Kinda Worried

Hi, guy's and gals....I'm a male who is in love with cats.....They are the best therapy for me.....I have twoface which you see in the Avatar and she has a lump on her right side.....I'm on a fixed income since i deal with OCD and Major depression and that's what she is for. I'm scared that it might be something that is bad. It's hard like a cyst and about the size of a dime. I'm just wondering if anyone could give me some reassuring news or maybe tell me how I can get her checked out for little money/

Hi and welcome to the forums.  Your cat is adorable and aptly named. 

Unfortunately, an unusual  lump is definitely cause for major concern and does merit a vet visit. I understand that paying for a vet on fixed income can be hard.  Is there any way your regular vet would offer you a payment plan? 

If not, there are resources available to you to ensure your cat gets the veterinary care. There is an excellent article titled “When You Can’t Afford a Veterinarian” on this website, available at http://www.thecatsite.com/Health/76/...erinarian.html. Please read through it to find out more about the options available to you.

  Welcome.  I don't have any more information than Tulosai I'm afraid but it is worth looking at the link they have posted.  

You are in good company on this site, you are surrounded by cat people who see their cat companions as important, if not more so, as the humans and other creatures in their lives.  And lots of support about if and when you need it.

It is definitely worth talking to your local vets as many do their best to find ways for people to manage care costs, esp for getting something looked at.  She looks adorable in your Avatar, I hope you are able to find out what's happening for her and that it is something which isn't serious.  I was convinced one of my previous cats had a fast growing cancerous lump on her tail and was in tears outside the vet surgery before getting her looked at - turned out it was a large sebaceous cyst.  Best thing is to find a vet who will check her out for minimum costs and or a payment plan and hopefully they will be able to give you some reassurance.  Good luck and hope you find something helpful in the article above.

If TwoFace is a therapy cat, there may be organizations that can help.  I did a simple bing seach and found this site.

http://beingstray.com/dogs/financial-assistance-for-pets/

I know how hard it can be to come up with the money for emergency vet visits, but a lump can be serious, and could be a cyst, abscess, or a tumor that could be cancerous. It's important to see a vet. I've talked with my vets about emergency visits and payment plans, and they said if it's an emergency, they will do everything they can to help and offer a payment plan if necessary, and if you pay with a check and will have the money in just a week or so, they told me they would hold a check for me until the date I set in writing. Call around at your local vets and see what they can do. Good luck with your kitty, she's beautiful.

Sometimes Vets have special funds for people who cannot afford regular care.  Also sometimes rescue organizations will help out with the costs of vet care, just some options you might want to think about.  Sorry you are dealing with this.  Two face is beautiful and one of my favorite colors of kitties :-)

Hello sonicwhite! Cats are the best! They are better than a therapist. The lump may be a pus-filled sac called an abscess. I recommend seeing a veterinarian. Ask the vet if you can set up a payment plan.

Sliding-scale fee vets, like Value Pet Clinic are awesome!  They'll even teach you how to administer shots, drugs, and IVs.  I do it all of the time because I'm a struggling student.  In the meantime, if the lump is "round," that is actually a good sign when it comes to cysts vs. tumors.  If it's oddly shaped, that's not a good sign.  If I were you, and you don't want to deal with the anxiety of possibly losing your pet to a tumor, I'd find the closest sliding-scale-fee vet.  You'd be amazed at how many merciful vets there are out there!  Good luck and I hope that everything turns out okay for your baby!

My roommates don't get my love for my children.....There is something special about twoface that I can't put my finger on it....I'm a fevent christian and am praying that God will make a way....Thanks guys for all your help.....I just want to live without the doubt my cat will be fine....She acts like a kitten and always normally sleeps on my hip at night.......

Hi, how is twoface doing?  Have you managed to check out any vets in your area to see if they might be affordable, or have a look at your cat for you?  I want you to feel that you have done everything you can for your little cat in her life, and not to spend time worrying about whether she is sick or not; to know and move on with her. If you struggle with making contact to check out whether any of the vets / schemes would help, do you have someone who could help you with doing that?   

My cat's vet gave me an application for Care Credit. I forget exactly how it works, but I think you get like 6-months interest-free to pay it off in monthly installments.

http://www.carecredit.com/vetmed/

By the way, I'm on disability for crippling OCD.

Ya my OCD was crippling at one time but I have improved a lot since five years ago.......TWOFACE has been there for like four years and I did have a Manx that was so sharp looking blue haired siemese. They all came from the same litter. I want a scottish fold and a bengal and a manx. PURRRRFect combo......TWOFACE will always be the queen of all cats lol.

K, I got to get serious about this cause the knot just seems to get harder and I really can't see if it has grown but it kinda feels like it has.....At least anything I'll take her in just to ease my mind and hopefully it's only absess or something like that and nothing that's going to take her away from me.

The first test the vet will most likely do is simply poke the cyst, take some cells, and look for abnormalities under a microscope- this shouldn't cost much money.  If what they see is questionable, they will take a bigger sample to be sent off to a lab.  Not all cysts are cancer- sometimes animals just get "lumps".  We just had a large cyst removed from the side of one of our cats' neck, and it was benign- just a weird thing that can happen.  BUT, left untreated, even a benign cyst had a high probability of turning cancerous eventually, so it's best just to have them remove it.  If the cyst is just in the skin, it will be a very simple surgery to remove it- they just cut it out, and if Twoface is docile enough, you may get away with just local anesthesia.  Does the cyst float around when you touch it, or is it fixed, meaning does it feel like it's attached to something underneath, like a muscle or bone?  Where is it located?

I think it is good that you are going to try to get twoface to a vet and will be right behind you willing you on and sending good vibes that it is not serious.  I know getting her there will be hard no matter what but it the best thing for her.  Keep telling your self that most lumps are benign cysts and if the vet can look at it you will know what is happening.  There may be nothing to worry about.  

One of my previous cats, Pal, suddenly developed a lump at the root of her tail that I was terrified of taking her to the vet about but it got bigger and harder and I knew it had to be looked at.  It was a sebaceous cyst which would burst from time to time, get smaller but also sometimes get infected.  The vet told me it was so close to the base of her tail there was no chance of surgery to help her if an infection got too serious or skin didn't heal.  It was there for over 10 years, never cancerous, and occasionally I took her to the vet if it was infected and painful.  Eventually shortly before she turned 22 I lost her but it had nothing at all to do with that lump.  Once I knew what it was I knew how to manage and treat it and my worry went away.

I am attaching here the thread with vet fee information for you:  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/155462/cant-afford-a-vet-please-read

The cyst just feels like a really hard knot.....And I can't really ll if it's attached to bone or muscle but it def doesn't move around.......I'm going to be calling around to find the best one tailored to what my income is....Peace of mind is what I want for myself and her. Thanks everyone.

I would call the Humane Society in your state and ask whether they could offer you a voucher for a vet visit. Explain the situation, the worst they could do is say no.

sonicwhite said:

 
The cyst just feels like a really hard knot.....And I can't really ll if it's attached to bone or muscle but it def doesn't move around.......I'm going to be calling around to find the best one tailored to what my income is....Peace of mind is what I want for myself and her. Thanks everyone.

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Loads of good vibes that you find a vet you can take twoface to soon and it's nothing serious for you guys to cope with.  There are good, caring vets out there and I hope you find one.  

Good luck in finding a vet! Hope everything works out.