the teaching hospital that diagnosed her said that the mass could not be removed (after consulting with a cancer veterinarian). At that point, the mass was much smaller. I understand that it’s unlikely wide-enough margins would be available to completely remove the cancer, but this mass continues to grow… and also sheds a scab and bleeds every few days. Although she also has a chronic inner ear infection, she is much like her usual self — using the bathroom, eating, and playing. It’s hard to think about letting her go when she still seems to have so much life in her. The vet recommended radiation treatment, but unfortunately, I do not live near a treatment center and the cost is just astronomically high for this grad student. I’ve been trying to keep her comfortable, but just wondering if you’re familiar with SCC tumors located on the chin/jaw, not in the oral cavity, and what, if anything can be done. Thank you!
Was it biopsied? To have a 8 month survival is really rare for SCC without therapy, so I’d make sure a biopsy was done to make sure it’s not eosinophilic granuloma or anything else! The oncologist would know best about prognosis specifically for the chin. Best of luck!
Hi Dr Lee . Thank you for the post and the information. I have an old guy who does have the swollen jaw and black tissue around part of his gum line. Vet was unable to do full exam due to his discomfort and age of the 16 but diagnosed as probable oral cancer. I will be seeking a second opinion as an exam wasn’t really done & Can’t bear putting him down if it is an infection or a bad tooth. It is black and I can find no references to oral cancer being black if you could maybe at least recommend a second opinion being beneficial at all. Thank you kindly for what you do ,
Oh, I’m so sorry – it could still be severe dental disease but the best way is to make an appointment with a veterinarian for anesthesia for dental cleaning + dental xrays – this latter part is imperative. You can call around to find a vet that offers x-rays +/- biopsy under anesthesia to be sure.
Dr. Lee,
Can you please let me know if the drug Palladia would help or have any affect on a cat going through this horrible cancer? I have a 19 year old cat who just got diagnosed with this and I am utterly devastated. She is in stage 4 kidney failure, so radiation therapy and palliative therapy are out the door for fear of what the anesthesia would do to her kidneys. My vet wants to put her to sleep but I am torn on this situation. She is still actively eating, drinking water, going to the bathroom all on her own. We have been giving her Clindamycin twice a day to make sure if there is an infection, the antibiotic would be able to fend it off. I know the vet gave her a pain injection that supposedly lasts 72 hrs, although I don’t remember what it was. I can say that a side effect I noticed is that there was a bout of insomnia going on. I think that is starting to wear off and was wondering if there was a pain medication that we could administer that wont do that to her. It was rough watching her not be able to sleep when she’s used to sleeping a good chunk of the day. The hardest thing I am going through is knowing when the right time is. I have read through several of the entries and the general advice is once the eating stops. So, idk why my vet is being so pushy about doing it now…
Dr. Lee,
HELP! Please, it’s urgent. I need to know what the right thing to do is…the tumor is growing and I think a small portion of her lip is peeling backwards. Other than that, she is still asking and eating food on her own, drinking water, going to the bathroom, grooming herself. How do I know when the right time is? I know you said once they stop eating, but from a tumor perspective, when is the right time? What if she doesn’t stop asking for food/water…
Thanks,
Muddasir
Hi Dr. Lee,
I’m so grateful to you for this blog. I took my cat in for what I thought was a dental issue and my vet said she is 95% sure it’s cancer. She took a biopsy last week and we’re waiting for the results, but basically, she was preparing me for the end. My cat is a beautiful 12 year old tabby named Mimi who was a young stray when I found her. I am pretty shocked I won’t have more years with her, and based on what I’m reading, the inevitable seems to be just a few short weeks away (and maybe less). She is sleeping all day, eats less than half of what she was eating prior to this, and just gives me these sad eyes. I am petting her a lot, giving her buprenorphine and clindamycin as directed by my vet in the meantime. And like many of the people posting here, I came looking for support and understanding of when to know it’s time. I know my vet will advise and she’s been wonderful but I am worried I won’t get to be there to comfort her because of COVID. But I suppose I’ll find out what the situation is this week. Anyway, I’m so glad I found this blog because reading people’s stories that are so similar to mine, along with your compassionate responses has really really helped. Thank you.
I’m so sorry to hear that – I hate, hate, hate SCC as it’s so aggressive and by the time even we veterinarians diagnose it in our own cats, it’s so advanced. Hang in there and keep Mimi comfortable.
Sending prayers for your kitty.
Best,
Dr. Justine Lee
I am so grateful to everyone on this thread for sharing their stories – and for continuing to address questions and concerns, Dr. Lee. I would appreciate your thoughts if you have the chance.
Our 12-year-old Chloe was diagnosed about a month ago with a mass on her tonsil that two vets agreed was most likely SCC. We have her on Meloxicam with occasional Buprenex and she can still eat on her own, wants to be near us, etc. – the big question, of course, is “how will we know when it’s time,” but I don’t think we are quite there yet based on how much of her personality is still there. I know I don’t need to describe the grief and pain of watching her deteriorate…
I can only see the mass by ducking down and peering in her throat when she yawns, so I can’t track its growth very often, but the last time I was able to check it looked like it had taken over at least half of her throat. I was horrified. I guess I am wondering if there is any chance she would be completely unable to breathe and would require an emergency trip (which we’re trying to avoid) or result in a stressful ending for her? It seems like most cats with this condition ultimately stop eating, hide/sleep excessively, etc. which indicates it is time to put them down, but I am just fearful of waiting too long and having her choking on the mass somehow. I literally have recurrent nightmares where she chokes to death right in front of me. So I guess I’m wondering if this scenario is in any way possible…
Thank you again for your genuine compassion and expertise!
