Could it be a tumor on my cat's tail?

Emma2

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Hi everybody,
A lump appeared on my cat's tail (she is almost 4 years old). I took her to the vet, and after he shaved her tail, it turned out the lump is much bigger than i thought. He tried to drain the wound, and a little bit of pus came out.
He is not sure what it could be either an old abcess or a tumor (either skin on bone). He gave her an antibiotic treatment for 10 days then depending on what happens (if it resorbs or it grows) he will decide what to do next. He mentioned that the tail may have to be amputated.
I'm worried sick and i can't find anything online that looks similar to what my cat has. If anyone ever seen something similar, please let me know what it was.

PS: my cat's behavior is normal, she eats, she plays and she doesn't seem sick.
 

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Emma2

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Hi. I have no idea what might have caused it, but if the vet was able to get pus out of it, it isn't an 'old' abscess, but likely an ongoing one. Any chance he took a skin scraping for testing?
Hi, no he didn't.
 

fionasmom

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Jumping ahead to amputation of the tail. I have done it with several ferals who had developed gangrene as a result of cat fights. One returns twice a day, every day, for food and is absolutely fine without the tail. If this can be resolved or diagnosed otherwise, that is great. But if it means saving your cat's life by removing the tail, it should definitely be considered.
 
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Emma2

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Jumping ahead to amputation of the tail. I have done it with several ferals who had developed gangrene as a result of cat fights. One returns twice a day, every day, for food and is absolutely fine without the tail. If this can be resolved or diagnosed otherwise, that is great. But if it means saving your cat's life by removing the tail, it should definitely be considered.
Thank you for your reply. is the tail amputation surgery not dangerous for the cat? the vet mentioned that in case he had to do the amputation, he was worried it might not heal correctly.
 

fionasmom

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Not only have I amputated tails from cats with gangrene, but also had a GSD who was a melanoma amputee. Everyone healed.

In the case of the cats, it was the most feral and wild who seemed to have gotten into the fights which left their tails severely injured. When I had them fixed, they stayed at the vet's for 2 days and then had to be released back outside.

The dog, clearly, was my pet and so was cared for inside according to further vet instructions, which is what you would do with your cat. There is a period of time for the remaining tail or incision to heal but you should be able to manage that with your vet's help.
Hopefully the tail will heal without amputation.

Tail Amputation (Caudectomy) In Cats - Cat-World
 
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