HomePet InsuranceCat with Cancer Undergoes Surgery, Chemo Cat with Cancer Undergoes Surgery, Chemo 

Cat with Cancer Undergoes Surgery, Chemo Cat with Cancer Undergoes Surgery, Chemo 


Diagnosis: Cancer 
Cost: $39,642 | Reimbursed: $30,962 
Coverage: 80 percent | $250 deductible 

Elisa adopted Toulouse, the cat, at 12 weeks old when his family brought him to the veterinary hospital where she worked with a broken front leg caused by a child tossing him around.  The break was through the growth plate, and the only option for him was amputation. 

The owners didn’t want to pay for it and were going to euthanize him. The veterinary doctor offered to take him and try to find him a home. The vet sent Elisa pictures of him and asked if she wanted to keep him, even though she already had several cats.  

“His leg came off, and he came home with me the same night,” she said. 

Even as a tripod, Toulouse was totally boisterous and adorable and didn’t seem to know he was missing a leg, Elisa said. From the moment they met, he and his older brother Samson were two peas in a pod. They have both helped Elisa foster many young kittens.  

“As he has grown older, he has become a very kind and quiet soul. His meow is one of my favorite things about him because he still sounds like a kitten to this day. Everyone who meets him falls in love with him because he’s just so cute and inquisitive,” Elisa said.  

Toulouse develops a mass 

One day last fall, Toulouse, now six years old, climbed up for cuddles and Elisa felt a lump on his leg the size of a walnut. She took him to the emergency vet and they probed it to find out what it was. It appeared to be an aggressive form of cancer and she was told to seek out a specialist to have it removed.  

Elisa went to a vet that had an oncology team and surgeon. Initially, they said removing the whole leg was the best course of action. Since Toulouse was already missing his front left leg, an amputation was out of the question. The next best option was to surgically remove the mass and perform a round of radiation and chemotherapy to kill the cancer and prevent its spread.  

“When the doctors went over costs for diagnostics and treatment, my heart dropped. Luckily, we had health insurance for our pets and I was able to submit all of his invoices as we went. He has had multiple procedures, surgeries, blood panels, radiation therapy, X-rays, and chemotherapy in an attempt for us to get more time with our wonderful little tripod,” she said.  

Orange tabby cat in hospital.

The doctors thought the cancer had developed from a rabies vaccine years before.  

While rare, the rabies vaccine can increase the risk of developing a rare, cancerous tumor in cats called feline injection-site sarcoma (FISS), according to PETMD. 

The treatment for his cancer and recovery has not always gone smoothly. After the surgery, he started chemotherapy. They had to pause it so he could receive radiation therapy. Then he had to have another surgery to insert a vascular access port in his jugular vein.  

Elisa made real sacrifices to get Toulouse his treatments. The radiation therapy was performed four times a week for a month, each time requiring Elisa to drive 90 minutes each way to the specialty hospital. 

“I work nights in San Ramon, Calif. and I get out at 7:30 a.m. so I would have to run home, pack him up, and get in the car after a 13-hour shift. I actually put an air mattress in the back seat of my car so I could sleep while he was getting his treatment, which took about three hours,” she said.  

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How Toulouse is doing now 

Toulouse still has a few more doses of chemotherapy, but his energy level has been great, Elisa said. He is back to playing and being his little mischievous self. They will keep a close eye on his bloodwork, and the doctor will do recheck x-rays and other diagnostics to make sure the aggressive cancer doesn’t spread.  

Two Orange tabby cats

Toulouse has been a trooper through all of his treatments, and didn’t become too nauseous from the radiation or chemo. He never stopped eating, and his energy level would wax and wane depending on what treatments he was undergoing.  

“But he was always a cuddle bug and out and about in the apartment still trying to be in the mix with his siblings. Through his surgeries, chemo, radiation, and multiple hospital stays he has made so many friends, and the nurses always tell me that he is their new boyfriend. He’s such a flirt,” Elisa said. 

How Healthy Paws helped 

Elisa said that she would not have pursued the aggressive treatment that saved his life without pet insurance.  

“Through it all, Healthy Paws has been there and has actually reached out a few times to check on him and us. Without them and CareCredit, we would not have been able to afford his treatment and would have had to just give him the best life for whatever time he had left,” she said. 

Elisa decided to get pet insurance on the recommendation of a veterinarian. She has eight cats ranging in age from four months to eight years, and knew that urinary issues were common, especially for male cats, which most of hers are. When she learned how much treatment costs, she decided pet insurance made financial sense. 

Orange tabby cat

“I never want to be like those clients who don’t have pet insurance and have to put their animals down due to finances. You always want to help them when you work in the veterinary field, but you can’t help everybody and it breaks your heart when you can’t. Luckily, I have only had to use my pet insurance for two of my cats, but having that safety net is so valuable to me,” she said. 

Elisa is such a believer in pet insurance that she has Healthy Paws policies for all her eight cats – Toulouse, Samson, Smudge, Screamy, Daisy, Blackie, Jellybean, and Winston. 

Her oldest cat, Samson, had to have surgery to have urinary bladder stones removed two years ago. He’s now on a urinary diet and hasn’t had any further problems. Healthy Paws covered the treatment, which cost about $3,500. 

The claim scenarios described here are intended to show the types of situations that may result in claims. These scenarios should not be compared to any other claim. Whether or to what extent a particular loss is covered depends on the facts and circumstances of the loss, the terms and conditions of the policy as issued, and applicable law.  

Insured persons providing testimonials in this report have not received compensation for their statements.