Cats are so adaptable and i will say that she’s likely tolerating it but I’m sure it feels “weird” (for lack of a better word) to feel it there. She’s unlikely to acutely choke on it, honestly but slowly have a louder breathing sound and have an increased respiratory rate. If her respiratory rate is > 50 breaths per minute at home, my general rule is it’s time and I’d bring her to a veterinarian. Hang in there – I’m so sorry to hear about Chloe.
Best,
Dr. Justine Lee
My Bella who is 10 was diagnosed two days ago, she’s lost 3 lbs since April and about a week ago started drooling. They gave her two injections Friday one of buprenorphine and one of convenia She’s been eating a little and when she is not sleeping she is pacing and acting erratic. She is not herself at all an hasn’t been since she got the shots, I don’t know if she is acting strangely because of the tumor or the medicine. I don’t want her to be in pain, I just don’t know what the best thing to do is
Hi everyone. As of last week, this was not a group I had expected to join, or a conversation I had thought I would participate in. But here I am, because last week, My Jack, about 10 years old, was diagnosed with SCC. The vet has advised me, and my research has confirmed, that there is not much that can be done. Even in the last week, he has deteriorated. This morning I made the call to schedule the dreaded appointment to euthanize. Within a couple of days of diagnosis, he already lost his interest in food. He still drinks a lot of water, but that’s not enough. I haven’t weighed him, but it looks like he is already losing weight. It’s all happening so quickly. Today, I began kind of force feeding him some pasty foods, just to get something in his system. If he fails too quickly, we won’t even make it to his appointment in 4 days time. My research today was directed at getting him to eat, or helping him to eat. That’s how I stumbled across this page. I felt compelled to add my own story, even though I have done so, to an extent, with a cat group I am part of on Facebook. I am finding that eating, or not eating, is his choice. Over the past few days, I have tried many foods to entice him. A couple of things seemed to interest him, but then he had difficulty with it. Later, I’m going to take that particular food, and blend it to a paste (not a pate, but an actual baby food consistency). I have to wait now until he is not angry at me for this afternoon’s force feeding. In a few short days, I’ve gone through all of the stages of sadness, anger, hate, compassion, blaming myself, and now I’m just down to loving him for his remaining days. I look back and I don’t think that there was anything significant which would have led me to be concerned about cancer. And learning that most vets will initially diagnose this cancer in a cat’s mouth as being merely a dental hygiene issue only adds the delay of the actual diagnosis. So mostly, I just want everyone here to be sure not to blame yourselves. And being a cat mamma, rest assured that I believe that each and everyone of you gave your furbabies a wonderful, happy, and love filled life. One word of advise that I would give for those in this position, is do not delay your baby’s life just to keep them with you longer. I am gladly willing to endure deeper suffering, just to relieve him of his. Do what you can to get through this, and whatever it takes to get your baby through this. My heart goes out to all of you. Love and hugs to you all. And to myself and my baby Jack. THank you.
You are a brave and strong cat mom. I hope you’re managing okay. Jack had a great mom who did the best she could.
Hugs,
Robin
So grateful to find this blog. Me and my partner Ben are trying to do our best for our beautiful black and white cat Sparky. We are finding it really difficult to decide whether to give him Palladia. Some research shows it can increase survival rates. But other research suggests that although the drug inhibits the cancer at first (by reducing blood vessel growth) the cancer responds to the lack of oxygen by becoming more aggressive and spreading. Also Palladia can have side effects including lack of energy and reduced appetite. We need to decide soon – has anyone had experience with Palladia? Justine – can you give any advice? Thank you, Val, Ben and Sparky
I haven’t had much experience with Palladia in cats. You can always try it and stop it if you notice any signs. I would talk to your vet about it and discuss pain medication too. Best of luck. Hang in there, Sparky! <3
Dr. Justine Lee
Hi Val- we were given Palladia as well to try for our Bubba who has SCC on his tongue/mouth. We were only successful in giving him one dose- in which he looked very unwell after we gave it to him. He didn’t eat and was lethargic. We waited a few more days before another dose and he seemed to come back to life. However with the cancer being in his mouth it only became harder to give him any sort of pill. It’s also not recommended to break up Palladia , so trying to crush it into his food would be pointless.
Just our personal experience with Palladia. Stay strong
Hi Dr. Lee. We just lost our 11 year old cat Scotty to what I think is SCC. It all just happened so fast. On 10/26 he lost his voice on the way to vet visit for his annual check up. Did not think much of this at the time. Perfect bill of health at vet visit. Bloodwork was all normal. Dental cleaning recommended so we had that done 3.5 weeks later. Everything was fine at the cleaning; since his voice was still lost we asked the vet to look at his throat but she didn’t see anything.
Five days later, he starts having loud breathing. Breathing issues began right after conclusion of at-home pain medicine doses after dental (Buprenorphine). Raspy noises while breathing all the time. Breathing through his nose. Otherwise acting mostly normal. No mucous discharge. Occasional dry coughing.
We take him to the vet on 12/3 (5.5 weeks after voice lost, 1.5 weeks of breathing issues) and they do a chest x-ray. Everything looks normal. Sent home with new antibiotic medication (orbax) to try in case the cause is an infection
12/9 (6.5 weeks after voice lost, 2.5 weeks of breathing issues). Breathing issues continue. No improvement from the new antibiotic. Vet recommends reaching out to a specialist, and in the meantime, we will also try an anti-inflammatory medication for a few days (Metacam).
12/11. Perhaps a slight improvement in breathing after 2 days of taking anti-inflammatory, but still not normal. However he now is eating less. He is not acting his normal self and seems to be in discomfort.
12/14 (7 weeks after voice lost, 3 weeks of breathing issues)
Appetite is better after stopping the anti-inflammatory and taking an appetite stimulant, but still not normal. Breathing about the same. Occasional coughing.
