Swollen, er, lumps

Around two of Twixes nipples there are swollen lumpy things. The nipples themselves aren't swollen or pink, but she hasn't been spayed (I'm going to let her have one litter of kittens before I do), so I don't know if the lumps are from milk if she's pregnant. They are approximately 1/2 a centimeter high, but you can definitely tell that they are there. Is this anything normal, or should I get them vet-checked?

Is she a purebred cat? May I ask why you want her to have a litter of kittens? Sounds like she might be pregnant already, though I dont know much about pregnant kitties because I have all my cats spayed.

Do you know if she has been bred? Are they soft.....hard.....hot feeling?

If they are hard and hot, I would call the vet.

If she has been bred, I would give it a day or so and see what happens.

She is eating, drinking, using the litter box?

Breast lumps should always be checked out by your vet, promptly. Even if she is pregnant, unless she's due, I wouldn't expect to feel a lot of change. In the early stages the nipples will enlarge, become reddened but there is no swelling, no lumps to feel under the skin.

Please take her in...there is a correlation between early spay and reduced incidence of mammary cancer in cats...ergo, to me, cats spayed later in life are at a higher risk for mammary cancer.

FYI, unless you specifically want her to breed, there's no reason to let her have a litter before spaying. That recommendation is just one of those old wives' tales that never seem to die! Your kitty will actually be less likely to develop certain illnesses if she's spayed before maturity...

I agree that a vet should check her out. It sounds like it might be mastitis. Good luck, keep us posted how she's doing!

Cheers, from
SwampWitch

I'd be a bit concerned especially because it is only 2 nipples and not all of them.

Originally Posted by mzjazz2u

I'd be a bit concerned especially because it is only 2 nipples and not all of them.

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That's a good point. When my Miss Mervat developed mammary cancer, it was an irregular, flattish feeling lump around just one nipple.

I'm getting really concerned here, especially since everyone is telling me to bring her in to the vet. I know my Dad doesn't want to pay big veterinary bills, he'd rather just shoot the cat (he thinks of her as a mouser, that's all), and I definitely don't have enough money. (I'm only thirteen, my only source of income is allowence and babysitting.) I know I'm not going to be able to pay for vet bills, and it's debateable whether or not my parents will pay. In this case, if Twix ends up having uncurable way-to-exensive-to-fix mammary cancer or mastitis or something else, I may end up having to put her to sleep. I don't want to do it, I love my kitty! (If this is because she isn't spayed, I'm going to be angry at myself. Since my friend owns half of her (less cost plus her dad is allergic) and she wants kittens, I couldn't spay her without her agreeing to also.) Sorry about this rant, everyone, but I'm scared for my kitty. I don't want her to get sick!!

And no, she isn't purebred. My friend who half owns Twix wants kittens and I can't spay her without her agreeing to also. KittenKiya: They are hard, but I think they are normal body temperature. It's hard to tell, though. I don't know if she's mated, I know we have male cats around(she's part outside cat, I'm working on my dad to let her be full-time inside), but I'm fairly sure she's still been using her box, but I'm sure she's been eating. Pat & Alix: That's exactly what it feels like. I think more may be forming around other nipples, too. I think I'm going to have my mom schedule an appointment for her with the vet.

Oh dear. Well first of all is your friend 13 too? Why cant she go to any shelter and get a kitten? There are PLENTY out there, trust me. It's not right to let a domestic cat have kittens when there are so many out there already that need homes. Plus it will be healthier for your kitty to be spayed. And as for your kittys medical concerns, this is your parents (mom I guess since your Dad hates cats) responsibility to get the cat medical care if she agreed to let you have the cat, since obviously you cant pay for the bills yourself.

Since it is possible she's pregnant, a vet exam should hopefully, if she's far enough along, give you an answer that she's okay. Please keep us updated, sorry if I scared you in any way.

Her dad is allergic to cats, so she's not able to. She'd love to have a cat of her own, she's had... about eight, I think, but then she found out her dad was allergic and couldn't have them anymore. We decided to get a cat, got Twix, and now we share the expenses. It's a nice way to split the cost, and since Twix lives at my house, I'm not complaining. I'm all for getting her spayed, but my friend(Amanda) wants kittens badly, and I don't own all of Twix, so it wouldn't be fair to Amanda to spay Twix without her permission too. As for my mom, one thing she refuses to do is spend money on animals. She doesn't mind getting shots and spaying/neutering, but she doesn't want to pay for antobiotics/other treatments for pets or bring them in to the vet when they're not in pain or barfing, etc. She is an animal lover (just like me), but that's one thing she won't do. I have to say it's one of the only things I disagree with her on. Pat & Alix: You did scare me, but thanks for doing that. It helped me to understand what exactly might be goiing on inside of my poor kitty.
Twix isn't hurting at all, but I'm still worried about her. I'll keep everyone postred on how she's doing. Thanks for everything!

