I think if this were me, I'd get a second opinion. Your vet should be able to get to the bottom of this sooner than how long this is taking. If your vet thinks your cat has lymphoma, has he recommended an ultrasound? I just went thru this with my cat, and Timmy's diagnosis was made with an ultrasound. I just think it's time to get a second opinion.

I'm sorry your little guy is so sick. I have to agree a second opinion is a good option. There are specialists you can be referred to and I'm wondering why the Vet hasn't already referred you to one. I would see if there is a Vet in your area who only treats cats sometimes the added expertise is warranted.

Consider taking Wuji to an oncology vet to confirm or rule out lymphoma, and perhaps come up with a treatment plan if it is.

Our cat's oncology vet has been terrific.

Thank you for your posts. I think you guys are right about the second opinion. I am kinda distraught about how long my vet has taken to run tests while I just watch my cat slowly slip away. I live far from any specialists in the middle of farm country. I called the humane society that's an hour away and asked if they reccomemded a vet in the area. They told me of a good one, I will be calling him tomorrow. I really want to rule out the cancer. :(

That's the best thing you could do for your cat. The deterioration certainly warrants more aggressive and urgent medical attention. Best wishes to both of you and please keep us posted.

Thank you and I will do so. I had to wait until tomorrow at 8am for his appointment.

Well turns out Wu has lymphoma. The vet said that Wu seems to be doing pretty good. He wants me to keep feeding him evey hour during the day. He hopes that Wu starts to eat on his own soon. I do too. I have no delusions that the cancer won't take him but it is a matter of when. He's feeling better so we shall continue on this rout until he starts to decline. If he starts to suffer then we will have to let him go. Thank you all for posting on my thread. I always though cancer affected older cats, I guess one never knows.

I'm truly sorry about your devastating news about Wu, sending thoughts & prayers for Wu and you.

Thanks Christine I appreciate that very much. Pets are so small but can impact our lives greatly. I'm happy to have a year with him. My husband and I drove from Alaska to Oklahoma with the 2 cats in a Subaru. Wu has seen and done more than most cats his age and he has loved every minuet of it. He would have been put down at the pound the day we got him so I guess it's better to have a short life than not to have one at all. I will be thankful for the time he has enriched our lives. :)

I'm so sorry.

Bless you for taking care of him.

Sarah, if you don't mind my asking; what type of lymphoma, and has it spread?

Our cat was Dx'd with high grade nasal lymphoma the week before Superstorm Sandy--three years ago. It hadn't spread (beyond the nasal cavity). We did Cyberknife radiation, followed by 6 months of chemo. With the exception of the need to reduce slightly the dosage of one of her chemo drugs (because of her WBC count following its administration), and an unrelated bout of conjunctivitis, she did great. She was on daily doses of Prednisalone (pills) which she tolerated well (her appetite was a bit wonky for a short period of time after chemo ended and she was being weaned off the pred). Chemo/check-ups were weekly for the first 10 weeks or so, and then every other week until she completed the 6 month treatment schedule.

Follow-up visits initially were spaced closer together, but were eventually pushed out to every 6 months. She's been doing great, and if you didn't "know" you wouldn't be able to tell she had gone thru cancer treatment at all.

I realize each medical situation is different, but I'm passing along our experience with this in case it helps. We were fortunate in that our cats are covered by pet insurance, with a cancer rider (doubles the scheduled cancer benefits). It didn't cover everything, but it helped a lot. We also live within driving distance of a terrific cancer vet (as well as the animal hospital with a veterinary Cyberknife, one of only two in the US I believe).

Best of luck to you and Wuji.

Edited to add how sorry I am re: lymphoma Dx. I meant to type that first.

So sorry about the bad news. Best wishes for a comfortable journey for you and Wuji.

Did Wu have an ultrasound?

You really need to know what type of lymphoma. Some are slow and treatable, others are very aggressive. If he has an aggressive type and you chose to do chemo, once he is out of remission (which probably won't be long), I strongly advise, for the comfort of your Wu (and your own peace of mind after he is gone), not to pursue further for another remission and to just let him go in peace. They are shorter and it is not pretty.

Wu and other pets with any-type CANCER does not need prayers to send

him or her to Heaven. RATHER, they NEED Rosemary Capsules, 3x's daily.

Order them online or at the Health FOOD store....A good one will also be able to recommend any other item needed....Trust us, it's not only cheaper but so much

less aggravating than having Chemo & Radiation!!!

rose, are you saying the rosemary will send pets to heaven? I think most folks would prefer human euthanization when the time is right.