12/15. We take him to the specialist and while under sedation, he stops breathing. Emergency interventions fail and he passes away. They said he had a massive tumor in his larynx and was surprised he was still breathing.
Does this seem like SCS? He was only 11. It just seems SO FAST from when he lost his voice. Is there anything we can do to prevent this happening to our other cat?
Oh, I’m so, so sorry. Yes, this does sound like either SCC or lymphoma of the airway, which is super frustrating and very bad (prognostically). Please know that it sounds like Scotty went quickly and peacefully. RIP, Scotty.
Best,
Dr. Justine Lee
Thank you so much for your reply. Is there anything we can do to prevent this happening to our other cat? Should we do an occasional CT scan?
Sadly, no. Just routine annual physical examinations and keeping your cat’s teeth clean. Interestingly enough, there is a new blood test that is coming out to look for cancer in dogs, but I don’t think this is a readily available option in cats yet!
I believe this is the cancer my darling Lina had and not the fibrosarcoma that was diagnosed. No matter what cancer it was, she did the best she could for about 1.5 month after diagnosis. After that she really struggled, but tried her best. She still sucked on my hair in the wee hours if she thought there wasn’t enough food to eat in her and her sister’s bowl. She’d eat a little bit at a time, but it was a struggle for her afterwards dealing with the cancerous spot in her mouth which was growing into her palate. I made an appointment for her two weeks before her third steroid shot. When the vet said all that was left was pain management, I made the decision there and then. Maybe I made it too early, but I had noticed changes in her just the two days prior to that appointment which told me she wasn’t feeling the best. I could have brought her home and waited, but I might have waited too long. Lina was a sweetheart with a goofy and loving personality. She brought a wonderful energy to my home which is now missing. I didn’t understand the fibrosarcoma diagnosis, but I do understand and can relate to your post. Bless you for having to make a decision about your precious one. It’s so hard to not have Lina here. I’m working towards total celebration of what she brought into my life, and away from the deep sadness I am feeling.
Hi Dr. Lee,
Our beloved cat showed signs of minor drooling when we took him. The vet was planning a tooth extraction for FORL when they discovered the mass under the tongue. We got the call while our cat was still under anesthesia and were recommended to proceed with a biopsy. The vet did a punch biopsy but unfortunately our cat never recovered from this procedure. When we picked him up the tip of his tongue in the shape of a triangle was discolored and then fell off a couple of days later. We spoon fed him for two months until one day he showed paralysis on one side of the body and could no longer walk, eat, or drink and had to say goodbye.
I can’t help but feel the vet made a mistake when conducting the biopsy causing my cats tongue to fall off a few days later. Based on this blog and what I am seeing online, I have not seen the symptom of tongue loss arise in any discussion board. I feel so much guilt about allowing the biopsy to happen when I could have prevented such horrible complications and afforded him a better quality of life. He went from behaving totally fine pre-biopsy to terrine
immediately post-biopsy. Is this a common occurrence or was a mistake made during the procedure to cause this complication of tongue loss?
Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that. Please know it wasn’t from the biopsy – it was likely from the severity of the disease as it progresses very, very quickly. Unfortunately, he wasn’t totally fine before as he was drooling – which means it was likely severe. My heart goes out to you.
Best,
Dr. Lee
Hi. My cat was diagnosed with SCC. She is 16 years old. She is now turning most food down and has only taken some skimmed milk this morning. The tumor is in her mouth and she drools constantly. She tries to pull at it and it bleeds. She no longer grooms, so I wipe her down each morning with a warm cloth. She also smells quite strongly and even with cleaning her this does not go away. Does this mean the organs are shutting down. I know I have got to make that decision to euthanize her, but am finding it difficult to set a date. When do I know when to make that decision. Can anyone give me advice based on the above as I do not want her to suffer. She wants food, but as the lump throws her tongue to the right, this make eating almost impossible even though i give her soft pate foods, ham, smoke salmon, kitten food, all of which she now will not take. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
I would consider talking to your vet about additional pain medications – it sounds like her disease is very endstage, I’m afraid.
Best,
Dr. Lee
My cat was also diagnosed with SCC around a month ago. Now her tongue is sticking out more than ever and she has no feelings in it. When you touch it she doesn’t move it at all and when we give her moist cat food her drool mixes into it making it into a liquid mass. She manages a bit of tuna fish or chicken covered in soft cat food for taste but is eating less and less now. We’ve tried everything we can to make her eat a bit. I’m afraid it’s soon time to take her back to the vet one final time and it’s breaking my heart. She’s really a feral cat we took in many years ago and who never let you touch her. We had to trap her in the house to take her to the vet. Now she’s in a big dog cage and is beginning to let us rub her neck and cheek a bit.
any suggestions for how to feed and give her to drink when one cannot handle her and her tongue is almost useless?
I’m so sorry – you can talk to your vet about putting in a temporary feeding tube, but I would weigh her quality of life. I’m so, so sorry.
Best of luck.
