Our cat "Abbynormal" Abby for short , has had a growth for a while near her mouth (it just felt like a small bump and wasn't tender). It has recently "opened up"..and we are concerned as to what it might be.
We cannot afford a vet visit at the present time, as layoffs have hit our family hard. Abby doesn't seem too affected by it...but we just don't know what to do?
Abby is about 12 years old.
Anybody have any opinions?
Here's a somewhat blurry pic of what it looks like:
Lynn, unfortunately, a vet exam is the ONLY way to determine what this could be. It could be a harmless lipoma, or it could be eosinophlilic granuloma complex (due to food allergy or flea allergy or immunological), or it could be a cancerous growth, or it could be nearly anything else. NO lump should ever ever ever go undetected and diagnosed by your vet, ever! It would also be crucial for a mouth exam to make sure there are no lesions inside the mouth.
DO NOT WAIT on this, the soonest it is detected, the soonest it could be treated. An exam is probably less than $50, but isn't Abby worth that? If you wait, it could get worse, and treatment would be far more expensive. She's given you years of love and companionship, please return the kindness and get her seen by a vet immediately. Sell something of value, borrow a credit card from a friend or family member and pay them back later, please find a way to get her seen.
Sorry, but Traci is right...the only way to know what that really is will be to have a vet look at it. Even just a visit might provide some light on what it is, wiithout testing. Sometimes testing would be necessary.
Ask about payment plans and if they accept care credit, which I just signed up for and is very easy to get.
I hope it is nothing serious and that your kitty is healthy!
Just to update everyone...Abby had the growth removed and was stitched up by our neighborhood vet. She allowed us to make a few payments to cover the cost.
The tumor was benign and Abby is "good as new"....for an older cat that is!
Here's a pic for you to look at! Abby is on the left and Dusty is on the right...
Thanks for getting her seen. How did the vet determine it was benign? Did he send a sample off for pathology? And what exactly was the bump, was it a lipoma or something else?
, has had a growth for a while near her mouth (it just felt like a small bump and wasn't tender). It has recently "opened up"..and we are concerned as to what it might be.
