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/
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
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!
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.
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.
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 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’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?