Dr. Justine Lee
Dr. Lee, thank you for your compassion and wisdom, and I wish I had found your page sooner. I had to put my beloved, 16-year-old gray and cream tabby, Iris, to sleep 36 hours ago on the advice of an ER veterinarian, and while I am at peace with her passing, it is tearing me up that I waited too long and it became a midnight emergency. She was diagnosed with splenic/liver/intestinal mast cell cancer in September 2020 based on a blood test and ultrasound (no aspirate, the doctor did not think it was needed to confirm the diagnosis.) Iris still seemed perfectly healthy, but I started her on steroids immediately under the care of her primary doctor and a couple of weeks later she started metronomic Leukerin under care of an oncologist. She seemed to be responding well and still seemed healthy, and then fairly suddenly around Thanksgiving, she became hard to pill. She stopped eating her “special treats” in the pill pockets, and I had to resort to all manner of trickery with treats and food to sneak pills on her. We give up on chemo in early December when an ultrasound detected that her cancer was worsening. There were other options, IV chemo and a different type of pills, but I declined those because the pills were too large for her to swallow (they were the size of a centrum vitamin, and at that point I couldn’t even get her odansetron or her phenobarbital into her (Iris was also epileptic and took phenobarb for seizures). I didn’t want to put her through IV chemo where she would have to stay all day at the oncologist and be wiped out by period treatment (Now I second guess that and wish maybe I had tried…)
But around Christmas, “the end times” started, and she developed what seemed like an upper respiratory infection with constant sneezing. Her primary doctor gave her an antibiotic shot and said the under side of her tongue was swollen. She did not mention SCC but said it could be cancer. I assumed if it was cancer it could be related to the mast cell cancer spreading (but so far I haven’t seen anything online that indicates MCC can spread from the organs to throat or mouth…) Iris gradually lost her ability to use her tongue to eat and to swallow. At first we noticed her head butting her water dish and splashing the water out of the bowl with her paws, trying to get a drink but not able to. So we offered her drinks from the kitchen sink, using the sprayer, and if she put her mouth next to it and tilted her head back she was able to swallow. As for food, she was soon on baby food only, and if she could eat a whole jar or most of one I was so happy. But as the days went on it dwindled to a few bites, and then nothing. Back to the vet, who said her tongue was stuck to the left side but wasn’t sure why, but assumed it was the cancer. Prescribed pain meds (gabapentin, in hopes that would help her tongue), and transdermal or liquids for her steroids, phenobarb, odensetron. She struggled terribly with the liquid meds administration. She was never a cooperative cat about that, but it seemed to get worse and cause her real distress, and I started to notice blood in her mouth after a couple of administrations a couple of weeks ago. We persisted, because she still seemed happy sleeping in the sun, still seemed to try to follow her routines, still seemed to WANT to eat, but couldn’t. Up until her last day, Saturday 1/16, she ate butter as a treat every evening when we sat down to dinner. She would lick it off our fingers or the back of a spoon. As things got worse, we would put in on a fold of a napkin so she could mouth it and enjoy having it in her mouth before it fell out. She was eating virtually nothing her last couple of days. I tried everything I could think of. A week ago I went to the grocery store and bought everything I though would have any chance – deli turkey, which I ground to a paste mixed with baby food; kitten formula, which I thickened with Thick-It; sardines to grind up; anchovy paste, smoked salmon, caviar. The only things she had any success with were fancy feast fish ‘appetizers” with a sole topper, and that was essentially just the gravy – the fish pieces fell out of her mouth – and just a few licks of baby food, most of which fell out of her mouth. She was drooling constantly now, her face and paws and legs were discolored brownish because she couldn’t groom anymore. Her beautiful fur around her mouth was always wet, but she still seemed to enjoy having me massage her cheeks and jawline and throat, and I didn’t feel any lumps. She still used her litter box perfectly, but the output was so minimal towards the end. I don’t know why I didn’t act sooner to end her pain of hunger and her deterioration from the beautiful, proud kitty I knew – I think I was hoping whatever was wrong with her tongue would turn around, because I didn’t think her intestinal cancer was end-stage yet. But finally, Saturday afternoon, she stopped drinking from the kitchen sprayer. I hoped she would take a drink and eat a little Saturday night, but she wouldn’t. I sadly determined I would have to call Lap of Love in the morning. And then at bedtime, around 11, I gave her her gabapentin, and it all went to horror. She resisted me, and after I got about half the dose in her mouth (the rest went on my arm), she started bleeding from her mouth, fairly profusely. It wasn’t flowing, but it was dripping. I felt panic and remorse that I had caused her to bleed so much. I kept wiping her jaw and face and soaking up blood on towels. I hoped it would stop, but it didn’t, it just kept flowing. I wanted to give her more pain med, some bupronorphine I had saved for an emergency, but I was scared because I didn’t really know how much gabapentin and phenobarbital was still in her system and didn’t want to overdose her. Looking back I wish I had given her two mL of bupronorphine to make her next couple of hours easier. But I finally decided I needed to take her to the ER. Her regular vet doesn’t have 24 hour, and the center where she had seen the oncologist was full. I ended up having to take her to an ER where she had never been before. Had to wait in the car due to covid. After consulting with the ER doctor who examined her, she recommended euthanasia that night. She said she saw no active source of blood in her mouth, so it could have been throat, possibly – the amount of bright red blood I wiped up that night came from somewhere. She was dehydrated. Her tongue was swollen to two to three times normal size. “But maybe that’s an allergic reaction” I tried to bargain, any ray of hope to dissuade me from what I knew was the doctor’s correct opinion and the hope that somehow we could get her to drink again. I finally asked, “Do you think she is suffering? Will pain med help?” The doctor said she thought she was suffering, and I should do it. Part of me felt such relief as I agreed. No more worrying for me and pain for her, terrible medication administrations on the kitchen counter, no more opening jar after jar of baby food and every pouch of premium cat food, broths, just trying to get a little bit of something, anything into her, no more worrying that she would have a terrible seizure or steroid withdrawals because my phenobarbital administration was so clumsy and I didn’t know how much had gotten into her, how much had gotten on the counter and how much had drooled out of her mouth. No more pain. No more constant stress and panic for my baby, who I loved more than