A very worrying lump on my cats cheek!

Hi, so a few weeks ago I noticed a swelling bump on my cats left cheek. It's hard when you touch it and it causes him no pain that we can see. He even rubs it against the wall, sleeps on it and goes about his everyday cat life. He eats fine, sleeps fine, nothing has changed.

We took him to the vet two weeks ago and they shaved his fur and tried to poke it to see if anything came out and nothing did, very minimal. He was given antibiotics and they made a slight shrinkage but it is still there, still rock solid and still causing him no pain.

The next step would be to have a biopsy done but we don't really have the money for that, especially if it's something he can live with that is not causing any serious harm to him.

Does anybody have any ideas? I'm very worried that my kitty is is pain or that this is going to be detrimental to his health. Any ideas are welcome, I'm running out of options

Do you have any pictures, or could you describe exactly where the lump was?

I had a cat years ago (his name was Tiger) that developed what looked like a big lump on his cheek, toward the back of the face though. Turned out to be a benign tumor in his ear that was removed via his ear canal. It reformed two more times; the last time it was removed, they removed it via incision. That seemed to do the trick. Not saying that's the case with your baby, but that's the only thing that comes to mind.

Dumb question - does anything smell weird? His ear, breath, anything? Weird smells on animals seem to be very telling. Tiger's ear just smelled awful when the tumor grew back. In fact, the third and last time it came back, he walked by me and it was just awful. There wasn't even a lump to speak of yet, but we knew the tumor was there again.

I can get more pictures later, and I will double check for smells of any kind. Now that you mention it, the lump is toward the back of his face. Thanks so much for the information!

Hard to see the lump but can definitely tell it's swollen on that side. I wish I could remember all the tests that were done. Tiger died back in 2002 (from strokes completely unrelated to, and quite awhile after, the ear tumors), so my memory of what tests the vet did are fuzzy at best. I don't know if there was a biopsy first, then surgery, or some scans, or what - so unfortunately couldn't help in that department. I mainly remember his symptoms and just how horrible that ear smelled. And when I say bad, I mean he walked by me and it was a tad overwhelming (that was the third time around though). 

Here are some more photos that show the affected area better, please take a look and get back to me if you could! It would really be helpful.

I am not able to tell well from the pics (it's not you, pics just don't always tell a good story), but does it look like it's gotten bigger? 

Did your vet do any scans or anything like that? I know you said you couldn't afford a biopsy, but I don't think you'll be able to NOT have something done. You had said he was not in pain, but if it has grown and continues to do so, it WILL hurt at some point. And at that point, it can be a lot more difficult to treat, depending on what it is.

Unfortunately, it's hard to say it's not causing serious harm when we don't know what it is. And I know that "do the tests" isn't what you wanted to hear, but sometimes there just isn't escaping it. Believe me, I've been there, and am there now even.

Not bigger but worse I think. It's a little red now and it starting to make his eye (a very little bit) close up.

He stills seems to be in no pain which is good and he's acting normal, we are taking him to the vet next week when money is good and hopefully it won't cost a butt load of money. I'm willing to pay quite a bit but there is only so much I can do.

Thank you so much for your input throughout all of this!

If it's progressing then it's definitely time for the next step at the vet.  Good luck!

egraves3 said:

Not bigger but worse I think. It's a little red now and it starting to make his eye (a very little bit) close up.

He stills seems to be in no pain which is good and he's acting normal, we are taking him to the vet next week when money is good and hopefully it won't cost a butt load of money. I'm willing to pay quite a bit but there is only so much I can do.

Thank you so much for your input throughout all of this!

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I would say talk out a plan of action with your vet. Make sure to explain your financial situation because that will obviously influence your plan of action.

With Sara, we've been having to do a bunch of tests for something she has (blood in her urine with no obvious infection). Basically, we talked out all the possible tests, and possible issues, and talked about which ones he could actually do something about, and which ones would not be worrisome, etc. If the only thing a test would give me is the knowledge of something wrong, with nothing that could be done though, we're skipping it. At least for now, because she also seems to not be bothered by this. 

I think most vets understand that we are not all made of money, and are willing to work with us. They want what is best for our pets as well. 

my cat had lump on side his cheek.he had a tumor.he passed away today.

terrytt said:

my cat had lump on side his cheek.he had a tumor.he passed away today.

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I'm very sorry about your loss. Perhaps you'd like to post a tribute to him in the Crossing the Bridge form?

I'm sorry to see your cat with this lump on his cheek.
From what you describe I think you definitely need to have it checked by a specialist.
It coud be a cancer in his cheek.
You have written you are in not good financial situation, and I can fully understand your position, but you need to know how to proceed in the treatment.
If it's just an infection your cat will be better with a good antibiotic. If it's something worse you need to assess it or you won't know what to do next.

Have you noticed if your cat rubs his cheek against corners more often than before, of if he paws his cheek often?
Have you noticed some difficulties when he's eating, especially dry food?
Have you noticed a different smell form his mouth? Is he drooling more than in the past?