Hi pals.  I’m very worried about Louie.  She has a big lump on her tail, and I don’t know what it is!  Of course I automatically think the worst.  It’s about marble sized, and it’s hard.  It’s very close to her rear end, but it’s actually in her tail.  I hold her every single day and can’t believe I never noticed it, but her Dad said that he noticed it at least a month ago.  Now that I’ve noticed it, it seems huge and I feel awful about not noticing it.  It doesn’t seem to hurt her if I touch it, and her behavior seems to be normal.

I did recently post in the Forums about some concerns I have with her- she has dandruff and has been developing clumps in her fur.  I had kind of decided this was related to allergies of some sort.  I don’t know if there’s any possibility these issues are related to the lump, but in case there is, I wanted to note it.

Have you ever seen cats with lumps like this?  Are they generally benign tumors?  I’ve seen this in dogs, but not so familiar with it in cats.  Louie is almost 11 years old.  She’s been my baby forever and she’s never had any real health concerns, so this has me freaked out.  I am calling the vet as soon as they open, but until I can get her in, I was hoping maybe some of you can share what you might know.  Thanks!

(Forgive my cross post- I put this in a blog too, hoping I might get more answers)

Quick update: I called the vet and they are getting her in this afternoon.  I also did some research and found that this can be anything from a cyst or swollen gland to a cancerous tumor.  Please keep your fingers crossed and say a prayer for my LuAss (that's her nickname). 

I wish you the best Olie your in our prayers here pal god bless you

Hopefully it's just a cyst.  It's a good thing that it's at the end of her tail and far away from any vital organs.  We're thinking good thoughts for you Lu-Ass honey!

So we went to the vet, and it was mostly good news!  He said that the lump is a benign cyst (sigh of relief!).  It has the potential to "fester" (sorry- I think that's a gross word!) and ooze and possibly cause an infection, but otherwise, it's not anything to worry about- keep an eye on it, and keep it clean if it starts to seem like it will open up.  The only way to get rid of it would be to operate, but he didn't think it was worth it to put her through sedation for just that, but if she was ever being sedated for another reason, it should be removed at the same time.  He was not in the least concerned that it could be cancer. 

So he went on and found a reason to sedate her!  He took a look at her back teeth, they were kinda brown and she had a pink line above them where they meet her gums.  He said they use a scale of 1 to 5 to measure how bad of a situation a pet's dental issues are, 1 meaning keep up the brushing, 5 meaning it's critical to get a professional cleaning.  He put her at a 3.5 to 4.  She is almost 11 years old and I've never brushed her teeth.  Apparently this type of problem can lead to kidney or heart issues later in life- caused by an infection- I can't regurgitate the word the vet used- but some sort of infection that can get into the body resulting from tooth decay and lead to bigger health problems.  So he recommended a professional cleaning, and if we do it, we'll get the cyst removed at the same time.  I walked out with an estimate for $500 for this work, and am undecided on when/if this will happen.  I'm sure I WANT to have it done, but that's a lot of money!  If you could share any experience you have along these lines, I would appreciate it... talk me into it, or tell me it's OK to hold off for a while... ???  Most of the cost is the sedation.  The cyst removal was line itemed for $58, and the cleaning was about that also. 

FYI- he said that generally pets under 3-4 years old don't typically face such dental problems.  Getting into the 5-7 range, you should be keeping a close eye on it.  Older than that, you definitely need to be paying attention.  Young or old, he recommended daily or weekly brushing (whatever you can do- anything is better than nothing!).  Apparently there are several different ways to do this, in his experience, the easiest is some sort of gauze pad with a pet dental cleaner on it that you just fold over your finger, and let the cat bite you.  Just kidding- the cat's not supposed to bite- but this sounds challenging to me- but is important.  I'm going to give it a shot with the younger Cat Heads.  

Sorry for rambling, but while we were there, we also discussed her dandruff and clumping issues.  He DID relate it back to her diet, which really surprised me, since this has only been happening for the past couple years and I've always fed her the same thing.  But great news!  I don't have to go spending a hundred bucks on a bag of food, instead, he gave me a supplement called Omega 3.  It's supposed to be good for their skin and coat, has essential oils, and "good" fat- the omega 3 or whatever it is you get out of salmon that's supposed to be so good for you.  It comes in a capsule that you poke a hole in, then empty the contents (it's oily) onto the food.  It's good for all of them, including the dog.  10 bucks for a bottle of 60 capsules... not so bad!  He also said to let her eat all the grass she wants, even though she ends up puking it up.  It's her desire to get fiber.  He didn't give me any supplements for this, but they do exist, but he said I could make up some tasty oats or something and add it to her food, then maybe she won't so strongly crave grass. 

So, in general, all is well with my little Missy Lu-Ass!!  Woo hoo!!