Lymphoma in cats?

I am terrified. I just noticed a hard lump on the left side of my cat's jaw. He is normal otherwise, eating and very active. But I had a dog with Lymphoma, it started just like this, and he died. So naturally I am worried. But I read on a website that cats don't get it in their necks like dogs do, only the chest or intestines. Is this true? Have any of you had a cat with the condition before? Is there anything else it might be? He had been in a fight, so was thinking it may be an abcess, but I don't see a wound. I know you're going to say 'take him to the vet now' but I cannot get into the vet until after New Year's, they're booked, and I have no money for the emergency vet. (no, they don't 'work with you' I have tried many times) Is there any advice you can offer, or story you can tell, that may help me until Tuesday? But even with a vet, if the news is bad, I don't think there's any hope. There wasn't for my dog no matterwhat they did. I would feel so much better if someone could give me some hope. I am nervous and about to cry. Thank you.

Is the lump warm to the touch? If so, then it is probably an abscess. If that's the case, could you call the vet and explain the situation to see if they'd give you some antibiotics to get you through the weekend? Also, warm compresses will help bring the infection to the surface so the abscess will burst...then you can clean it out with sterile saline solution (like the eye wash you can find at the pharmacy or grocery store that's just saline).

If it's not warm to the touch, then it could be any number of things. While cancer is a possibility, cysts are probably more common. Cysts don't usually cause any problems but can be drained to make them go away. They aren't urgent.

If he had been in a fight, I would vote abscess. You may want to give your vet a call and mention that he had been in a fight and now he has this lump.

Thanks for the advice. It is a little warm!

They used to call in antibiotics over the phone, for years they were very good, but now they say the animal has to 'be seen.' (same with my kids' doctor, everyone's afraid of getting sued now) But they can't see him! He's acting fine so it's not really an emergency but I am still worried. The lump came up so fast, like it did in my dog. But if you're telling me that's not what it does in cats, I will feel better about it not being cancer. I will try to see if I can get it to go down on my own, and if it doesn't I'll take him in on Tues.

Hopefully you're dealing with an abscess, whether from the fight or just a dental issue and not squamous cell carcinoma. Initially they look similar.

My Scooter passed away from lymphoma, and the mass was in his intestines. However, I do remember reading about lymphoma when I was researching oral cancers, so I don't know that it would be impossible, although probably not as likely.

Just have it looked at when you can. Dental infections, even those not cancerous can cause significant problems if allowed to go untreated. If he's eating and not drooling like a pervert, I think those are good signs.

My BC passed away from a lymphosarcoma (lymphoma), it started as a mass in his stomach.

Chances are, your baby has an abcess or maybe a dental infection.

I had a cat that developed nasal lymphoma which was a tumor in his sinus cavity. I was told that since he was in good health otherwise that radiation therapy should eliminate the tumor. So that is what I had done and it worked out fine. He went on and lived another two years. So even if it is cancer it is not necessarily a hopeless situation.

The fact that your cat is eating well is a good sign. Cats with cancer usually will have their appetite affected. I would try to have him seen as soon as you can but as long as he seems healthy I wouldn't worry too much about having to wait til next week. There could be a lot of things causing the lump. It might just be a cyst or something like that also.

Thanks everyone for your help and advice. He's doing so well, I didn't even have to take him to the vet! The lump has gone from about the size of half a biscuit to less than a grape, and it's not hard! (when my dog had lymphoma, the vet said it would feel like a hard pea when small.) He's almost better, whatever it was! Of course I will monitor it, and take him to the vet if it doesn't go completely away, and I will always check to make sure it doesn't come back. But for now he's fine in every way!