My cat might have intestinal cancer or IBD. What's the prognosis?

Question

Hello, My cat showed symptoms of lethargy, no eating, drinking, and trouble using litter box for 4 days. He's had x-rays, blood work, and ultrasound done. He's getting a biopsy in 3 days. Their thoughts are that he probably has intestinal cancer or severe IBD problems. We feel they don't want to give us bad news. I'm hoping to get a frank prognosis, thoughts, and quality of life for each issue (I'm sure intestinal cancer varies). Please tell us what to expect for either issue. Thank you. Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 5 years and 2 months old | 10 lbs

Christie Long, DVM · Accepted Answer

I'm sorry you and Oscar are going through this. My honest opinion? In talking to pet parents about cancers, intestinal cancers in cats are one of the instances where I almost always urge people to go for it, and try to treat them. Why? Because they can do so well for so long. I'm assuming your vet is thinking this is either intestinal lymphoma or inflammatory bowel disease. Those two diseases cannot be distinguished from each other on ultrasound, and we often just see thickened intestines, so biopsies are needed. IBD is very treatable, and at 5 years old that is the more likely diagnosis. Some of these guys do great with just a diet change to a hypoallergenic diet. Others need immunosuppressive therapy in addition to diet, but there is an excellent drug called budesonide that has minimal systemic side effects, and works primarily in the gut. I've managed IBD cats well for 10+ years. If it's lymphoma, those cats respond well to prednisolone therapy (another, stronger immunosuppressive drug) and sometimes the addition of a well-tolerated chemotherapeutic called leukeran. I've successfully managed cats with intestinal lymphoma for 3+ years. If it's not lymphoma, and more of an issue with a focal intestinal mass, that's a whole different ballgame, but again, treatable in many cases. And I would have expected that they would have seen a mass on ultrasound, so that seems unlikely. I think the best thing about getting biopsies is having a definitive answer, and knowing what you're dealing with. Best of luck to you and Oscar in getting this figured out.

My cat might have intestinal cancer or IBD. What's the prognosis?

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