Hi everyone,
I’m currently facing one of the hardest decisions with my 12-year-old rescued male cat.. He’s been healthy his whole life, but he suddenly got sick this last week.
His bloodwork showed a very high white blood cell count (135k) and low red blood cells / severe anemia (HCT 19.4%).
An ultrasound found a large 5cm fluid-filled mass in his belly near his spleen/bladder that the vets think is driving a severe infection or inflammation.
He’s currently hospitalized on IV fluids, potassium, and strong antibiotics. The good news is he’s acting like his normal self today—eating, hydrated, and resting comfortably.
The vets are recommending exploratory surgery to remove or drain the mass, but they can't do a needle biopsy first because of the risk of internal bleeding. There is also that possibility that the mass ma have spread out to other organs and maybe deemed inoperable. I am terrified about putting a 12-year-old, anemic cat through open abdominal surgery, but I'm also scared of what happens if we leave the mass inside him.
Has anyone else gone through something similar with a senior cat? How did you handle the fear of high-risk surgery versus waiting on medications?
I guess I’m just feeling really overwhelmed and need to know I’m not alone in navigating this.
Thank you so much for reading.