anything or anyone else in the world. But it also felt so very wrong. I was second guessing myself every step of the way, couldn’t they give her a pain shot so I could bring her home and call Lap of Love Sunday, maybe they could fit her in. Could she maybe hang on until Tuesday when her primary doctor would be there? Sadly, I remembered how she turned away from the kitchen sink sprayer, I remember that even if it were not for her mouth/throat/whatever was bleeding, the intestinal cancer was still eating her. I went through with it, and she passed peacefully in my arms. The doctor and staff were so compassionate with us – I have no complaints. It just wasn’t what I wanted for her at the end. I wish I had done it sooner, but then how could I have, when my information was so incomplete, she seemed to have so many ups and downs, and even as the downs became lower and the ups less frequent, there were still new medications to try, the Internet to research, hope to be had, another sunny day forecast where she could sleep in the sun and purr beside me. I am haunted by the look on her face when they first brought her into the room, after the IV had been inserted in her leg – she wouldn’t look me in the eye, her panicked eyes just darted around the room, and she jumped at every little noise. They gave us some time, and I just held her close and whispered and sang a lullabye to her, and tried so hard to calm her. I never did get her to look in my eyes one last time, which I will always regret. I felt glued to the chair I was in, and didn’t feel like I could set her down on the floor and let her walk. I’m not sure why I felt that way. I just thought I was supposed to hold her in my arms until it was over, which I did. The doctor came in and told me to keep talking to her. She explained that she was injecting the sedative, and poor Iris jumped a little in my arms, and them immediately relaxed. A few seconds later, the doctor administered the final shot and she was gone immediately. I was surprised it was all so fast. There was so much more I wanted to say to her as she passed. I didn’t want to keep her in pain, but I felt is was all too fast. They let me hold her alone in the room for a long time afterwards. I didn’t want to let her go. I turned her towards me and saw her face and her eyes. She didn’t look at peace, she just looked tired. I can only hope she knew how much I loved her and felt peace in her final moments. I wish so much she had been sleeping in her own home in the sunshine instead of scared in the middle of the night in an unfamiliar place after a panicky ride to the ER. This is my regret for her. And I still don’t know – was it SCC, on top of her mast cell cancer; or was it the mast cell cancer that had spread? Was it something else, like a complication from the URI with a compromised immune system, an allergic reaction to one of the drugs I was giving her? What killed her? Is there anything else I could have done? I don’t feel like I’ll ever know. and it’s killing me. I keep looking at photos and videos of her as a young, bright kitty, and am filled with regret that she came to such a sad end. Maybe I should have let her go sooner. I loved her so much, I don’t know how I’ll ever feel right again. But reading about SCC gives me more information I didn’t have, and I feel it’s quite likely it was a secondary condition for her, since her last days were so similar to many of the other kitties here. Thank you for listening.
Bubba is my world. Instead of going to my prom in high school, I took the money my mom gave me for prom tickets (sorry mom) and ended up sneaking home the cutest little kitten. He quickly became so loved by my family. He has given me 12 years of endless love and joy. He has been the one constant in my life while I struggled with losing my dad to cancer, multiple breakups and heartaches, battling mental illness, and moving out and living alone for a few years. I called him half cat half dog – he greets me at the door whenever I come home (his nose sticking through the crack as I try to open the door); he would come to me when I called his name; he loved to play ball; he slept beside me every night; and any time I was crying he would come lay on me to comfort me. When my partner moved in he instantly won him over too and would sit in his lap as he worked from home.
I noticed in October his tongue was sticking out a little more than normal. Then he started drooling a bit. There was a faint smell. I figured it could be a dental issue, but I immediately brought him to the vet to be sure. When the vet told me he saw a mass under his tongue- my heart sank. A biopsy confirmed the worst- oral SCC with little to no options for treatment.
We opted for Palladia with the hope of giving him a bit more time, however after one dose we stopped as the side effects made Bubba seem worse instantly. We’ve been giving him pain medication by syringe and he has had 2 doses of antibiotic to help reduce discomfort. He went from eating dry food to wet food only, and drinking from his water bowl to only drinking from a running tap. He has lost so much weight and we can tel it’s getting harder for him to eat. We have been wiping his face and helping to clean him while spoiling him as much as possible.
I’m struggling with booking the appointment to have him put to sleep but I know it’s time. The reasons I was hanging on this long are starting to fade – he was still playing, being super cuddly, alert, and begging for food all the time like his old self.
This is the one of the hardest things I’ve ever gone through and the thought of him being gone is killing me. To go from having this loveable little guy by my side 24/7 to not at all scares me. I know there will be a huge void at home without him- especially since we are in a COVID lockdown and being told to stay home.
Finding this page and reading the very relatable personal stories of others has given me some strength to go forward with what I know I have to do. It will hurt greatly but it hurts more to see him suffer.
I hope everyone here, including myself, is able to find the strength to get over such a great loss.
Hi Vanessa, I am so sorry you are in such a painful situation with your best friend, Bubba. My broken heart breaks further for you. Be kind to yourself and don’t let the guilt get you, because you have done so much for him and are trying your best. Guilt is a way our minds distract us from truly feeling the pain of losing our beloved babies. I read that somewhere recently. I am trying to focus on all of the love, comfort and contentment I gave Iris, and she gave me, for more than 15 years, looking at the pictures and videos I have of her and remembering her beautiful purr. I have recordings of her purr in videos, but nothing matches the soul-rumbling vibration of the real thing in the middle of the night when she curled around my head on the pillow. I have a plastic envelope with clippings of her fur, but I’ll never again be able to kiss her soft ears and head and stroke the beautiful white fur on her tummy. I’ll never have that moment of being startled when I was deep in the zone with work and then suddenly heard “Brrwwwwl!” as she announced herself jumping up on my desk. I keep thinking I hear her little footsteps and her breathing behind me. I know time will diminish my pain, but I also don’t want it to, because I can’t stand the thought of forgetting her or letting her recede into memory.
