A cat question for a Veterinarian.?

Question

We have a 3 year old cat that is rapidly loosing weight. Blood work was done and all tests are negative. She eats as usual, and all her other behavior seems normal. The next step, according to our vet, is x-rays.

Is there anything, other than cancer, that they might find with x-rays? If so, what are the likely possibilities, and the odds of an easy cure.

We don't want to put her through cancer treatment, or anything else that is drawn out and painful and/or uncomfortable for her.

Thanks in advance for any insight.

Answer 1

Before people scare you with likely possibilities I thought I would add my insight. Since you seem to be most concerned that your cat may have cancer I will mainly address that issue. Of course without seeing your cat first there is no way I can speculate what could be wrong with your cat. But I can inform you that x-rays MAY or MAY NOT be able to diagnose what your cat has even if it was cancer but x-rays are the common next step for veterinarians to take in these situations and may help provide some clue to what may be causing your cat's illness. Most cancers are are not usually definitively diagnosed in animals unless a sample of a mass or lymph node(either a fine needle aspirate or a biopsy) is looked at. There are still additional diagnostics that can be performed as well if a x-ray does not determine the cause. Your vet may recommend ultrasound and additional bloodwork to help get a diagnosis as well. There is also the option of being referred to an internal medicine specialist for a full work up. Also to add there are a lot of possibilities for the signs that your cat are showing and these possibilities can potentially range from an easily curable disease (e.g intestinal parasites) to a hard to cure disease (e.g. certain types of cancer). But there is no one on here who can tell you which is more likely except your veterinarian who has ACTUALLY seen your cat. But you are doing the right thing by taking your cat to the vet to try to determine what is wrong with your cat. I wish you and your cat the best of luck. :)

Answer 2

I am going through that now with a ten yr old cat. X-rays showed nothing and the blood work came back with a high calcium reading which is associated with lymphoma. So at least you are clear of that. An ultrasound will be done next Tuesday. She has been very sick for over three weeks now and has lost 3/4 lb. (she only weighs 8 normally).

I would not put a cat through chemo nor radiation either. Of course the lymphoma becomes systemic and chances of any "cure" are nonexistent. For a mammary cancer that had not metastasized I might opt for surgery and some chemo.

I have seen too many humans now suffer through a year and a half of cancer treatment which only made them miserable and didn't cure them. I would never do that to a cat to extend its life another six months or so.

I hope that the final diagnosis for your cat will something benign and treatable.

Answer 3

I am not a vet but have had a number kitty problems.. NO.. do not put the cat thru any cancer treatments.. not good for the cat and also not good for your pocket book because vets will take advantage of you and take all your money if you let them..... It could be cancer of course but blood work and xray should find that out... It could be diabetes but you would know that if... IF the cat drank tons of water and urinated all the time... if that is t he case, blood work would determine the sugar level and if the kitty had diabetes.. I kept my cat alive and doing well for four years with diabetes and injections twice a day.. finally succumbed to a brain aneurism at age 16

Answer 4

That's so sad, my 3 yr old male cat, sadly just died of cancer. He was loosing weight and throwing up, an xray found a mass in his stomach. It was such a huge shock with-in 3 days he could no longer walk, so we had to put him down. I really hope your outcomes different, I know the pain you are feeling.

Answer 5

im no vet but mt friends cat did the same thing she had soming in her stomach that caused her to stop eating and she lost a lot of weight. it was sad but the vet gave her a treatment and she was back to eating.

Answer 6

could be hyperthyroidism its quite common & can be controlled with medicine or if its more serious the thyroid can be removed & the cat would need meds for life but can live a long time with no discomfort at all

Answer 7

Seen it happen with FIP.

Answer 8

seen it happen with fip