Lump on paw. Cancer?

[Britt britt]

Hi. My cat has a hard lump on her paw. We took her to the vet and they gave her antibiotics but they did nothing. It seems to be getting bigger. The vet thinks possibly cancer. Have you ever seen anything like this? She’s in no pain. She’s eating and happily playing like normal. She doesn’t seem bothered by it.

 

[Kieka]

Did your vet take a biopsy or at least do a quick prick test? Either one would be the first step to figuring out what it is and deciding treatment from there. If your vet didn't do at least a prick test or suggest biopsy, I would suggest getting a second opinion.

And either cats, when they are acting differently it's usually too late to do anything. Her being otherwise fine is a good indicator that you can still do something if it is cancer. If it's not cancer, getting it treated will ensure she stays normal.

 

[cmshap]

The only reason I am linking you to my thread is not to scare you, but to point you to a story about a cat who does have cancer, which started as a fast-growing lump that never bothered him at all (but in my cat's case, the lump was under his left ear). It was determined to be cancer after a biopsy.

I'm not a vet, and I can't have any idea what your cat's lump is. But it could require a biopsy to figure out.

We can't know why your vet tried an antibiotic (something in your cat's medical history? or your vet's suspicions of a particular cause?), but I would keep trying to get an answer. Keep talking to your vet about all the details you see, and if it is changing. Your vet might want to do a biopsy.

Edit: My cat does have cancer, but he is doing very well in treatment currently.

 

[IndyJones]

Cats do very well as tripods so if it is cancer she will adapt well to amputation which is usualy the treatment for areas like legs and paws.

 

[cmshap]

Cats do very well as tripods so if it is cancer she will adapt well to amputation which is usualy the treatment for areas like legs and paws.

I just wanted to add that none of us can have any idea if amputation would be necessary. I know that isn't what IndyJones was trying to say (like "if cancer, then amputation is definite"). But I just wanted to make this commentary post that even if it is cancer, treatment might not require that.

Also, nobody here can know if it's cancer at all. Your vet tried an antibiotic and I'd love to know the reason why. Please post more details if you can.

 

[IndyJones]

I just wanted to add that none of us can have any idea if amputation would be necessary. I know that isn't what IndyJones was trying to say (like "if cancer, then amputation is definite"). But I just wanted to make this commentary post that even if it is cancer, treatment might not require that.

Also, nobody here can know if it's cancer at all. Your vet tried an antibiotic and I'd love to know the reason why. Please post more details if you can.

With limbs it is the usualy best treatment especialy if it is malignant

But lets see what the vet says first. Right now my recomendation would be a biopsy to determine if it even is cancer let alone malignant.

It could also be a cyst or fatty growth.

 

[cmshap]

With limbs it is the usualy best treatment especialy if it is malignant

But lets see what the vet says first. Right now my recomendation would be a biopsy to determine if it even is cancer let alone malignant.

Yes, I agree.

The point I was just trying to make was, let's not scare B Britt britt with the idea that this is probably going to be cancer and a loss of a limb. We just don't have enough information to predict.

But with a lump that is growing fast enough for you to notice day-by-day or week-by-week, the best course of action is to pursue whatever a vet wants to do to determine what it is. And very likely that is going to be a biopsy.

If money is a factor (like it is for me), I made the decision that I was going to pay for treatment costs that revealed my cat's diagnosis and prognosis, and then go from there. You will have such a better idea of what the future holds after getting it identified.

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. What kind of antibiotic?
Feline plasma cell pododermatitis

 

[Britt britt]

Thank you all for your responses. The vet did mention that amputation of the leg is often the best option if it’s cancer. They did antibiotics to rule out infection causing the mass. They did not mention being able to do a prick to see what the mass is. I will call and ask about that. I also worry because my cat has high anxiety. She is on medication twice a day. If she’s doesn’t get her medicine she bites her tail till it bleeds. She was in a tail cast for a long time. They considered tail amputation but felt that she’d bite a different part of her body if the tail was gone. She really hates change. I’m saddened to think that she would be very unhappy with 3 legs. She is 12 years old.

 

[fionasmom]

Your cat has Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome?

All of the previous advice raised good points. I assume that your vet is hoping that this might be an infection which would resolve with antibiotics which is a good place to start. Ask if a biopsy of any kind can be done; there is more than one way they can do with this, but the vet has to make the final determination. If it were to be cancerous, it is a difficult place to get clean margins. However, your vet may feel that it is possible, so keep asking questions. Cancerous growths on the foot or leg often result in amputation as it is the safest way to proceed and cats usually adjust, especially if the lump wereto continue to grow and cause problems with walking. This is a several step process to determine the best course of action. Please let us know if what happens.

 

[cmshap]

This is a several step process to determine the best course of action.

This is seriously the most important thing I learned when my cat developed lumps, which were ultimately identified as cancer. It is a multi-step process, and it takes TIME. Keep this in mind, that it could take more time and steps to figure out. And preparing for them now may really help you.

I was personally frustrated at first that my vet couldn't just tell me what the problem was. Not because I thought she was a bad vet (I really like her), but because I just wanted to know, yet it was impossible for her to tell me without further steps.

First step was biopsy surgery, which my vet performed extremely well, but it took about 2 weeks to get him into a surgery appointment (and my vet was able to move it up a week, so it originally would have taken 3 weeks). I could have rushed him into an emergency hospital for surgery, but it would have cost SUBSTANTIALLY more, and at this point, I didn't know what was going on yet. I also couldn't have afforded an emergency surgery.

Second step was waiting for results (which took longer than I would have liked... about a week). Pathology results came back to confirm cancer (in my cat's case, it is lymphoma, so it's more of a whole-body issue at this point).

