Large lump on cats jaw

Summermyer

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My cat recently (within the past couple hours) has developed this hard mass on the underside of her left side of her jaw. She doesn’t flinch away from me when I touch it or massage it, and she seems to not care that it’s there. It has very very recently appeared so I doubt it’s a tumor unless tumors can grow fairly large within a matter of hours.

She’s strictly an outdoor cat and has never had anything like this before but I don’t think it’s a bite or wound of any sort because she is entirely indifferent to my touching it or pushing on it, if anything she just thinks I’m petting her and closes her eyes and leans into my hand.Looked at it through her fur it doesn’t appear to be red or swollen and I don’t see any puncture marks or scratches of any kind on the lump.

I checked inside her mouth and both sides of the inside of her mouth are symmetrical. It is too late to go to the vet tonight and they are closed tomorrow.

Has anybody experienced anything like this before? She doesn’t seem to be in pain but I have no clue what could cause this
 

LTS3

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As long as your cat is eating and drinking ok and using the litter box, you can wait until Tuesday to call the vet and make an appointment. It's not a dire emergency.

I'm sure tumors can grow quickly. My previous cat developed a large golf ball sized blister-like thing on his paw literally overnight. The vet determined it was a benign tumor, a trichoblastoma to be specific, and had it surgically removed.
 

FeebysOwner

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Hi. I agree with the above about not worrying too much if you can't reach a vet until Tuesday. Just keep a close eye on it to see if it continues growing in size or starts to bother her. You might consider taking some pics for the vet, especially if you do see it getting bigger. You may also want to be extra observant of her since you said she is an outdoor only cat - hopefully you can keep her nearby you.

But it still could be some sort of an insect bite, some are itchy and that might explain why she is leaning into you when you are petting that area.
 

furmonster mom

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I had a dog that developed a tumor on his foot between his toes. I called the vet because it was literally growing right before my eyes. The vet thought I was exaggerating until I brought the dog in so she could see it herself. By then it had grown to the point that it split his skin. They ended up having to remove the two toes it was attached to.

So yes, there are tumors that can indeed develop and grow quickly.

It could also possibly be an abscess. Sometimes those develop deep and slow until they are suddenly visible. However, those are usually painful, so the suggestion that it could be an insect or spider bite is also a possibility.

Definitely keep an eye on it until you can get her to the vet. Especially watch for pain or infection.
 
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