If I don't take my cat to the vets yet?

[Catmummyworried]

She's 16 years old. We've had her since a kitten. Was diagnosed with thyroid problems about 5 years ago. Now on lifelong medication for that.
Separate issue is yesterday an almost golf ball sized type hard lump literally appeared overnight on her lower neck/chest area.
She hates travelling, soils herself and vomits after minutes in the car. She's elderly and frail. The lump does not appear to hurt her. She is acting completely normally. Doesn't mind me prodding it, eating usual amounts etc.
But of course I'm worried and wondering what it is. It hasn't changed in size in 48hrs. I've even shaved her fur and bathed to get a better look. Nothing obvious.
What will the vet do? If it's serious I won't put her through an op. If it's an abscess will it get better on it's own and surely there would be a wound too?
I'm torn over putting her through the trauma of a vet visit then they say biopsy etc needed. I'm thinking best thing is to watch and wait. Normally if she's upset in anyway she goes off her food I'm and she hasn't done that. She's fully insured so money not the issue it's the stress for her.

@lonelylou09

I did say to contact the vet for advice and yes I stand by the fact the op knows her own cat.

Perhaps you would be less lonely if you took some time to think on situations before (mouthing off) speaking

The OP has loved her cat for 16 years and doesn’t want to cause her further distress. Also I did advise contacting her vet for advice.

OP I hope your cat remains comfortable in her home x

Hi, vet nurse here.

Video calls are notoriously difficult with things like lumps/bumps/masses. It could be perfectly innocent like a large abscess, or it could be a tumour. It could be something to do with the thyroid if there is existing thyroid disease like you say.
There is no way to tell without palpating the mass and seeing how it feels, if it is firmly attached or freely moveable, hard, soft etc.
They may want to take a FNA (fine needle aspirate) to check some cells under the microscope, they may want to scan her, they may want xrays and bloods.
Obviously none of that can be done at home.
I would strongly advise a vet visit even if the cat gets upset in the car etc. For her long term health this needs to be checked out.
Echoing what others have said, cats in particular are very good at hiding pain and will continue to eat and purr etc when they are in pain.

Is she an outdoor cat? Could she have gotten in a fight? Sometimes abscesses are caused by a bite wound. Is there any areas of scabbing or and entry point over the lump?

Honestly we could guess forever but she really needs seen. I don't think she could even be given sedatives at home safely given her age and medical history (in order to make her sleepy to bring to vets). I think you are going to have to bite the bullet and get her to a vet.

A phone/video consultation initially. However I think she will probably need to be seen in person as they will more than likely want to do a fine needle excision to see what is in there.

I'm sorry she finds it stressful but leaving her with a large lump untreated is potentially going to be more stressful for her in the long run.

Fingers crossed for your lovely cat.

My cat developed an abscess after a cat fight - I didn’t know what it was and thought it was benign. I thought it was fine because she was happy for me to poke it and seemed generally ok. She had a vet appointment a few days later for routine flea treatment so I mentioned it then. Turned out she was really sick with a high fever and the vet said she might die from it. She was on loads of meds for about a month afterwards.

So just because you can prod it doesn’t mean it isn’t serious. Take her to the vet just in case. I hope she’s ok.

Call the vet, they can prescribe a mild sedative, please don't leave it. It sounds like an abscess, it will be painful and there is the risk of systemic infection.

If it's that big and come up that quickly you need to take her to the vets. Even if it's "just" an abscess it could cause infection and sepsis, especially dangerous for an old and already immuno-compromised cat.

Seriously, none of us can tell you what it is or whether it will get better. Take her to a vet.

@OatmilkandCookies

Dogs and cats tend to hide their pain very well, so when they do show signs, it has normally got to severe levels. I know its tough but even call and see if they can visit/do a video call consult

This was our experience recently. Our previously very healthy, happy, affectionate cat suddenly became withdrawn and lethargic and stopped eating. This happened literally overnight and very quietly (we realised he'd just been sleeping a lot) and within a couple of days it became clear it wasn't going to clear up on it's own. We still didn't think it was massively serious - in fact we suspected his teeth as he'd had problems before - until the night before we took him to the vet where I slept downstairs with him as I just had a feeling something was really wrong.

Took him to the vet the day they opened (happened over new year and it really didn't look like he was in emergency vet territory) and he never came home. Poor boy had pretty advanced cancer. Vet said it's not unusual - they often show no signs until the cancer has advanced to the point where it causes a blockage and at that point they deteriorate very quickly. He went from an apparently happy, healthy cat to being put to sleep in the space of days.

Forgot to say, could also be a very enlarged lymph node signifying some underlying problem. Again, no way to tell without a vet examination in person.

Just take your cat, who can't take herself, to the vet. Vet will advise what to do. A golf ball sized lump can't be nothing. Don't ignore your cats needs.

@Oinkypig sorry but its a pet hate of mine... People not getting thier animals proper medical care. My best friend did it with her horse who was occasionally having fits because 99.9% of the time the horse was completely fine. So she down played it and the horse had a huge brain haemorrhage right outside my house and died a very painful undignified death in the middle of the street. I called the vet as id done when she had a milder seizure 2 years before. What i didn't know was inbetween that the horse had had other seizures and when someone else called the vet my best friend didnt mention it had happened before because she didnt see the point in risking her insurance premium going up and straight after the seizure the horse was fine.
Yeah.. Until she wasn't and she was dead.. Very horrifically dead.
So yeah sorry if your upset with me mouthing off.. But there's no excuse to not take the cat the vet... 🤷🤷

[quote lonelylou09]@Oinkypig such a good owner and so worried she doesnt want to stress her cat out ( clean up after it) to get it checked out by someone who is qualified to know what the golf ball size lump that appeared overnight actually is?
If you woke up in the morning with a beach ball size lump magically appeared on your neck/chest wwyd? Wait and see what happens or get proper qualified medical attention and advice?
Some people really shouldnt have animals.
You have a duty of care towards your cat as it cant speak or get help for itself... Take it the vet please.[/quote]
What a shitty and entirely uncalled for remark!

