Sudden Large, Hard Growth (tumor?) On Side Of Kitty's Neck

susanandjose

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Hi there,

Would love to get this community's take on this, as we just got back from the vet and dropped $980 to come out just as clueless as when we went in...

Our 11 yr old kitty Maceo seemed to have 'suddenly' developed a large, hard growth on the left side of his neck, almost as if it's on top of the upper part of the shoulder blade. It is *not* between the shoulder blades or on the jaw.

- It is rounded, and looks as if someone stuck a golf ball under his muscle
- It is on his neck / shoulder
- It is hard, like bone.

It seemed to have appeared suddenly after we took him for his daily walk (on leash, in back yard, 15 min outing), and he hurriedly ran back home. It's possible that it's been developing and we didn't notice it before as he lays around a lot and it's not that visible when he's laying. But, it seemed sudden.

The vet did a needle aspirate test to get some cells and look at them, and they determined that there's no bacterial infection. They also did a chest radiograph, 3 ways, and determined that there's no unusual growth in his lungs or heart.

He is eating and drinking normally, and doesn't seem to be in pain. He's not any more lethargic than usual, and went out for his usual backyard walk earlier today (before the 3 hours at the vet...!). His front legs seem to be functioning normally, and there doesn't seem to be any weird twisting nor pain (as in a joint dislocation). I can touch and press his bump and he doesn't react.

I am hesitant to subject him to a biopsy (and anesthesia etc) because he's 11 and that's just so traumatic. We are waiting for further lab results from the needle aspirate test, but I'm not holding my breath for anything conclusive.

Could this be a tumor? Could this be cancerous? He is indoor only (except for leashed / supervised walks) and eats a raw diet. He is 11 years old and otherwise very resilient.

Would greatly appreciate any thoughts!
 

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Mamanyt1953

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Well...any lump can be cancerous, but that "suddenly" does make me think it may not be...how "suddenly" are we talking? Hours? Days? Weeks? That would help to know. Maybe a bite from some insect? The fact that he ran back home would indicate something like this, perhaps. I'm at a loss just now, but often once one person answers, more notice the post!
 

DreamerRose

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That's quite a large bump. I'd go for the needle biopsy. If it turns out to be benign, the vet can easily take it off. And if it's cancerous too. You need to know what it is before making any further decisions.
 
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susanandjose

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Thanks DreamerRose DreamerRose and Mamanyt1953 Mamanyt1953 really appreciate you taking the time to reply.

Yeah, it's a big bump, and the strangest part is that it is hard, like a bone. It feels like his shoulder blade / bone just got big and round.

We're not 100% sure how long it's been there; it could have been subtly developing for awhile, and then suddenly became more noticeable. But it *definitely* was not like this until yesterday. I mean, it's pretty noticeable, right??

At the vet today, we did opt for the needle aspirate test, but it will take 2 days for lab results to come back from that. So far, we have initial results that indicate it's NOT a bacterial infection.

The biopsy would be a bigger procedure, so we're going to wait to see what the little test says first, but I was wondering if anyone here has seen anything like this.

The vet said it would be difficult to remove because of its location on his neck. Poor guy, so much waiting at the vet today. We are very worried, needless to say, as Maceo is the most intelligent, sensitive, funny and special kitty I have ever met, and he is my twin soul! I hope we find out more soon.
 
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susanandjose

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After some Googling, I'm wondering if it is a sarcoma? Either osteosarcoma or fibrosarcoma.

Now looking back at our photos (we take photos of the kitties almost every day...!), I do see that there was a bump faintly visible as early back as a week ago. But, in the photos that go two weeks back, there's nothing visible that differentiates the current bump side from the other side.

Does anyone have specific experience with either type of sarcoma?

I guess we will find out the results eventually via the needle aspirate test, or perhaps an inevitable biopsy, but I'm so worried I can't think of anything else at the moment, so figured I'd ask anyway!
 

Mamanyt1953

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I wish I knew more about sarcomas, but...no. I'm clueless. I would think that either would take longer than that to get to the size that it is, but that's just a wild guess. Google is a wonderful thing, and a terrible thing. Again, just wait for the results, then you will know what you are dealing with. I've got Maceo on my "candle list" for healing prayers.
 

daijyoobi

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Hello! Do you mind sharing what the test results said about the lump? My 6-month old kitten is going through almost the exact same kind of lump and I am waiting for test results... but would really appreciate to know what happened to your cat.
 

jackson.bryon

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Hi there,

Would love to get this community's take on this, as we just got back from the vet and dropped $980 to come out just as clueless as when we went in...

Our 11 yr old kitty Maceo seemed to have 'suddenly' developed a large, hard growth on the left side of his neck, almost as if it's on top of the upper part of the shoulder blade. It is *not* between the shoulder blades or on the jaw.

- It is rounded, and looks as if someone stuck a golf ball under his muscle
- It is on his neck / shoulder
- It is hard, like bone.

It seemed to have appeared suddenly after we took him for his daily walk (on leash, in back yard, 15 min outing), and he hurriedly ran back home. It's possible that it's been developing and we didn't notice it before as he lays around a lot and it's not that visible when he's laying. But, it seemed sudden.

The vet did a needle aspirate test to get some cells and look at them, and they determined that there's no bacterial infection. They also did a chest radiograph, 3 ways, and determined that there's no unusual growth in his lungs or heart.

