Negrita, diagnosed with Lung Cancer and Cardiomegaly

After being misdiagnosed with Feline Asthma back in August 2022 and not showing signs of improvement upon treatment, we took Negrita for a second opinion in September 2022; she was then diagnosed with early-stage Lung Cancer.

Life expectancy can depend on several factors, a cat may live more than one year if diagnosed at an early stage which is Negrita’s case.

At the beginning of 2023, she went for a checkup with another vet who re-evaluated her condition; new tests and X-rays revealed she also suffers from Cardiomegaly.

Despite her fragile health and gradual deterioration, Negrita remains stable, eats regularly and shows a very strong will to live.

Twice a day, we use a nebulizer that delivers a fine mist of saline directly to her lungs to increase moisture and help Negrita breathe a bit better.

Watch Negrita during her morning nebulization session

Due to her heart condition, the vet is evaluating whether it’d be safe to use some medication instead of just saline, which could allow air to move more easily through the lungs hoping that could give Negrita even more relief.

RELATED: Negrita lost her battle with cancer

UPDATE January 9, 2023

Last Wednesday, Negrita went for yet another vet check up as her condition was gradually deteriorating. She was very stressed so she had to be sedated to be able to run the tests. New X-rays revealed an enlargement of her heart (Cardiomegaly).

Bloodwork + urine test showed that her liver and kidneys are deteriorating as well. Due to the underlying heart condition detected, the dose of the meds she is taking has been reduced.

To determine how to treat her heart condition, an echocardiogram will be needed, however, the high level of stress she went through during her last checkup caused her to breakdown; she stopped eating and was exhausted for 48 hours, so we have decided not to take any risks and wait for at least a couple of weeks before taking her to the cardiologist.

Negrita is now stable and eating regularly; she has a very strong will to live and we are doing all we can for her to have the best possible quality of life.

She’s taking a pill of corticosteroids a day to help her a bit for as long as she continues to eat and have some quality of life, which could range from 6 to 12 months.

UPDATE September 6, 2022

Last week, we took Negrita to another vet clinic for a second opinion and sadly we came back with no good news.

After a closer look at Negrita’s X-rays the vet confirmed she has a few lung tumors that will eventually grow and spread and so there is not much more we can do for her at this point but to provide love and comfort until the time comes to let her go.

UPDATE August 18, 2022

8 days into treatment (antibiotics + anti-inflammatory) there was no sign of improvement so we took Negrita for a follow-up visit.

She had been misdiagnosed with a pulmonary infection and new tests (X-rays) were needed to re-evaluate her condition to finally diagnose her with Feline Asthma which was to be treated with corticosteroid shots every 2 weeks to reduce inflammation in the lungs.

Despite the elevated respiratory rate and increased respiratory effort, Negrita still has a healthy appetite and she’s quite active for her age (13) so, next week we will be seeking a second opinion.

However, a few days after the first shot, there was no improvement whatsoever so, yesterday afternoon, we went for a vet consult once again and they said that if the corticosteroid shots are not working it means the lower respiratory system is already too damaged and it is no longer treatable.

UPDATE August 10, 2022

Senior FeLV+ rescue Negrita (13) has been diagnosed with a quite severe infection that affects her upper and lower respiratory tract.

She was given shots of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory and she’s to continue treatment at home for 10 days.

A week from today, she’ll have to go for a follow-up visit so the vet can check how she is responding to treatment.