Sounds like an all natural treatment plan Rose & George are recommending.

Again, our neighbors' dog was given 3 weeks to live 3 months back. Owners put him on 3X's daily rosemary capsules and in 10 days. He was diagnosed with a serious CANCER like Lymphoid Leukemia. She gave the rosemary faithfully each and every day 3X's per day. When she returned him to her Vet, he looked everywhere for the

3 large tumors, but they were gone. The dog was eating again, playing, sleeping.....

and still alive!!! She bought the AHCC from Health Food Store and he is still with us

and has a great appetite.

Is there such a cat tht is "sick" or what??

Sarah, thank you for coming back to share the results. I'm really sorry your Wu is so sick, he's a very fortunate kitty to have someone love and care him the way you do. I wish everyone was so caring.

Thank you all very much for your kind words and suggestions. I'm sorry I have not updated my post it's been sorta a roller coaster of a month. Wu did have an ultra sound and the vet thought his lymph nodes were enlarged. We scheduled a biopsy but the day they were going to do it Wu took a turn for the worst. We thought he was going to pass away. We had him at home that night and in the morning he was better. Since then he's had good days even a great day, but a lot of not so great days. The vet told us he could do a biopsy but since he's not very strong right now it's best if we don't do one. His stools are light tan now and his ear tips are drooping down. I asked the vet about his ears and he dosent know why they are drooping. This poor cat. Thanks for your support. Sorry that I have neglected this post but it's been kinda a sad month.

I know this may seem callous, but when the bad days outweigh the good days, you might need to consider what's best for him. (please note, I had an Australian Shepherd for 12 yrs, who had cancer when he was 2 yrs old, and had to put him down at 12...so I do know what I'm suggesting). it was rough...but it was the right thing to do.

Aw Sarah, what a cutie! Sending best wishes during this difficult time.

He looks really good there! I hope whatever it is passes soon. I would talk to your vet about putting him on probiotics for his gut health and elimination. If not already done, get a special GI panel. There are some rare, manageable diseases that might turn up on those blood tests.

How much weight has he lost?

I would go to an internal medicine specialist who might be more familiar with the problems he is having. Regular vets can not always handle things like this. That he said he doesn't know why his ears are drooping is not a good sign he is experienced or in-depth enough. It is easy to find some reasons for this with some quick internet searches.

Hello everyone. I thought I'd give you an update on Wuji. I took him in for some more tests about a week and a half ago and we found out he was severely anemic. The vet upped his steroid and gave me some Petinic. The next day after the adjusted meds, I got my Wuji back! He is now eating, playing and even sassing (playfully) his sister. He hasn't done those things in 2 months. He is a lot harder to give his meds to though. When I stick the syringe in his mouth and give him his meds, he just stares at me and refuses to swallow. I've tried to rub his throat but it's still a no go. He waits till the meds slide out his mouth and down his face. I don't know how long he will stay like this but we are so glad his days are now happy.

“Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy.”
― Leo Buscagli

(could you try putting the meds in his food?)

Maybe mix the medicine with a little bit of ice cream, or milk, and let him lap it up?

He sure looks healthy in these photos! You don't know what is wrong with him yet? Are his stools still pale? Ears still drooping?

That is a really great quote. And I will try the milk or ice cream mixed with his pill. For some reason he stopped eating any wet food and only wants dry food. He really does seem healthy, his stools are better in color now, but still dry. His hair haven't grown back where they shaved him a month ago. I had them do an In-depth test for thyroid but it was negative. His ear tips are not as droopy, which I can't finger out. I thought that it was caused by the steroid but I increased the dose. We still don't know exactly what is wrong. I live very far away from any sort of specialized vet care. I will have to talk to my vet for the next step next week. Thanks for the advise!

See about probiotics. Gut health is where it's at these days. Animals are no different. I hope you can get him off the dry food eventually, it isn't healthy, but whatever a sick kitty will eat is good. Maybe you can get him an anti-inflammatory diet for his digestive system, like Hill's I/D, from your vet. It also comes in kibble form. It would be much better than the supermarket brands.

http://www.hillspet.com/en/us/products/pd-feline-id-dry

Yay!

My vet told me years ago that cats' gullets are like tunnels;

don't be afraid of pushing the syringe way down there, whatever it takes to be sure the medicine goes inside the cat.