Is there an in-home euthanasia service like Lap of Love in your area, so Bubba can pass comfortably in his own home? That’s what I wanted for my Iris, but I waited too long, and I had to take her an unfamiliar ER in the middle of the night. I was all registered with Lap of Love and had also talked with her primary vet about whether I could go in with her (covid), and they said yes, but when she needed them in the middle of the night on a holiday weekend, they were closed. I am left with a lingering feeling that I both waited too long and also panicked and jumped the gun.
Please try to give Bubba the gift of calmness at the time, as I wish I had done for my sweetie. It will be easier for him and a better memory for you too. But I also know how impossible it is to “schedule” it. I couldn’t do it. But now I wish I had, because nothing I could do could stop the train that was coming. It is over. She’s at rest now and nothing I can do can bring back the opportunity to do it better, so I just have to hang onto knowing she was a happy, beloved kitty for 15 beautiful years, and I did my best for her and made my decisions out of love. You will too.
Don’t let them rush you. I wish I had had more than a few seconds after Iris was sedated. She went from being scared to being gone in about 10 seconds. I wanted more time with her in a relaxed and comfortable state before the final moments so she would be more receptive to my love. If you can talk with the doctor beforehand and clarify how this will work. I don’t know if it would have been possible for the doctor who helped Iris to slow down the final injection, but I wish now I had known enough to ask.
Praying for you and your sweet boy.
Your page has helped us think through this wrenching decision. Thank you.
My 18 year old Asia was diagnosed in mid August of this year. By the time we got the biopsy and had an appointment with an oncologist it was October. She started that day with chemotherapy. After 2 months (2 injections) our oncologist felt she wasn’t responding and he suggested we give her chemo in an oral form at home every other day. First – in my opinion keeping her tumour from growing for 2 months is a positive response , at least it was stable and she was happy, eating, playing as usual. Second, the every other day dosing meant she had too many sick days vs an injection where she had a few sick days per month. I had to ask the oncologist to go back to the injections, and she had one last week. I feel she had a setback during the delay in getting her the oral and then in the 2 weeks we gave it to her and now I fear her tumour has grown. She’s starting pawing at her mouth when eating, like she’s trying to move food to the other side of her mouth. I’m constantly looking for new foods and treats that she’ll like and eat easily. Oddly she prefers her Temptations treats over anything so, like so many people have written here, she gets whatever she wants. I just wish there was more I could do for her but to have her still happy and eating at about the 5 month point is a true gift. I want her to see another spring… Thank yu Dr Lee for a wonderful blog, its been very comforting to read. My best wishes to all here who are suffering thru this with our precious little ones.
Thinking good thoughts for your family and Asia, and so glad she is eating so well during all this.
Best,
Dr. Justine Lee
2020 was a tough year for our family- not withstanding COVID-19, we lost two cats to cancer (stomach and kidney). Neither showed significant signs of decline ahead of time, it was sudden and unexpected. After losing two cats so close together, we decided all our pets needed a vet visit (our 4 cats were all inside, did not get shots, but for rabies, after the first year. Our dog had cancer removed from her chest a year prior), starting with our only female feline, Kaitlyn. She looked healthy, never so much as vomited a hairball in her 12 years. Vet called after her exam- bloodwork looked perfect, she appeared well cared for but she needed some teeth removed. She was placed on an antibiotic and three weeks later, went in for her dental procedure. Our world again turned upside down, when the vet noticed a rather large cyst in her upper jaw, imposing enough that he could not suture the gum where her teeth were removed. Biopsy done- it was SCC. We we’re devastated! These cats ate top of the line food, mixed with pre and probiotics and got greenies to help prevent decay. They took a vitamins…We realized none of that stuff mattered. Treatment was not an option, she was given an antibiotic shot and sent home on liquid pain medication, this being December 4, 2020. I asked how long she may have and was told there was no way to tell- maybe a month, maybe six months…we were told that as long as she is eating, with the aid of pain meds, she would be ok short-term. I was determined to beat it, I’m sure we all thought we had more time and hoped that our cat was the one to make a miraculous recovery. We stocked up on packets of cat mousse, pate, broth and bisque. Goat milk and broth with tumeric helped keep the food liquid enough for her to eat and we fed her anytime she seemed interested. A appetite stimulant was added to her diet and as such, she gained nearly a pound and a half! I started giving her CBD oil along with the pain meds. Two months later, she is still hanging in there BUT I can see a decline and know the time is near. She drools like crazy and her breath is putrid. I wake up wet from both her mouth and her eye, which now leaks, as her disease is now pushing upwards from her jaw. She cries a little whenever I have to move her from her position upon my hip and under the blanket. Yet, as soon as I return to bed, she jumps right back on. She still rolls around and rubs her head against mine. She greets me after my shower and comes down the stairs to meow for more food. I realize that every day is a blessing and try to give her more love and attention than ever before. I know it’s selfish to push her for more time, but can’t yet let her go. I feel for all of you , knowing you have felt this pain too. Losing three of four cats in quick succession is breaking my heart, harder still, is that Kaitlyn is MINE. I have had an extra 2 months with my precious girl and although I realize her time is coming to an end, I try to greet each day with a smile even though my heart is breaking into a million pieces. Seeing these posts made me realize we are not alone so in that sense I hope my post also offers you a sense of peace knowing others have been there and have faced the same pain. God bless!
