My cat has an ear tumor?

Question

She is deaf and I think she has had the tumor for a little while now... She is an old cat so we can't do an operation because odds are she won't survive it. It doesn't seem to be bothering her, though. Besides scratching her ear and occasionally shaking her head.

My question is... um... how long will she.. have left? :(

Answer 1

i am so sorry to hear that, let her live!!!

Answer 2

Your vet is the only person who can even begin to answer your question.  I am glad to hear that her condition does not seem to trouble her.

Good luck!

Answer 3

There is a tumor like growth that cats can get in their ears, that is just an overgrowth of tissue. This can cause them to lose hearing in the affected ear. If this is the case, it can keep growing, and it's a difficult surgery, but it isn't a cancerous tumor that will spread to her chest and other organs. Your best bet is to make sure she is happy. What is her quality of life? If she is eating and drinking and showing no signs of distress, then she's happy. Maybe she is deaf in one ear, but that doesn't make her life poor. As long the tumor is not growing to the point of causing pain from pressure build-up, she will probably be fine. If this is a definite cancerous tumor, then just spend a lot of time with her, pay a little more attention to her daily habits. If you start noticing some changes, take her to the vet, ask them how they feel she is doing. And do regular bloodwork, especially if she is an older cat. Older cats can have a lot of changes to their organ function very very quickly. But don't stress too much. And ask your vet more questions if you are feeling very confused about everything. I'm a vet tech and I know that we try to be informative as possible with all of our clients. Let them know everyway that a case can go, and what all of their options are, whether it is conservative treatment, or really aggressive treatment. Don't be afraid to ever ask questions, your best judgements will be made by knowing all the facts.  And most importantly, make sure your cat is happy and never suffering. I hope that this helps at all, and I really wish you the best of luck.

*smile*

-Special K

Answer 4

Well, how do you know it is a tumor? Is there a bump on the ear or something like that? My cat had a tumor under her arm and we noticed because it was a lump. It wasn't cancerous, though, and she could have lived with it for a very long time - we just got it removed because we weren't sure. My cat was 14 when we got it removed - I'm not sure if your cat is older, but if she's younger and you can afford it I say go to the vet's and just get an idea of the pricing.

If she has a tumor, there's a very good chance she can live with it for a long time. She might die a bit before her time, but she could live for years. It all depends on your cat's health, really. For now, try cleaning her ears. Perhaps something is bothering them, or perhaps she has an ear infection. We once had a cat with very bad wax buildup, and whenever we saw her scratch her ears we would clean them out and then she would be fine. Just see if that helps - if it doesn't help as much as you want, it should probably still make her feel more comfortable :)

Answer 5

Let her live until you notice that she feels bad. Then euthanize her.

I'm so sorry!!