There is another possibility..one I have seen in a younger kitty who had not yet been spayed..mammary hyperplasia..not cancer, but it was a sign that it would be best to get her spayed and then keep an eye on her. In her (by her, I mean my at the time husband to be's cat)case, she simply felt swollen around each nipple, and there was no chance she was pregnant.

I hope your mom will allow a simple vet exam, I think it may answer your questions..and perhaps you can convince your friend, if something like mammary hyperplasia is present, to get her spayed.

Originally Posted by Cocoalily

She is an animal lover (just like me), but that's one thing she won't do. I have to say it's one of the only things I disagree with her on.

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I'm sorry but I dont think you can say that your mom is not an animal lover if she will not take care of them when they're sick. You sound a heck of a lot smarter than your mom.

Maybe you should have your friend read this thread so she can understand why Twix needs to be spayed, and why if she really wants kittens there are plenty of other places to find them.

Originally Posted by Sicycat

I'm sorry but I dont think you can say that your mom is not an animal lover if she will not take care of them when they're sick.

You sound a heck of a lot smarter than your mom.

Maybe you should have your friend read this thread so she can understand why Twix needs to be spayed, and why if she really wants kittens there are plenty of other places to find them.

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I agree with you about Twix having kittens-- I've told Amanda I want to get Twix spayed, but she won't budge. She want's kittens and there's nothing I can do about it. D: I'll talk to her about it, but I doubt she'll change her mind. As for my mom being an animal lover, she is. She wants more animals just as much as I do. Horses, sheep, cats, dogs, ferrets, she want's 'em all! She just doesn't believe that people should spend oodles of money on a sick pet, and if the animal isn't in pain, she doesn't think that there's a reason to bring it in. I really would like to get Twix checked out, though... these lumps are horrible.

Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

There is another possibility..one I have seen in a younger kitty who had not yet been spayed..mammary hyperplasia..not cancer, but it was a sign that it would be best to get her spayed and then keep an eye on her. In her (by her, I mean my at the time husband to be's cat)case, she simply felt swollen around each nipple, and there was no chance she was pregnant.

I hope your mom will allow a simple vet exam, I think it may answer your questions..and perhaps you can convince your friend, if something like mammary hyperplasia is present, to get her spayed.

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I've decided to get her spayed regardless of Amanda. Thanks for helping me decide what to do, everyone who commented helped. Thank you so much, everyone! I'll (still) keep you guys posted!

Good for you

My heart goes out to you. My dad was the same way when I was growing up. He wouldn't even let my cat in the house. I think you are taking excellent care of Twix and you obviously love her very much.

You are wise to get her spayed, especially if your parents don't want to put money into vet bills. Having a litter of kittens means you will have probably three to seven kitties to care for... I guess your friend would visit the kittens and you and your family would do all the work? Taking care of a kitten is a whole lot like taking care of a baby; imagine having a litter running around in a couple of months! It's a huge investment in time and energy. Lots can go wrong during pregnancy and birth, too.

Maybe there are some jobs around the house you mom would let you do in exchange for money towards vet visits? Keep up the good work, and you and Twix are in my thoughts.

Cheers, from
SwampWitch

Originally Posted by SwampWitch

My heart goes out to you. My dad was the same way when I was growing up. He wouldn't even let my cat in the house. I think you are taking excellent care of Twix and you obviously love her very much.

You are wise to get her spayed, especially if your parents don't want to put money into vet bills. Having a litter of kittens means you will have probably three to seven kitties to care for... I guess your friend would visit the kittens and you and your family would do all the work? Taking care of a kitten is a whole lot like taking care of a baby; imagine having a litter running around in a couple of months! It's a huge investment in time and energy. Lots can go wrong during pregnancy and birth, too.

Maybe there are some jobs around the house you mom would let you do in exchange for money towards vet visits? Keep up the good work, and you and Twix are in my thoughts.

Cheers, from
SwampWitch

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Thank you so much for doing all that you did, everyone here has been so great.

My mom will pay for the spaying, and I think yearly checkups are in the package, too. I try my hardest to keep Twix comfortable in the garage (she inside practically all day), so she has a heated water bowl, food bowl, two litter boxes, a humongus(2' 4') bed that I roll up, plus I blanket to cuddle with. In addition to all this, she has a low-temp space heater by her bed so she doesn't get cold. I'm sure she's fine out in the garage by herself during the night. I do want to keep her healthy, though, so vet visits are a must, I know. I hope I can manage to convince my mom to bring her in regularly. Let's hope she agrees!

Cocoalily (what a pretty name!), you have just taken a major step in the growing-up process. You're a very caring and intelligent person, and I admire your persistence in making sure the right things happen for your kitty. Congratulations!