Third step was getting an appointment with a veterinary oncologist for initial exam. I am lucky to have found an excellent one in my area. But getting the appointment required time, as the tumors were continuing to grow.

Fourth step was an appointment for starting chemotherapy. I was fortunate enough to snag an appointment that I think must have opened up due to a cancellation, but the time between the oncologist's initial exam and starting treatment was another week. Without the appointment cancellation I mentioned, it would have been at least 2 weeks.

So, my point is, if this is cancer -- and I have no idea if it is, but I'm just relating my experience in case it is -- it's a multi-step process, and there is time involved while you are waiting and watching. Try to figure out all the "what-ifs" sooner rather than later, like if you need to find an oncologist in your area, etc. It could save you time while you deal with this.

 

[Kieka]

They did not mention being able to do a prick to see what the mass is. I will call and ask about that.

My vet usually approaches any lump with a prick test first. She's a little old school maybe but it's just poking with a needle under light sedation to see if puss comes out. If puss does, infection and antibiotics. If it doesn't, biopsy to figure out what it is.

 

[cmshap]

My vet usually approaches any lump with a prick test first. She's a little old school

I have no idea what I'm talking about (no veterinary experience, here), but reading your post made me want to add these details:

I would think the consistency/feel of a lump matters, and could determine if a prick test would even be useful.

In my cat's case, his lumps were rock-hard. His biggest one, under his ear, felt like an extension of his skull. Like it felt as hard as the bone of his skull. And it was irregularly shaped. I would think that a prick test wouldn't tell anybody anything in that case, even if performed.

If I'm wrong, please tell me. I'm just guessing based on intuition here.

 

[Kieka]

I have no idea what I'm talking about (no veterinary experience, here), but reading your post made me want to add these details:

I would think the consistency/feel of a lump matters, and could determine if a prick test would even be useful.

In my cat's case, his lumps were rock-hard. His biggest one, under his ear, felt like an extension of his skull. Like it felt as hard as the bone of skull. And it was irregularly shaped. I would think that a prick test wouldn't tell anybody anything in that case, even if performed.

If I'm wrong, please tell me. I'm just guessing based on intuition here.

No, you are right. Situation does vary and location matters. For the OP with a fairly obvious and large lump near the surface I am pretty sure she would have pricked it just to be sure.

I also had a cat with cancer and that started as a pea sized lump on his neck that the vet (different from current) tried to do antibiotic and wait to see approach. I insisted it felt different from his abscesses in the past and pushed for biopsy right away. It was too deep and too small for effective prick testing so biopsy was the only way.

Just to add, my experience with cancer was very similar in timeline. Although I was pushing for quick movement so biopsy, surgery to remove after confirmation (which i scheduled while waiting for biopsy by promising to pay a $100 non refundable deposit), and starting chemo was less than a month.

 

[cmshap]

Just to add, my experience with cancer was very similar in timeline. Although I was pushing for quick movement so biopsy, surgery to remove after confirmation (which i scheduled while waiting for biopsy by promising to pay a $100 non refundable deposit), and starting chemo was less than a month.

Good for you rushing it along. I didn't know anything about the process or what to expect, but I knew that time was important. From one week to the next, I was watching my cat's lumps grow noticeably.

It is incredibly stressful. If I am ever in this situation again with another pet, I am going to rush everything, to the extent that I can afford.

For the record, my cat has lymphoma, and rushing would not have made it preventable (meaning, by the time his tumors were even detected, the disease was already there and in his whole body). But the stress of watching tumors grow while you are waiting for appointments -- and can't afford exorbitantly expensive emergency treatment -- is nearly unbearable.

I will always have a "what if" plan in place for all future pets.

 

[IndyJones]

An abscess or infection will usualy be red, tender when touched, may have discharge or blood/scab, and is usualy warm to the touch.

Tumors tend to be kind of fatty feeling and typicaly match the surrounding skin unless melonoma (brown/black), or infected from chewing or clawing.

cmshap , willys tumor for example matched the surrounding skin for the most part. And was not infected iirc.

Some cancers can produce a discharge such as those affecting hair matrix. Often like expired cottage cheese.

Again, biopsy is the only way to know for sure what the lump is.

 

[cmshap]

Again, biopsy is the only way to know for sure what the lump is.

Yes, just wanted to highlight this again. I won't keep going on about my cat, which this thread is not about.

If the lump is still not identified, biopsy is going to be necessary. And it can take time setting that up and then getting results.

That's the main point I wanted to emphasize in this thread.

 

[silent meowlook]

Did you read the link I posted? It might be that. It can be diagnosed through cytology in house. Treatment is usually Doxycycline.

 

[cmshap]

Did you read the link I posted? It might be that. It can be diagnosed through cytology in house. Treatment is usually Doxycycline.

Yes I didn't mean to take this thread down the "YES IT'S CANCER!" path. Please, B Britt britt , look at all advice in this thread besides what I wrote.

 

[Britt britt]

Yes, just wanted to highlight this again. I won't keep going on about my cat, which this thread is not about.

If the lump is still not identified, biopsy is going to be necessary. And it can take time setting that up and then getting results.

That's the main point I wanted to emphasize in this thread.

I have no idea what I'm talking about (no veterinary experience, here), but reading your post made me want to add these details:

I would think the consistency/feel of a lump matters, and could determine if a prick test would even be useful.

In my cat's case, his lumps were rock-hard. His biggest one, under his ear, felt like an extension of his skull. Like it felt as hard as the bone of his skull. And it was irregularly shaped. I would think that a prick test wouldn't tell anybody anything in that case, even if performed.

If I'm wrong, please tell me. I'm just guessing based on intuition here.

My cats lump is hard too.