Life of the Lintee Bean

Studley has been losing weight since January.  I admit, at first I was pleased.  He was overweight at 19.5 pounds and needed to drop several pounds.  He’s a big cat, but he doesn’t need to be THAT big.

Studley

The cause of the weight loss was obvious in that he wasn’t eating as much.  Less In = Less Studley.  However, the reason he wasn’t eating as much was less apparent.  Did he miss Louie and Ralphie, his cat buddies who passed away in 2009?  Unfortunately, I can’t ask him.  Well, I can ASK, but he won’t say.

Studley, Ralph, and Louie

He had a dental in September of 2009, and bloodwork looked fine.  In March, I took him in for an exam and the vet gave me some antibiotics in case of an oral infection.  (He breath smelled bad despite the recent dental.)  In April, I was growing increasingly concerned.  He not only continued to lose weight, he’d started vomiting stomach acid (clear saliva, sometimes foamy). I took him in for the full senior plan workup:  urinalysis, bloodwork, chest x-rays, EKG, blood pressure, etc.  Everything looked fine.  I spoke to the vet at length and wondered aloud if I should take him for a thyroid scan (scintigraphic/technetium scan) despite his T4 values (which hadn’t increased from prior tests).  She wondered if we should get an abdominal ultrasound.

Studley enjoying our window enclosure

I thought about it a lot, and I just didn’t know.  T4 bloodwork in reference range doesn’t rule out hyperthyroidism by any means.  In an older cat, it should be in the lower half of the range and decreasing over time.  However, Studley’s values weren’t up at ALL.  He could be slightly hyperthyroid, but the chances he was hyperthyroid enough to treat with radioactive iodine didn’t seem likely.  So, I continued to just think about it.  It didn’t help that Rumpelmintz had been losing weight in 2008/2009 and we went through this same scenario.  I opted for her to get an abdominal ultrasound and thyroid scan – which showed nothing.  For her, we landed up just putting her on a low dose of oral steroids for any explanation of what could be causing her issues – and she’d been doing well since.

I continued to weigh Studley at least monthly.  By June 20, he was down to 12.5 pounds.  The weight loss wasn’t tapering off as he approached his ideal weight of 12-14 pounds – it was happening faster.  His appetite was decreasing.  I was starting to go from “concerned” to “freaking out”.  I scheduled a thyroid scan and ultrasound for July 5.  I took him to the vet for an anti-nausea injection and to ask for appetite stimulants.  They also gave me sub-q fluids to give him at home. The vet examined him (again) and this time, noted a lump near his throat.  I called the specialty center the next morning and begged them to fit us in that day.

The weather was NOT cooperative.  It was a rainy miserable day – and it’s June, the height of road construction season.  It took over an hour and a half to get there, when it takes 20-30 minutes on a good day.  The oncologist I met with noted the “lump” was an enlarged lymph node, and noted two other lymph nodes also greatly swollen.  He suggested bloodwork, an ultasound, and aspiration of the swollen lymph nodes for analysis.  I left Studley in his capable hands.

The ultrasound showed nothing of significance – though the liver was slightly more yellow than normal, possibly the beginnings of hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver disease) – an ailment that strikes cats when they don’t consume enough protein.  The bloodwork showed nothing of significance.  The aspiration revealed abnormal cells, which would be sent out for analysis.

We left, unfortunately, at 5:00 p.m. – the beginning of rush hour traffic.  To top it off, it started to rain again as we approached the car.  Within minutes, the rain turned into torrential downpours.  Thunderstorm and tornado warnings were declared on the radio and “if you don’t have to be outside, don’t!”  Interstate ramps were underwater, and I held my breath as we drove through feet of water, hoping the car wouldn’t stall.  Visibility was poor.  When we got within six miles of home, I got off the interstate where traffic was barely moving and took side streets home.  This time, it took two hours to make the journey – plus time to wander around the block trying to find a way to get to my own garage, as felled trees blocked some streets.

Tree that was in street - moved to side

We did make it home, and the appetite stimulants kicked in and Studley ate the most he had in weeks.  Then we waited for the cytology results.

Unfortunately, calling the specialty center on Friday only revealed that oncology staff weren’t in on Friday.  (Argh!)  I did get a message on my home phone that afternoon from the vet, saying it was melanoma (cancer), most likely metastisized from the tumor removed in 2006.  He suggested setting up an appointment to discuss treatment options  such as chemotherapy or vaccination (?) therapy.  There’s little known about melanoma in cats – no studies to rely on – so prognosis is uncertain.

Studley after melanoma was removed in 2006

.. and that’s where we stand.

Update:  I was able to speak to the oncologist and yes, treatment options are IV chemotherapy every 21 days and/or vaccination therapy (immunotherapy) every two weeks for four treatments(?).  These therapies might slow the growth of the cancer.  Regardless, I will likely start him on oral prednisolone, a steroid, in hopes it makes him more comfortable.