Fatty tumor on a kitteh, ugh, I want it removed

[Eurobabe]

Some of you may remember me talking last year about this small lump on the Demon, it's on top of his neck, a little above where his collar lays. The vet examined it and said it was just a mass, benign (although she did no aspiration or anything)

Well, this thing keeps getting bigger, and now I want it removed. It's probably annoying for him because his collar rubs on it, and I don't like the way it has grown. It started out about the size of a grain of rice, and now it is a little bigger than a pencil eraser.

Am I being a nervous nellie? Advice?

[emilyg]

1. I have one on my arm

it grew from a tiny pebble to a marble. Doc won't remove it - said unnecessary.

[glinda]

15. I can really talk to this one. Seek another Vet if you do not have faith in this one. Our

dogs have recently had an abnormal amount of lumps and bumps. I need to preface this with the fact that they all ate high end poisoned recalled pet food. Four of our five dogs grew tumors or cysts all around the same time. We have gone into debt having them removed but then again for us they are our "family" and we committed to caring for them.

My Vet, who has only been with us for 2 years, either tests the lumps with a needle or feels them. Our 13 yr. Old Scotty-poo rescue, Lucy, had surgery yesterday on two very very large and fast growing cysts. One was the size of a tangerine under her armpit and the other on the hind leg had grown actually around her vein and had to be peeled off. (please forgive any groseness! ). At 13...I had a decision to make since she is alert but couldn't walk very well anymore. I worried about the surgery. I still worry about her full recovery. But I will tell you that she walks better now and I do not regret the decision as it has dramatically improved her quality of life. The other alternative would be to watch her get worse.

Our Wheaten Terrier had a cyst on top of his head recently also. The Vet removed it as well as three others in other places and actually got the "sac" out which will hopefully make it so that it does not return. It was odd as it had felt harder than a "cyst" but a cyst it was.

My vote is to remove it if your cat is in fairly good health. A good Vet will test for health before surgery. 8 is young for a cat nowadays. If indoors.

Good luck!

[lukasahero]

2. Honestly?

I wouldn't worry about it too much yet. If it is the size of a pencil eraser after a year, it's not an out of control tumor. If it had grown that size in a week, if it was the size of even a grape, or if it had discoloration or scabbing, I would be concerned but at this point I would trust your vet.

How old is he? Most animals get fatty deposits as they age. Age should also be considered when you're thinking of removing the tumor as they will have to, at minimum, sedate the cat, more likely put him under. That in itself is a risk to an older animal. I would weigh the risks and the benefits but from what you're saying here, I'm not sure the tumor presents as big a risk as the anesthesia would regardless of age.

[Eurobabe]

3. He is 8.5 years old

I am a little freaked because it is near where his microchip was inserted, so I don't know if this has something to do with that or? It has no scabbing, it is just like a little round ball beneath the skin.

He has nothing anywhere else.

[lukasahero]

4. If you can grab the mass

all the way around (i.e. - it's not attached to the muscle underneath), it's almost unquestionably a fatty deposit and of no harm to him. My old Lab ended up with lots of them. He did have one that we removed (we did take the risk even at his advanced age) because it grew from a ping pong ball size to the size of a small grapefruit in the course of a few months. That's when you need to be concerned.

Does your vet know about the chip? Was that recently implanted and could it actually just be scar tissue from the chip? Does it seem to be bothering the cat?

[Eurobabe]

5. Could be, does that scar tissue continue to grow?

Sometimes I am not sure if that's what it is or not. Demon scratches at it every once in awhile. But it's never bloody or anything.

I think it bugs me more than him. :scared:

[lukasahero]

7. :)

"I think it bugs me more than him." It probably does. :)

That said, there's nothing wrong with being cautious. I was convinced I was having Beau's tumor removed for vanity's sake only to find out that it was indeed malignant.

Keep your eye on it and don't be afraid to keep asking the vet about it, they are not infallible. Good luck!

[Eurobabe]

8. See, my intuition

tells me to get it taken out. I fear that it could be something more than it is...especially the way it grows. And the fact that it is near the microchip site.

[virgdem]

9. I would err on the side of caution...

my 16 year old cat just had a lump removed right below her shoulder blades and it turned out to be malignant (fibrosarcoma). I would have it biopsied and removed just to be safe. Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

[mikelgb]

6. my kitteh just developed one on his forehead....

took him to the vet and they took a sample and I am awaiting results

:scared:

[Eurobabe]

12. Oh let us know how he is...

was it small or ? Poor kitteh. :hug:

[BrklynLiberal]

10. If you are bothered and your vet won't do anything, try another vet.

Trust your instincts.

Let us know how it turns out.

[Eurobabe]

11. thanks I am going to be persistent

I will take him in again, either this week or next. Last thing I would ever want is to let my boy develop cancer. :scared:

[BattyDem]

13. If it bothers you and/or you think it's bothering your cat ...

you should definitely get a second opinion. Talk to another vet. We're all "nervous nellies" when it comes to our fur babies because we're all they've got. They can't talk, so we have to trust our own instincts. If we think something's not right, then we do what we have to do. I've had friends tell me that I worry too much about my dog, but I would rather spend a little extra time and money to have peace of mind.

Go to another vet and don't stop asking questions until you get answers that give you peace of mind. :hug:

[Muttocracy]

14. My dog has a very similar thing right near where he was microchipped!

:wow:

I've been feeling bad I haven't gotten him to the vet about it again - this is making me more motivated to take him in! :scared:

[Lorien]

16. I'd have it removed. I learned the hard way that "benign" is often anything but

My kitty Miro had a small lump on his side for years that grew very little. The vet said that it was nothing to worry about, and that putting him through unnecessary surgery would be tough on a cat his age (he was 12 at the time). Well, four years later the lump started to get MUCH bigger. The vet still said it was nothing. I took him to another vet who had to knock him out to do some dental work, so I requested that the lump be removed while he was under. That vet said that it looked like an aggressive cancer. Sure enough, the tumor came back with a vengeance weeks later. Miro survived another year (most due to two more surgeries and a really good diet-he was only expected to survive 2-3 more months). If I had only gone with my gut and NOT listened to that other vet years earlier he might have lived into his 20's. :-(