Should I panic or not?

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ceil99

ceil99

Member Since 2009
I just caught up with my semi-feral inside 14 yr old cat, Skunky, which I haven't done in a few months.

I found a marble size hard lump under her left side of her head between her jaw and neck. It is inside/under the skin. Cannot see it and there is no discharge or any seepage. Not sure how long this has been here, if it started out little and got bigger or anything. She is a semi-feral and she is not real social but she can be caught somewhat easily.

She has no teeth and she is eating well and not acting as if anything is wrong. She looks ok and is acting fine.

Should I worry? Is cancer usually a hard lump or could this just be a cyst?

I plan on taking her to the vet as soon as I can get some money - hopefully this week.

Any suggestions or opinions would be appreciated. nailbite_smile
 
I would try to get to the vet as quick as possible.
It sounds like thyroid. Could be hyperthyroidism....
Hyperthyroidism is a disease in which the thyroid gland develops a lump – either benign (98%) or cancerous (2%) and the cells in this lump start to produce thyroid hormone even if there is no TSH in the bloodstream. In fact, far too much thyroid hormone is produced which affects the metabolism of the cat, speeding it up enormously.
Click to expand...

Don't panic yet.... it says 98% benign.
It is treatable.

See if any more symptoms match....http://yourownvet.com/hyperthyroidism-in-cats/
 
Is it moveable or anchored?

Does it seem painful to her?

Is it warmer than surrounding skin?
 
Abscesses are also common in this area. They do need to be drained because it is an infection and will eventually make them quite sick. If you are able to, you could try putting a warm compress on this area (if it is an abcess this may help it come to a head and drain). Feel on it and around it, you may find an embedded cat claw, grass needle, etc. I guess really, it could be alot of things, so definately a vet visit is recommended when you can do it. In the meantime, monitor that she is eating well and drinking water. Good luck at the vet
 
If anything, she would be the opposite of hyperthyroid. She does not do much.

It does seem to move some - it doesn't seem to be anchored

It does not seem to be painful
 
From the description I doubt it is a hyperthyroidism that really can only be felt by palpation, it is not visually evident. I agree with other that could be cyst or may cancers since it could be a lymph node or othr growth.,
rhiannon and shadow said:
I would try to get to the vet as quick as possible.
It sounds like thyroid. Could be hyperthyroidism....
Hyperthyroidism is a disease in which the thyroid gland develops a lump – either benign (98%) or cancerous (2%) and the cells in this lump start to produce thyroid hormone even if there is no TSH in the bloodstream. In fact, far too much thyroid hormone is produced which affects the metabolism of the cat, speeding it up enormously.
Click to expand...

Don't panic yet.... it says 98% benign.
It is treatable.

See if any more symptoms match....http://yourownvet.com/hyperthyroidism-in-cats/
Click to expand...
 
***UPDATE*** Re: Should I panic or not?

UPDATE:

Skunky was such a good girl at the vets. Vet stuck a needle in the lump to get some fluid/cells and looked at it under microscope. She is going to send it down to Purdue Animal University for a confirmation diagnosis, but she said there were some "suspect" activity. Not a lot, but she wanted an oncologist to look at it.

She said there were no other lumps on her body and that "usually" with cancer, there should be other lumps, but not always. She said a few of the cells were dividing which might not be good.

She said surgery on the neck is very risky and if it were by the juggler, it would not be operable. So, if it turns out to be cancer, I doubt if I will do surgery. She said there are some options with medications and/or steroids, but we will see end of next week what oncologist recommends.

nailbite_smile angry(2)_cat
 
Could still be an abscess or a cyst or benign. Don't worry until you hear from the oncologist. And even then. These things grow at different rates.
 
**update #2** Re: Should I panic or not?

Vet said that it was NOT lymphoma - no lymph node cancer cells were found!! Not sure at this point what it is. She said still could be different type of cancer, but not sure. Said it could be infection, said it could be reactive to something else.

Going in next Friday to get more antiobiotics and re-check. She is still doing ok, eating and acting the same. Lump feels the same - maybe a tiny big bigger nailbite_smile

Not sure what is going on. My DH does not want a bioposy done as last time we had one done on another cat we had many years ago............cancer spread and she passed in 2 weeks. So, not sure where we will go from here..............
 
Sounds like Spike's abcess in his neck - he took a round of clindamycin ab. His did open and drain by itself but I never found the cause. Hopefully that's all this is.

HUGS and headbutts!
 
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