Sick kitty need help!

My cat formed a lump near the base of his tail a couple months ago, it looked to be some sort of infected wound so we took him in to get it tested, it appeared to be nothing and our vet gave us some mess to clear it up, then about a week ago my cat disappeared for 4 days, my mother had a bad feeling so she went searching for him, she found him, he appears to be paralyzed on his hind legs and cannot go to the bathroom and is refusing food and water. We brought him to the vet and he gave him a shot of cortisone because he thought it might be a slipped disc on his spine, apparently that hasn't helped, we have no idea what to do and are unfortunately leaning towards euthanizing him, I would really like to avoid that and just want to see if there are any other options out there! Have any of you dealt with this before or know what could possibly be wrong with him? Please please please let me know! He is my best friend and I can't stand to lose him without trying as hard as I can to get him better.

You need to take him to a PET ER or specialist ASAP. He could have thrown a clot, sometimes they can resolve, but they need immediate care. The lump at base of tail is curious. I have had 2 cats with lumps on tail, one at base, it was a cancerous tumor, in both cases. I would take him to a veterinarian. If the lump was a tumor, it can attach to the spine and cause the problems you are seeing also.  I am not saying your vet isn't good, but, I would go somewhere else if I were you. This is not something to "keep an eye on". Good luck with your kitty.

Take your cat back to the vet and (politely) demand treatment, blood work at the very least. If you don't feel comfortable with the vet's ability to diagnose your cat, seek out another vet. I'm sure there are at least a few other vet hospitals / offices / clinics in your area unless you live out in a very rural area. You do noot need premission from the current vet in order to see a different vet elsewhere. Avoid the Banfield chain of vet hospitals. The inital first time visit may be free but if your cat needs testing done, Banfield wll charge $$$ just for simple testing to be done and the charges go up from there.

A vet ER is probably your best bet right now since your cat is paralyed and won't eat or drink. The after hours voicemail message for the vet you jsut saw should have the info on who to call for emergencies. If not, call other vets in the area to see what the after hours emergency phone number is or check this directory for the nearest vet ER: https://www.veccs.org/facility-directory/