Bump On Cats Leg

[JasonT]

Hi,

I have a 17 year old Male orange tabby. About 6 months ago I brought him to the vet because me and my mom noticed that he wasnt eating as much and lost quite a bit of weight almost 10lbs. After having tests done we found out that he had early kidney failure, muscle atriphy and was a little dehydrated though he drinks water all the time. The vet wasnt able to discern the bump on his leg without me dishing out another $600 dollars which I decided to pass due to his age. Well the bump has grown a little but all the fur their is now gone and it looks pretty bad. He walks on it well enough, though i was hoping to get an opinion on what it might be like maybe cancer? Also is it safe for us to touch?

 

[silkenpaw]

I’m not clear on where the bump is. Can you describe the location? You are going to have to touch it to characterize it a little better, namely, is the bump soft, hard, fluid-filled, warm, tender to touch?

Also, cats with kidney failure feel much better when they are given daily subcutaneous fluids. They don’t cost that much. Maybe you should ask the vet about that.

 

[JasonT]

It's on his hind right leg just above I guess what you would call his ankle. It's hard and about the size of a golf ball and the bump is a little warm.

 

[silkenpaw]

OK, that’s clear now. You say it has not grown much in the past six months? Is the cat limping? Has he lost weight?

I don’t think it looks all that bad, actually. The hair is probably gone just because of friction, since the bump sticks out so much. Im not sure what the brownish area is; has this thing ever bled? It doesn’t sound infected, since it’s not hot to the touch. Is it painful? Does it feel like it might have some liquid inside or is it hard like bone?

 

[JasonT]

To be honest I haven't checked his weight recently. Hes been eating a little more lately. I found a wet food he likes though there are still some days where it's like he barely touched it. I think you are right about the bump a friend of mine said maybe the loss of fur is from rubbing or excessive licking. The brown part maybe is a scab that's the only conclusion my family came to. I have never seen the bump bleed. Though about a month ago I applied some polysporin on the bump but obviously did nothing.

 

[duckpond]

I have to say it looks pretty bad to me. I would take him back in, as it is worse than it was when you had him in. At his age things can get bad very quickly, so its best to keep up with the vet. Cats hide pain well, but i would imagine that hurts.
Do keep us updated on how he is doing.

 

[JasonT]

We notice that he doesnt whine while walking on it. He still runs at odd times but that leg makes his run look a little funny. The only possible pain could be when he tries to stand up after sitting down. I'm afraid the vet would suggest taking my cats leg and I am not gonna do that to him.

 

[Kitty_Galore]

I would definitely try to get him to a vet.. Its tough to speculate like this because it can be many things.

It could be a scub but you can never be 100% sure

 

[duckpond]

We notice that he doesnt whine while walking on it. He still runs at odd times but that leg makes his run look a little funny. The only possible pain could be when he tries to stand up after sitting down. I'm afraid the vet would suggest taking my cats leg and I am not gonna do that to him.

Cats are masters at hiding pain. he can be in quite a bit of pain, and you would not know. It may something simple to fix, no way to know without taking him in. If it is cancer the vet might suggest amputating, or not, again no way to know without taking him in. But what ever the vet suggests it is still up to you to say yes or no. They could not do it without your agreement. Please do not let Fear of what might happen, prevent you from getting him the medical care he needs. If it is something bad, there may be medications that can help, I would try.

 

[jen]

I agree with the others and get him back in to have it looked at again. Maybe it is fluid filled and they can drain it? Without a biopsy there is no way to know if it is cancerous. Remember also that cats do everything possible to hide their pain and discomfort. So he is likely in some amount of pain with all his issues.

CKD cats are usually put on a special diet along with SubQ fluids a couple times a week to keep hydrated. Please talk to your vet about this. It only buys a little time but it will keep his final days a little more comfortable until he is ready to go

 

[Daisy6]

We notice that he doesn't whine while walking on it. He still runs at odd times but that leg makes his run look a little funny. The only possible pain could be when he tries to stand up after sitting down. I'm afraid the vet would suggest taking my cats leg and I am not gonna do that to him.

Why do you think that? Your cat's vet has no reason to amputate the leg and foot. CRF usually makes cats ineligible for general anesthesia because the kidneys need to flush it out.

Running could also be a time when he is in pain because of the limp.

 

[JasonT]

Oh no hes running because it's time to get wet food or when he want to go to the garage with me and my brother are the only real times I see him run. I am just assuming they would cut it off depending on the severity like the lump feels as hard as bone. Hes 17 so hes pretty old.

 

[duckpond]

Oh no hes running because it's time to get wet food or when he want to go to the garage with me and my brother are the only real times I see him run. I am just assuming they would cut it off depending on the severity like the lump feels as hard as bone. Hes 17 so hes pretty old.

Cats often do not show pain. Its a survival thing. They feel it, it hurts them just like it does us. They just do the best not to show it. they continue to play and run, even if hurting. You cant always go by behavior or activity. If its something that would hurt you, it hurts them, they just hide it better. With our Senior cats we really need to keep up with that vet. Do keep us updated on him, i will worry about him.

 

[JasonT]

So I checked his bump and I was sorta wrong. The bump no longer feels hard it actually soft and I am starting to think maybe it's a fluid build up. What do you guys think? Also how much would it cost to drain the fluid?

 

[silkenpaw]

You need to take the cat to a vet. You don’t have practice with physical exam and doing this long distance is really futile. It doesn’t cost much to drain a liquid accumulation, but testing the liquid may run into some money. You either leave the cat alone or you bite the bullet and let a vet help you.

Good luck.

 

[duckpond]

If its an abscess or something the vet should be able to take care of it, fairly easily i would think. Drain and clean it, and some antibiotics. It should not be too bad, and maybe the vet will let you make payments. A lot of people do that at my vets office. He really needs a vet visit!