Lisa — everything you’ve written I have experienced — I just posted as well. Please know that you are not alone — we’re all going thru this. I finally lost my baby girl last night. We made a euthanasia appointment 3 times and canceled because she kept rallying and coming back, but this week I knew there was no coming back. When she finally slipped away in my arms last night I felt incredible loss and pain but a sense of relief that her pain is over. Today I admit is a horrible day as I clean up the house and clean out her litter boxes, etc but I know she’s much much better where she is, even if its without me… Sending hugs to you and everyone else on this site…
I’m circling back after my initial posting on January 25, 2021. Last evening we finally put our little Asia out of her pain. She’s been a fighter of this awful disease for 9 months. Only one week ago did she stop eating real food and need more liquified foods — Inaba Churu’s watered down was her favorite. I am reading so many posts here that are identical to my experience and my grief. Today I am mourning my 18 year old best friend kitty – and I’m trying not to feel like a big baby for mourning a kitty as if she were a human. But I am incredibly comforted by reading so many others on this site who seem to be feel connected at the soul with their kitties as well. Thank you to Dr Lee and everyone who has posted on this site. We are connected in our common pain from this terrible disease and the pain we feel when it takes someone with 4 paws that we love. Best of luck to everyone here.
Hi dr. Lee. I’ve found your blog while researching about oral SCC because my so much loved cat has being diagnosed with this horrible disease 10 days ago. Since then, all I do is cry and wonder why this is happening to him now. He’s 12 yrs old and the tumour is placed in his oesophagus, so the vet can’t do the surgery. I’ve looked for a second opinion and heard the same thing. The oncologist has suggested chemotherapy (mitoxantrone) to try to prolong his life a little bit but for now I’d rather go to palliative care only and let him live in peace while he can. I don’t want him to suffer and don’t want him to spend his last weeks in the hospital since the chemo won’t cure him. At the same time I feel guilty for not trying to treat him – it’s irrational I know. He’s been eating with a little help, cuddling in our legs ans sleeping peacefully in the sunlight like he always did. I’m not prepared to say goodbye, that hurts so much 😔
I’m so sorry to hear that. 🙁 Thinking good thoughts for him. One option might be to consider a feeding tube to help?
My heart goes out to you.
Dr. Lee
Hi,
my 19 year old cat Lulu otherwise very healthy was also diagnosed with this horrible disease. almost 8 months ago. We were in a way lucky it started in the front jaw bone so we opted for surgery. But after 4 months, cancer started growing back. Maybe I should’ve done chemo but I did not want him to suffer and it is so difficult to know since the info online is pretty much all the same , wherewith intervention the best case scenario was 1 year. I will need to make that decision soon and I am just as heartbroken as in the beginning. So it can help but it seems impossible to cure.
M’y heart is broken to have to add my story here. My sweet little cat, only 7, has apparently a SCC. She was eating less since 2 days so we took her to the vet and there is a 7cm mass in her mouth going through her throat. I don’t understand, we don’t smoke, she only eat quality food, she’s still a young cat, how this happened? She was fine a week ago. The worst part is she is still fine, she’s playing and spend time with us… But she has trouble to eat and the vet said it’s going to get worse , we can’t remove it and she might even choke really soon and we should euthanize her. But how can I accept to euthanize this lovely little cat playing around with us, so awake and so fool of joy? I had so many cats they never live really old I wonder if I am cursed or just a really bad owner? But I never had to take such a hard decisions, killing my cat because she can no longer eat even though everything else is fine…
I am so sorry to hear about your kitty. I hope you find peace in whenever you have to make the decision. You are not a bad owner, and when it’s time, remember you are allowing her to rest when living becomes too difficult and painful.
So sorry to hear everyone’s stories. My cat, Isaac (almost 15) was also diagnosed with this. I have been going through a cross between heartbreak and denial for the last month. The hardest part is that if it wasn’t for the slight bulge in his face, I really wouldn’t know there was anything wrong.
He is on steroid treatment which he started this week, in addition to subcutaneous fluids and appetite stimulants to keep him eating (my vet advised against radiation as it would potentially cause him side effects that would make him stop eating, and not be that effective anyway). He eats like a champ and still seems to feel good most of the time.
I’m just grateful that he is still feeling good, also that I work from home and can be with him all the time.
Wondering if there is any sort of research being done among veterinarians to better treat this horrible disease and give our cats more time? If not for Isaac, for future cats who will be diagnosed with this terrible cancer.
My heart goes out to everyone else dealing with this.
I’m so sorry to hear this about Isaac. Right now, the biggest studies have shown that keeping oral health a priority (dental cleanings) and minimizing exposure to smoke (cigarette) is the biggest preventative. I wish there was better outcome, but not yet, unfortunately.
Thanks for the information – Isaac became my cat when he was 10, so I really don’t know what his dental health was like prior to coming to me, although I don’t believe he lived with any smokers. I appreciate your reply, he’s still doing well so just staying thankful for every day.
We adopted George 3 years ago – his old owner had passed a few years before, and George had been surviving outside before we moved in and saw him sitting by the back door (we’re truly living in his house!). He started struggling with food back in October. I assumed dental and took him to a specialist, who broke the news about the tumor behind his jaw. We didn’t want to biopsy due to multiple heart conditions, but SCC is the best guess we have.
He has his up and downs. Sometimes he asks to go outside and walk around. But most days he barely moves and struggles to eat. I think it’s finally time to let our old man rest. I am so grateful for him and our time together. Thank you for your stories.
He went to sleep yesterday after a perfect day of naps in the garden and having visitors give him love. This page helped me make the decision, reading through everyone’s stories and situations. I know it was the right choice, but it still doesn’t make it easy. I feel so immensely sad, but also very relieved for George. He was perfect and I miss and love him so much.
To anyone that is still in the process of making the decision: spoil them. Give them junky treats and bury your face in their fur. When they can’t enjoy the things they used to, you know their time is close. You have been their steward and need to help them for one last moment, they forgive you for being imperfect. Just be there, and do it at home if at-home euthanasia is available near you.
