Hello,

In late May of 2025 our cat, Badger, started walking oddly, acting like it was hard for him to coordinate his rear legs. After a few trips to our local vet to rule out the likely causes (nothing on xrays, blood work and kidneys were fine), we opted to take him to a Veterinary Teaching Hospital 3 hours away to see a neurologist. They suggested a MRI for further diagnosis. This procedure showed a small isolated mass on his spinal cord. Their team initially diagnosed it as a meningioma (non-cancerous tumor). To fully determine what it was the next option was surgery to remove the mass and get a biopsy. That went well (you can see the surgical incision in the main photo) however the surgeon said the mass was not on the cord, but in the cord, meaning it was much more likely to be cancerous. We braced for the worst, however based on the biopsy we learned that it was indeed a meningioma (although a very odd one). The image below of the MRI showing the location of the tumor on his 13th thoracic vertebrae.

Meningiomas are benign tumors that typically grow on the meninges (protective covering layers) of the brain or spinal cord. Meningiomas account for about 56% of neoplasms (tumors) of the Central Nervous System (CNS) in cats, however only 14% of those have been reported on the spine. Thus, we are dealing with a very rare type of tumor, one for which we have little scientific data. There are probably less than a handful or reported cases, and most of the case studies are for cats with brain meningiomas. The good news is that these tumors are not known to spread, and if removed can allow the cat to fully recover and live a long life.

Although Badger is doing well and recovering from surgery, the only way we can now treat the tumor is for him to undergo radiation therapy. Without it he'll slowly get worse, losing all motor function in the rear legs and eventually his organs (he'd have a few months before symptoms get worse). The prognosis with radiation is hard to known (given how rare these cases are) but if it's consistent with similar tumors in the brain it should give us several years of high quality time together where he will likely fully recover. He is an otherwise healthy member of our family!

We've decided to pursue the radiation as 1) we of course want to do the best for him and keep him around for as long as possible, and 2) we want to be able to add to the small data set of treatment and survival outcomes on this very rare tumor. As a scientist I know that data are always in limited supply. So we'd like to have Badgers' treatment serve to assist other pets and pet owners in the future be able to use his case to make more informed decisions. I've spoken to the Vet team at the teaching hospital and they are interested in publishing on this case as well!

The estimate for the radiation is $8500-$9300 depending on the number of treatments he will need. They plan to use advanced Stereotactic Radiation Therapy (SRT) to specifically target the tumor and minimize the potential effects on surrounding tissue. The team thinks he likely will need 5 successive treatments and that would be for the low estimate. We're seeking up to $8,500 to help cover those costs (the MRI and surgery were about $8,000 and another $1,000 in initial vet costs). We are no in any dire financial straits, so we will manage if we have to cover the costs ourselves, although any bit will help!

Best wishes!

Thanks,

Don Yee