"string" Of Bumps Above Cat's Knee

[peppermintplant]

Hello, everyone!

My cat Daisy got her rabies shot on May 16. I noticed a small bump (maybe the size of a small pea two weeks ago. Another cat had a similar reaction that resolved on its own, so I followed the drill from that - note the size, shape and location, and monitor.

It definitely hasn't grown at all, and actually felt like it was shrinking this week - until today, when I found two small but similar bumps on either side of the "mother bump." The bumps are under the skin but seem to be on top of the muscle. The mother bump still feels smaller than it did a week and a half ago. All three are hard, they move around easily, they're tiny and are in a straight horizontal line above her knee, so one on the front of her leg and two wrapped around the side. None of them seem to be bothering her. She's walking normally. It almost feels like keloid scar tissue, but under the skin instead of in it.

I am bringing her to the vet this week to get it checked out, but my vet retired and my backup vet, while very good, has terrible bedside manner with humans. I'm a bit nervous and I'm hoping some of you may be able to reassure me.

I've looked up photos and written descriptions of fibrosarcoma and it doesn't seem to be what's going on here. Could it maybe just be a granuloma reaction to the shot, then additional reactions because I irritated the area?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi!! I don't know if I can help any, but maybe if you upload a pic of the bumps someone else might have some input??

How To Add A Picture To Your Forum Post

 

[peppermintplant]

Hi!! I don't know if I can help any, but maybe if you upload a pic of the bumps someone else might have some input??

How To Add A Picture To Your Forum Post

They're deep enough that they can be felt but not seen. Plus she's fluffy. There's really no way for me to take a photo.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I thought sarcomas related to vaccines generally take a long time to show up, so it wouldn't seem - as you have pretty much already said - that the bumps would be cancerous. Based on your description the bumps are movable - not really attached to any tissue - which sounds more like it is related to the injection site. But, the puzzling part is why 3 bumps?

I think it is good that you can have the bumps checked out this week, just to be on the safe side!! If you don't like the interaction with this back up vet, see if you can't transfer to another one in the practice for the next time - or, go to another practice altogether.

 

[peppermintplant]

I thought sarcomas related to vaccines generally take a long time to show up, so it wouldn't seem - as you have pretty much already said - that the bumps would be cancerous.

Yeah, from what I've read they tend to show up several months later, and all the descriptions I've read have been of a single bump that grows dramatically over the course of a few days.

If you don't like the interaction with this back up vet, see if you can't transfer to another one in the practice for the next time - or, go to another practice altogether.

That's kind of what I was thinking - this needs to be checked out and I know him and know he's a good vet. I just found out my old vet (who I LOVED and who my cats adore) left her practice when I went to make the appointment. I don't know the new vet, but he did double the prices of everything, so ...

Thank you for the reply!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Too bad about your vet. I suppose it isn't possible to contact her and ask her who she would recommend??

Let us know what happens with the vet visit!

 

[peppermintplant]

I found out my old vet is helping another practice here in town, so I made an appointment. I was very excited!

Daisy is a very squirmy cat, and her vet thinks she probably squirmed while they were giving the rabies shot, and they either had to do a second injection to give the full dose, or it "skipped" because she was moving. (I took her to the county clinic for the shot, and they don't let owners come back to the exam area.)

She suspects that either way, it scratched or got partially injected into the connective tissue and that's why it's taking so long to go away. One of the three bumps is gone.

The other two seem unchanged or maybe smaller, so right now we're just going to monitor. If they're still there at the three-month mark (August 16), we'll have another checkup and consider if they need to be removed or if we want to keep watching them.

So reassuring, but not quite as much as I'd hoped. But still good news! And the vet is planning to continue working at that clinic a couple days a week, so I'm planning to transfer over there.