@RVN123
But the cats owner, knowing her cat has said she doesn’t want to put her through the stress of those tests/procedure’s. Yes the vet can’t do those at home but that doesn’t mean the cat needs to brought in to have them, which causes the cat huge stress.

Following any advice from the vet, it doesn’t really matter what the swelling is if the cat is comfortable. Cats can “mask” pain well but what will increase distress is a trip that is distressing.

And the cat is 16 she deserves to stay where is comfy and familiar, if she needs painkillers her vet should be able to provide regardless of what the problem is

[quote Oinkypig]@RVN123
But the cats owner, knowing her cat has said she doesn’t want to put her through the stress of those tests/procedure’s. Yes the vet can’t do those at home but that doesn’t mean the cat needs to brought in to have them, which causes the cat huge stress.

Following any advice from the vet, it doesn’t really matter what the swelling is if the cat is comfortable. Cats can “mask” pain well but what will increase distress is a trip that is distressing.

And the cat is 16 she deserves to stay where is comfy and familiar, if she needs painkillers her vet should be able to provide regardless of what the problem is[/quote]
Sorry but a vet will need to see this animal to prescribe pain killers. If the cat is indeed in pain it needs seen regardless of whether a car journey will stress it out or not.
The vet doesn't KNOW if the cat is comfortable without a physical examination.
If the owner doesn't want any of the tests or exams then that is their choice but it doesn't mean that cat doesn't need to be seen.
"Watch and wait" with a massive lump that has appeared in 48 hours is not a good idea. That is my opinion as a veterinary nurse.

My criticism was aimed at @lonelylou09 btw Totally agree with @Oinkypig

While a sudden lump is worrying, extreme stress to the point the animal is vomiting and soiling itself is a pretty risk in itself, so OP is really thinking of her beloved cat and weighing up one risk versus the other. To berate her so nastily is rather nasty!

@lonelylou09 sorry you had a distressing situation but it bears no resemblance to the op who seems a kind and considerate owner. She has considered whether a trip to the vet is currently in her cats best interest and decided against.

I suspect, knowing her cat is very poorly she just wanted reassurance, as best a forum can give and I think your comments landed on the wrong side.

I do understand everyone has their own experience and you’ve had a horrid one with animals you care about x

In our area there is a vets that does home visits for basic care. They are also able to you when you need to go to an actual surgery. And put pets to sleep quietly in their own homes when the time comes. They specialise in nervous/anxious pets. Might be worth trying to find something similar in your area? Ask on Facebook?

My elderly cat is also on lifelong thyroid meds. He wasn’t insured and has cost £10k over his lifetime so we minimise vet trips!

He developed a golf ball sized lump around his voice box (and also lost ability to miaow). I gradually upped his medication from 3.75 to 5. The ball went away and he got his miaow back. Then I slowly reduced the meds back down to 4. Discuss with vet on phone but my guess is raise the meds.

@Neverreturntoathread

My elderly cat is also on lifelong thyroid meds. He wasn’t insured and has cost £10k over his lifetime so we minimise vet trips!

He developed a golf ball sized lump around his voice box (and also lost ability to miaow). I gradually upped his medication from 3.75 to 5. The ball went away and he got his miaow back. Then I slowly reduced the meds back down to 4. Discuss with vet on phone but my guess is raise the meds.

Again, impossible to say without a trip to the vets to take a T4 thyroid level test and to see if the lump is indeed thyroid related.

No vet is going to suggest altering thyroid meds unless they know what the current thyroid T4 level is. Could be very dangerous.
I'm glad it solved your cats problem but I stand by my original advice.

Please see a vet in person OP.

@RVN123
You would really think as a vet nurse it’s reasonable for an very close to end of life cat of 16, who gets super distressed going to the vet to go just for a prescription?

We have a mobile vet service here in North Essex where the vet comes to you, is there anything similar in your area OP?

I feel for you as my lovely old cat (who we had until 18 years old) was an extremely nervous passenger. Like some others are saying, see if you can get a home visit, and if not, sadly it is better to take her in, as an abscess is horrid at any age but could be really nasty for such an old lady. I hope your girl is ok. You must have looked after her so well.

[quote Oinkypig]@RVN123
You would really think as a vet nurse it’s reasonable for an very close to end of life cat of 16, who gets super distressed going to the vet to go just for a prescription?[/quote]
It's not just for a prescription though is it? The cat has a sudden, fast growing undiagnosed lump. It has existing health issues. It's geriatric.

And " as a vet nurse" YES - this animal needs to see a vet.

We've had people on this thread advocating to muck about with medication, to "wait and see" what happens, to ask for pain killers without an examination and more.
What about my advice (see an actual vet who knows that cats history) is so outlandish?
The OP asked for advice. I have given my advice as someone who actually works in the field.

My parent's cat seemed fine, but actually the golf ball-sized lump on her shoulder that seemed to have appeared overnight was cancer. She was also fine with prodding and poking. Cats are notoriously good at masking pain. Take them to the vets OP, you really have no choice. Listen to the only (as far as I can tell) professional who has given you good advice on this thread. They know what they are talking about.

Omg, take that poor cat to the vet now! My cat also gets super stressed going to the vet but I'd definitely take him in this scenario.

Online vet 100%

Hemped my boy who won't travel, can be cheaper than normal vets minus pres