Hi all,
I'd like to apologise for the long post but I am trying to give as much information as possible. :o

About two weeks ago our cat began sneezing, was lethargic and off his food. He slept a lot. Three days later he seemed to fully recover and began eating and behaving as he normally would. We thought he had had a cold, although he continued to sneeze periodically.

A few days ago we noticed that our normally friendly and affectionate cat was hiding from us. When we examined him we noticed an approximately 1.5 inch diameter, prominent bump between his eyes. The bump is hard and apparently causes no pain to the cat when touched.

As it had risen so quickly, (we hadn't seen it 2 hours earlier) we assumed that he had somehow bumped his head and had given himself a fright. He spent that night sleeping on a suitcase on top of a wardrobe in our unoccupied spare bedroom, (he normally sleeps with us in our bedroom).

The following day he seemed to recover somewhat and began acting almost normally, I say almost as he still seemed a little nervous. This lasted about 3 days. And while he ate with his usual gusto he also began sleeping more than usual.

Today I checked on him in his "den" on top of the wardrobe and saw that he was lying in his own urine. He also seemed very lethargic. This alarmed me and I took him to the vet.

At this point I must mention that I am living in Italy.

The vet examined the cat and from what I gather he said that there is a slight possibility that "Vincent" has an infection, but it is far more likely that he has a tumour. One which will eventually block his nasal passages and kill him. He said that if it is a tumour it is inoperable and there is little that can be done apart from euthanasia.

He recommended that rather than put the cat through the trauma being anesthetized to carry out tests, we should first try antibiotics for 10 days and if there is no improvement, carry out the tests necessary to confirm his diagnosis.

Does anybody know what kind of tumour the vet is talking about? (unfortunately I was too shell-shocked to ask for more detailed information).

Could someone also please give an opinion as to whether it sounds as if the vet's suspicions are well founded?

I have looked on the internet for information and they say that tumours in cats can be treated with radiation and chemeo therapy.

While I am doubtful that this kind of treatment would be available for pets in Italy, I would be grateful if anybody could give me any information regarding its successful application in these types of tumour.

Vincent neutered and is about 7 years old (we are not sure of he exact age as he was a stray). Apart from the sneezing there is no discharge from his nose.

Again I apoligise for the length of this post but any information would be greatly appreciated.

I am so sorry to hear about Vincent's health problems. I saw your posting yesterday and I don't know that much about veterinary care for cats so I asked a friend who is known locally as The Cat Lady. She has been saving feral and abandoned cats for 25 years and goes traveling all over the U.S. and works with a number of vets and animal welfare organizations to trap, neuter, release, save, foster, rehouse.

She couldn't remember the scientific names for the tumors but that this does happen often enough. She said that it sounds like the vet knows what he is talking about but if you have any doubts at all, find another vet to confirm the diagnosis and if it is confirmed, ask that vet what they usually do there and if nothing can be done, how much time he feels Vincent has. Then go back to the first vet to confirm this info.

Unfortunately, she said that if they both agree, depending on how advanced the tumor is, chances of a full recovery from chemo or radiation are slim and even though it can be hard to tell at times, it can be a very uncomfortable and painful process for the cat. I know you are not going to be happy with this answer, and mind you, it is not coming from me, but she said for the sake of the cat, please make him as comfortable as possible, and when he stops eating or drinking water completely, or you see a major change in his personality, continual sluggishness, meowing more than usual, pulling away and hiding more from you, euthanization is the kindest thing you can do for him. She said to make sure the vet gives him a shot (can't remember the name of the medication) that will put him to sleep and after he is asleep, he should give him the second shot that will stop his heart. She said that you can be in the room with him to make sure that it is done with compassion. Bring a blanket or towel he is familiar with and stroke and talk to him while the first shot is administered. This is very hard for me to write and I am crying while I am typing this. I am so sorry to be so blunt here. But, I thought for your sake and your kitty's sake, someone should do this.

I am so sorry.

Has your cat's eyes been watering? And what about bad breath?

It seems to me that your cat has symptoms of Chondrosarcoma, which is a nasal cancer. It slowly progresses and there isn't much you can do to prevent it. There's two kinds of Chondrosarcoma, so don't get this one confused with the trachea chondrosarcoma(dealing with the throat). Try telling your vet about (NASAL)Chondrosacroma and see if he/she agrees. Further tests would have to be taken in order to diagnose this, such as a urinalysis, nasal culture, chest x-rays, CBC, and a biopsy is necessary, as well as scoping the nasal cavity, and cutting into it.
This sounds very serious to me, and you need to get the required tests taken in order for your cat to survive. After the tests, see what you can do for you cat, and how long it has, if putting your kitty out of its misery is the best thing for him.

I'm very sorry for not replying earlier (computer crash and loss of data being the main cause). I thought perhaps you would be interested in the outcome and I think writing about it will help me with my grief.

Thank you for your kind thoughts Ruby and your information was very much appreciated and helped us to deal with what lay ahead.

Laylow you were correct as Vincent did have a nasal tumour and had all the symptoms you mentioned, although strangely enough he has always had watery eyes since we got him from the cat home about 5 years ago.

We followed the vet's advice and gave him antibiotics for 10 days and there was some improvement and he started eating and drinking again. However we had only treated an infection and the tumour remained. We talked to the vet about our options and radio-therapy was mentioned. We decided against it as it would have probably only added a few weeks to his life at the price of a lot of discomfort for the cat.

So we took him home and he lived for two months, gradually losing weight, even though he was still eating quite a lot and constantly nagging for food.. He was back to his affectionate self although it was obvious he was not well.

Well to cut a long story short his condition suddenly deterioated (by suddenly I mean within the space of half an hour) on Monday and he basically went into a semi coma. We immediately took him to the vet and had him put to sleep. Obviously both I and my partner are devastated and miss him very much. He was a big (8 kgs) ugly ole cat but he didn't have one mean bone in his body.

Again thanks for taking the time to reply.

Sorry for your loss - they do grow on you, don't they...