I believe age has a lot to do with it. The more you age; the more likely you are to encounter a disease. My 19 year old cat just passed due to a nose tumor. They are rare in cats. Hers was discovered 2 days before she died. All of her vital organs were better than her age told. My vet said that they are seeing a lot more cancer in older patients. She also said the cancer cells can mutiply very fast.
He told me the vet said there no more he could do and that the dog would probably die within three weeks!!
We carry a supplement "Pet Health OPC" and I rushed home to bring him a canister for 20 bucks. Since then he has reordered three times and dog is still kicking around in improvement day by day!!!
I’m so sorry to hear you lost your kitty. I’ve nursed two super-geriatric cats through their old age, and got sooooooo close to both of them. It was a lot of work and money, and painful to lose them, but I’d do it all over again. They enjoyed a good quality of life in spite of their old age ailments. Neither of my super-oldies had cancer though. Only one I’ve ever lost to cancer was a mere 14 years old (kidney cancer).