He is eating and drinking normally, and doesn't seem to be in pain. He's not any more lethargic than usual, and went out for his usual backyard walk earlier today (before the 3 hours at the vet...!). His front legs seem to be functioning normally, and there doesn't seem to be any weird twisting nor pain (as in a joint dislocation). I can touch and press his bump and he doesn't react.

I am hesitant to subject him to a biopsy (and anesthesia etc) because he's 11 and that's just so traumatic. We are waiting for further lab results from the needle aspirate test, but I'm not holding my breath for anything conclusive.

Could this be a tumor? Could this be cancerous? He is indoor only (except for leashed / supervised walks) and eats a raw diet. He is 11 years old and otherwise very resilient.

Would greatly appreciate any thoughts!
My 13 year old cat has the exact same thing. Developed nearly overnight and the vet has no clue. Blood work and sample don't indicate anything. Anti inflammatory and antibiotics aren't helping. My cat is acting like normal, but with a huge, hard bump on his neck.

It appeared 2 hours after applying breve to.
 

FeebysOwner

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My 13 year old cat has the exact same thing. Developed nearly overnight and the vet has no clue. Blood work and sample don't indicate anything. Anti inflammatory and antibiotics aren't helping. My cat is acting like normal, but with a huge, hard bump on his neck. It appeared 2 hours after applying breve to.
Hi. This is an older thread, so you might want to consider starting your own thread if you are looking for thoughts/ideas. A new thread will likely get more responses. And, if you do, please include any additional information you might think would help. Like, is the hard lump freely movable or barely moves at all when you touch it? Is your cat bothered by you touching it? How long has it been there, and is it growing in size. And, please specify what 'breve' is, and whether you have used it on your cat before. Thanks, and welcome!!
 
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kittybanjo

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Hi I know this is an old thread but this is the only place I've found where someone has described an identical lump which appeared overnight on my elderly male cat. In January the vet said it was most likely cancerous and due to his age we should just leave it until it starts to bother him or he becomes sickly. Apart from the lump the vet said he was in good condition. Four months later my cat is still eating sleeping pooing purring and being his usual self. The only thing I could find online was a research paper which looked at a possible link between certain types of vaccinations and lumps which emerge thereafter. I seem to remember that the flea shot he had some years ago was somewhere round the shoulder blades area. I'll see if I can find that research paper. Just thought I'd post this now. Getting a bit fed up because he insists on sitting on the pavement in the sun and is attracting a lot of attention lol
 

JulieKiwi

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Hi there,

Would love to get this community's take on this, as we just got back from the vet and dropped $980 to come out just as clueless as when we went in...

Our 11 yr old kitty Maceo seemed to have 'suddenly' developed a large, hard growth on the left side of his neck, almost as if it's on top of the upper part of the shoulder blade. It is *not* between the shoulder blades or on the jaw.

- It is rounded, and looks as if someone stuck a golf ball under his muscle
- It is on his neck / shoulder
- It is hard, like bone.

It seemed to have appeared suddenly after we took him for his daily walk (on leash, in back yard, 15 min outing), and he hurriedly ran back home. It's possible that it's been developing and we didn't notice it before as he lays around a lot and it's not that visible when he's laying. But, it seemed sudden.

The vet did a needle aspirate test to get some cells and look at them, and they determined that there's no bacterial infection. They also did a chest radiograph, 3 ways, and determined that there's no unusual growth in his lungs or heart.

He is eating and drinking normally, and doesn't seem to be in pain. He's not any more lethargic than usual, and went out for his usual backyard walk earlier today (before the 3 hours at the vet...!). His front legs seem to be functioning normally, and there doesn't seem to be any weird twisting nor pain (as in a joint dislocation). I can touch and press his bump and he doesn't react.

I am hesitant to subject him to a biopsy (and anesthesia etc) because he's 11 and that's just so traumatic. We are waiting for further lab results from the needle aspirate test, but I'm not holding my breath for anything conclusive.

Could this be a tumor? Could this be cancerous? He is indoor only (except for leashed / supervised walks) and eats a raw diet. He is 11 years old and otherwise very resilient.

Would greatly appreciate any thoughts!
Hi, did you ever find out what the lump was? My 17-year-old otherwise very healthy cat has exactly the same thing in the same place. The vet drained a bit of blood from it and said it was a haematoma, but it's the same if not slightly bigger and I'm very puzzled. It doesn't seem to be painful at least. Would love an update :-)
 

JulieKiwi

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Hi I know this is an old thread but this is the only place I've found where someone has described an identical lump which appeared overnight on my elderly male cat. In January the vet said it was most likely cancerous and due to his age we should just leave it until it starts to bother him or he becomes sickly. Apart from the lump the vet said he was in good condition. Four months later my cat is still eating sleeping pooing purring and being his usual self. The only thing I could find online was a research paper which looked at a possible link between certain types of vaccinations and lumps which emerge thereafter. I seem to remember that the flea shot he had some years ago was somewhere round the shoulder blades area. I'll see if I can find that research paper. Just thought I'd post this now. Getting a bit fed up because he insists on sitting on the pavement in the sun and is attracting a lot of attention lol
Hi, likewise I can't find any other info about the big hard lump that appeared on my cat's shoulder/neck. It seems to be getting slightly bigger but so far isn't bothering her too much and doesn't seem painful. The vet drained some blood from it and said it was a haematoma but it's very strange and I'm just leaving it and seeing whether it becomes more of a problem. Would love more info if you find anything out :-)
 
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