ScatCat has a LUMP in his jaw!!!

Hi guys! Havent been on in a while.... I've been busy with work and such.... I've missed you all though.

I was giving ScatCat some loves this morning before heading off to work, when I felt a near quarter sized lump on his jaw, near his neck. I dont have the money at this time to take him to the vet... Just got paid.. and rent is due. I'm worried. He's only 7 months old!!!!

Hon, I know you must be worried, but I think you already know what we're gonna say - take him to the vet and see if you can work out some sort of pay arrangement or post-dated cheque or something.

It could be an abscess and needs to be drained or any number of things. Let us know how you make out.

There's nothing we can do over the Internet. He has to see a vet. At his age the problem is not likely to be very serious, but that doesn't mean it can't become serious if left untreated. A $100 problem can become a $1000 problem frighteningly quickly.

If finances are tight, it is really important that you either have veterinary insurance ($10-$20/month) or set up a special savings account for emergency vet bills. Even $100 socked away will be a big help in an emergency.

I've never heard of veterinary insurance... Could you tell me more about it?

Just do Google search for "veterinary insurance" and you will see several different companies come up. It's medical insurance for your cat, just like you (hopefully!) have for yourself.

Just a note of caution. Pet insurance varies between providers so read the fine print carefully - as with most things, some are better than others. We have pet insurance for Bijou and Mika and it's fairly expensive but covers well. Ours for both kitties is $50 per month.

We actually got the forms for our insurance from our vet whom we love and trust completely.

Is ther noone you can borrow some money from -your baby depends on you.

Definetly take him to the vet! I had a similar experience ....

I found a lump on the side of my cats jaw towards his neck about 5 years ago (when my guy was between 6 -12 months). I made a vet apt for two days later (first avail) and this thing kept getting bigger and bigger. We my vet saw him said he had no clue what it was and referred me to another vet who also had no idea and referred me to a specialist. Of course just like a human specialist you can't get a quick apt. so a week and a half later this thing was the size of a golf ball and hard as a rock and just looked awful! Finally the specialist decides they want to biopsy it and they think it is just an enlarged salavia gland. They schedule the biopsy for 3 days later because they say he isn't in pain and it wasn't an emergecency, but I got pain meds from my regular vet anyways. So, I walk in the door to my house from work to pick him up and take him to get the biopsy done, I find blood all over my wall, my couch, my carpet, just sprayed everywhere!!! I freaked out and started frantically looking for my boy, I find him in the bedroom with a HUGE bloody hole on his face. This thing was so hard that he must have accidently hit it on something and made it explode EVERYWHERE!! I rushed him to the vets office where he had to get stiches. Cost me over $500 and we never found out anything because it exploded. Never had any problems since but ya never know what could happen!!

Your vet visit shouldn't cost that much to just get an exam. Then he can let you know his thoughts and what might need to be done. Better to be safe than sorry!!