My cat Bobby was diagnosed last August with SSC, right side upper jaw. I brought him from Alaska to California where I now spend winters, thinking he would live a month or 2 and I would take special care of him. It has now been a full 8 months and though the tumor has grown quite large towards the outer side of the jaw, his right eye is squished upwards, he weighs about 3lbs, is really stinky and drools a lot, he can eat, with gusto!, on the other side of his mouth. I am unable to determine if there is pain as he exhibits no special indications so I sometimes give him a dose of the buprenorphine I have on hand for him, just in case. I watch him closely for indications of suffering, but it is indeterminable. He eats a fair amount of pate cat food and drinks water with it. I have to return to Alaska soon and don’t want to euthanize him as long as he is eating, but don’t want to put him through the stress of travel, either. Writing this description is helping me to feel better about making the right choice, though, and reading what all other cat lovers have been through with their fur friends, gives me comfort in sharing this special type of agony. I’m so glad I found this page.
Oh, Bobby. Thinking of you. Blessings to you both. Dr. Lee
Thank you Dr. Lee and everyone here for sharing their stories. This blog has really helped me to find comfort and strength from all of the experiences shared. My sweet little girl of 16 years was diagnosed on April 1st after I brought her in due to the onset of drooling. I initially thought it was a dental issue of some sort and was completely shattered when the vet advised of a tumor that had grown on the right side under her tongue. The vet indicated that there were no treatment options and removal was not possible due to the location of the tumor. Still, I opted for a second opinion just to be sure but was told the same thing and that palliative care was the best option.
The vet prescribed transdermal codeine to be administered every 12 hours for pain (I’m in Canada so I’m not sure if the other drugs listed here are available). I mentioned this to the other vet when I received the second opinion and he also agreed with using this medication. For the first 3 weeks she seemed to be acting normal and like herself- still bright, alert and doing everything she loved. She was still able to eat solid foods but with a bit of difficulty as food would sometimes fall out of her mouth. Nonetheless, she was eager to eat her favorite foods of chicken, fish, and was even still receptive to her renal diet due to stage 2 kidney disease that was diagnosed earlier in the year. However, the vet said not to worry about feeding her renal diet any longer and to keep her as happy as possible by feeding by whatever she wanted.
As time progressed, I noticed signs of decline as each week passed. She eventually experienced too much difficulty with solid foods so I fed her wet canned food blended up into a liquid. She responded to this well for a period of time but there were many ups and downs, good days and bad days. She regularly sat with us during dinner and would ask for table food but near the end, she would sniff it and move it around with her nose, or try a few times to eat it with difficulty before giving up and just moving over to her chair to sleep.
She was drooling almost constantly and had drool on her fur which by now was discolored with a red/brown color. I tried to wipe her down with a warm cloth daily and help to clean her mouth after feedings but she started to overgroom herself and began pulling out her fur where the drool would sit. We noticed that the sound of her meow now sounded different- almost like a distressed call or cry. She started pacing around after eating and would try to groom, pull out her fur and couldn’t seem to get comfortable.
Despite the signs of decline each week, she still enjoyed being outside in the warm sun, taking naps and laying in the garden. She still gave us love and enjoyed when we gave her attention and rubbed her beautiful fur. On Sunday, the day before we put her to sleep, I noticed that she had lost a lot of weight and had become really thin. That night, she refused to eat for almost an entire day and I just felt that she had been through enough. I couldn’t bear the thought of her experiencing another night of pain, discomfort and hunger.
I don’t even know if this makes any sense but when I made the appointment on Monday, I felt sure of my decision and that it was best for her. Now, I have been feeling gut-wrenching guilt and regret for possibly letting her go too soon as she was truly enjoying her day in the sun and did eat that day when I fed her last meal of tuna. I knew regardless that it would be a matter of days for her but the thought that I let her go even one day too soon makes so sad and as if I failed her. Should I have waited a few more days? Or would that have been selfish and just allowing another opportunity of suffering for her? I know I did not want to wait until the last minute or until she completely couldn’t eat anymore because that would have meant that she continued to suffer.
I hope I made the right decision and that she is at peace.
Well, as much as I hate to add to this blog, we too are dealing with our kitty (Octavious) having this awful cancer SSC. He’s had diabetes since 2017. Daily shots twice a day. Then he developed Stomatitis in his mouth. We’ve been treating that since last summer. In April we spent the money and had the Stomatitis treated in Laser surgery. This was suppose to give relief for a couple of months along with the Convenia antibiotic shots.
The relief only lasted two weeks. More antibiotic and steriod shots. (His left tonsil was swollen still after the surgery.) 5 days later I called the Vet. His mouth was bleeding and the tonsil felt like it was the size of a ping-pong ball. The Vet described Prednisone to take down the swelling. (This was May 12th). On May 19th I called the Vet again. Octavious was in bad shape. The lump was larger and the bleeding more frequent. When the VET did the laser surgery, he thought he should do a biopsy on that tonsil, but didn’t. When I called this time and the Prednisone had had no affect, he knew. The Stomatitis had metastasized into cancer. Our kitty had Squamous Cell Carcinoma. He talked. I listened. He said there is no cure and we will be at best to put him to sleep. I opted to take him down and have another Convenia shot–give us at least 10 days more to have to make that decision. We are at 20 days today. Our lovable kitty is still with us but I can see that he is so sad and unhappy. I’ve had Fibromyalgia for 10 years. This kitty has been my survival. He’s always there, and on my bad days, he knows. He stays close and keeps a watchful eye over his “mama”. We were hoping he would just go to sleep. Dr. Lee–I was sad to see where you wrote they don’t die naturally or peacefully at home. That was our prayer!! I don’t want to watch him waste away. He is still eating and drinking, but he looks so sad:( We both know the time is coming, but it is the hardest and worst decision to have to make… I cry.