Hello Fellow Feline Fans!
My name is John. I am a devoted cat lover having had cats most of my life. At the present time we have three adorable Bengal Cats, 2 females and one male. They are littermates and are now 11 years old. The one female Angel was recently diagnosed with feline asthma and reversed sneezing. I love them all so dearly.
I am a former United States Marine and disabled combat Veteran. I suffer from severe PTSD. My cats are my family and they really help me manage it. I find petting them and loving on them makes my heart rate go down and it relaxes me.
I joined this forum because we need help. You see our male Bengal "Gordy" (for Jeff Gordon), has been losing weight. He already is a long slender cat so any loss in weight is immediately noticeable. I took him to the Vet yesterday for a check-up and the Vet gave me that sad look on her face. Bottom line, Gordy either has IBD or lymphoma, not a great choice is it? The only way to confirm this is by aspirating a piece of his intestines with a needle. It was all I could do to hold back the flood of tears building in my eyes. Good thing I was wearing dark sunglasses at the time because I was devastated at this bad news.
I read that the average life-span of a Bengal cat is about 12 years although there are many Bengals living as long as 16 yrs. Is Gordy too old to save? How much time does this really give him? Any advice is welcome.
Its not the money. The question for us is what will Gordy's quality of life be if it turns out to be lymphoma? Chemotherapy, radiation, x-rays etc. that is a lot for any sick 8.5lb cat to endure especially when he is older. On the other hand what if it is IBD? Same question? I love this little guy with all my heart and then some, but I don't want to see him suffer through this treatment if it is not going to give him any real quality of life. Any one here ever have to deal with this situation? Was it worth it? I would so value and appreciate hearing from anybody here that knows something about this or has experienced it for themselves. Should I even bother taking him in for a biopsy or just ride it out with medications as God and nature intended and just keep him as comfortable as possible?
Thanks everybody, Gordy thanks you too!!
God Bless Our Beloved Kittys!!!
John (cat lover)