My wonderful cat is 11 years old. Four months ago, she started vomiting several times in a row on occasion and lose weight, so I took her to the vet. However, they found nothing in the blood tests or during the physical exam, and suggested I switch her food, which I did. Then, a month and a half ago, something grew in her abdomen in just a few days, to the point where it was bulging out on both sides. The difficulties with the diagnosis began after that. The first vet (whom I probably trust the most) immediately said there was a 99% chance it was lymphoma, and given its size and where it had spread, it couldn’t be removed; for now, it was enough to wait until the cat’s symptoms became more obvious so we could start hormone treatment and make her final days easier. The second vet, whom I visited when the cat’s condition worsened because the first one was on sick leave, didn’t find a tumor at all and suggested that her kidneys were protruding (even though he had examined her via ultrasound as well) and advised getting an X-ray at another clinic. The third veterinarian, whom we consulted for the X-ray, initially suspected lymphoma, then, after the ultrasound, couldn’t figure out what was going on for a long time, but said that it most likely resembled a rudimentary ovarian cyst, which apparently hadn’t been completely removed ten years ago. She prescribed leukeran and prednisolone and suggested surgery, promising an 80% success rate and that removing the cyst would leave no lasting effects on the cat, allowing her to live a long life. She also mentioned the possibility that during the surgery, they might discover the cyst couldn’t be removed if it had spread to other organs. She quoted a price of 1,200 euros for the surgery, which is a lot of money for the country where I live, but I have savings and could afford it. Thinking the odds were good, I agreed to the surgery, but it wasn’t scheduled to take place for several weeks. Today, there are seven days left until the surgery.
The day before yesterday and the day before that, the cat started eating very poorly (as had happened a couple of times before, but only for one day, not two in a row), and despite the medication, the tumor has grown, plus it seems another one has appeared nearby, like a small ball. Yesterday she tried fifteen times but still couldn’t go to the toilet. I called my primary vet, because she’s closer to me and who didn't answer, and then my third vet, and she suggested she might have a urinary tract infection (though even I can tell that the tumor is most likely pressing on her bladder or another organ, causing discomfort), telling me to simply give her the pain reliever Melosus, which I had at home. I asked her about compatibility with prednisolone, but she sounded surprised, as if she didn’t know there was a risk in combining them, and told me to just skip the evening dose of prednisolone. I gave my cat the pain reliever, and then I panicked.
Fortunately, the first vet called me back, and I was able to show her the cat. She said that a single instance of combining the medications should be fine, but the tumor had indeed grown larger and spread even further, which is why the cat is having problems. She said the cyst wouldn’t be so lumpy, hard, and immobile, and that she still believes it’s lymphoma. And that, of course, I can try surgery, but it’s very unlikely they’ll do anything other than open the cat up, confirm that this thing can’t be removed, and close her back up or suggest putting her down on the spot. She also said there’s no blockage, but her bladder is full (not completely, but quite a lot) and that she’s most likely just unable to fully empty it, which is why she’s distressed, and that is a thing I should keep close look at and consider euthanasia if she will be in the same state for next two days
I’m completely lost in all of this and don’t know what to do. I feel terrible for choosing to live far from the capital and being unable to ride there as I don't have a car yet, where I might have been able to get better care for my cat. My cat is still fairly lively and comes to cuddle, but I can see she’s in pain (and the first vet noticed this during the exam too), plus she’s starting to have more noticeable issues with eating and using the litter box. She’s barely drinking, and loses more and more weight. The initial effect of the prednisolone, when she was running around and playing with the dogs again, has completely worn off, and now it seems to me that she’s much worse off. I feel that if I refuse the surgery and choose euthanasia this week, I’ll just be getting rid of my cat as if she were a problem I’m too lazy to solve, taking the easy way out. All the criteria for euthanasia seem insufficient to me, because it’s as if each of her problems seems minor enough, rather than something final. And at the same time, I don’t know if she’ll make it to the surgery next week, because on top of everything else, she’s also become much weaker. She also handles the car ride terribly - she gets nauseous, vomits, drools, and after the ultrasound she screamed in terror the whole way home like she’s never screamed in her life, and despite what the third vet said, I doubt she’ll recover in two days after the surgery - more likely, her recovery will take a long time, and I don't know if it's worth it in case they won't be remove the thing and just leave her sewed. I'll just make her days more miserable
Basically, I guess I wanted to ask if I’m doing the right thing by considering canceling the surgery and thinking of euthanasia now, this week? Or am I rushing things too much and cutting off any possible chance of life for her? I'm so so afraid of making her go through pain, but I am completely lost on which option would be better for her
So if someone maybe had experience with mixed diagnosis like that I would really appreciate hearing your thoughts and advices. Thank you!