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Hello everyone. I was reffered here from VetHelpDirect. My girl is 18y9m old and has a suspected brain tumor. She has lost vision in her left eye and hearing in her left ear sometime within the last year. She also always has bits of food on the left side of her mouth and gets a lot of food into her water. I took her to the emergency vet at the beginning of October as she seemed to be unable to use the litter box. They confirmed no blockage and that it is likely neurological. She was also limping intermittently and her left food was sliding forward or out to the side a bit. I took her to a neurologist and they suspect a brain tumor. I should have let them do the mri but she has hcm so I wanted to wait for the echo which was scheduled soon after. They gave her prednisolone to help her symptoms- which it has. I have since gotten the echo and her hcm has not progressed and they said she is 'low risk' for anesthesia. She also has kidney disease but it is either stage 1 or early stage 2. I am getting bloodwork done tomorrow. 

I can't decide whether to get the mri and see what the options are then or just continue on this path of palliative care. I have had her since she was a kitten so my heart is breaking. I am trying to not be selfish but I also have guilt no matter what I choose. 

If I get the mri and proceed with surgery, that is of course invasive and surgery is a risk. 

If I do nothing I feel I am letting her die prematurely. Yes, she is old but she is a physically strong cat who is still agile and has a healthy weight / appetite, etc. 

I don't want her to die on the table but I also feel bad doing nothing. 

Since her other conditions are mild and being managed I feel she could live several more years. Especially when in my research I have found that there is a medication to stop the progression of hcm and also that kidney disease vaccine coming in 2025 that can prevent worsening of that. Also her kidneys are stable with the diet I give her. 

I know it has to be *my* decision but I struggle with decisions in my every day life and something like this just feels impossible.  

I was thinking about getting the mri because if it is not operable then that takes the decision away which makes me feel terrible to say but this choice is so agonizing to me.

It's been a month of mulling it over and I have not figured it out. ????

Hello,

Your post appeared multiple times. I had to make some edits; unfortunately, it now shows as being posted by Admin.

I am a veterinary Emergency and Critical Care specialist, not a neurologist. So please keep this in mind. I 100% agree that this needs to be your decision.

If she were my companion, on balance, I would have the MRI scan done. If this can be done in a centre where there is a dedicated Anaesthesia service, the associated risks from general anaesthesia are low—not zero, of course, but low. If she does have a brain tumour, this can increase the risks of anaesthesia, but nonetheless, it remains low when done in a supervised, well-controlled environment.

To my knowledge, there is only one type of brain tumour that cats get, which can be operated on (by suitably qualified and experienced neurosurgeons). Knowing the MRI scan results will help guide your decisions and the care you provide in the future.

I am the founder, CEO and Clinical Director of The Ralph Veterinary Referral Centre in Marlow, west of London. I am unsure if you are UK-based or where you live, but if you are in our region, we would be happy to review her case and discuss further with you. You can email me in the first instance at theralphsite@gmail.com. https://theralph.vet/

Also, please note that these forums do not get much engagement anymore. Instead we have a private Facebook group with lots of members always available for support and advice. https://www.facebook.com/groups/theralphsite/

Thinking of you and love to the little one,

Shailen.