209 days ago by Olie | 115 views | 3 meows

Louie's Lump- I'm WORRIED!!

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 the Forums 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).