Background Information
My oldest girl who is 9 has been a very sickly cat for a very long time. She has allergies to common household products which are impossible to remove. As a result she has been on steroids for the last 4 years to keep her allergies under control. Recently she has been receiving her steroids through a monthly injection. In addition to this she is has a stomach problem which flares up every now and again.
She was sick when I got her but I fell for the lies of the breeder who told me she was just recovering from her c-section and neutering. (she is an ex breeding cat). For this reason she has never been insured since pre-existing conditions or conditions resulting from pre-existing conditions would not be insured anyway.
Currant Problem
At a monthly injection a cover vet suggested she might have breast cancer but since she wasn't my usual vet I took little notice of her. Years of different vets has got me mistrustful of ones I wouldn't recognise if I passed in the street. The next month my regular vet suggested the same but since she is not insured he suggested giving her antibiotics to see if the lumps go down. He said if they do then its an infection but if they don't its probably cancer. I was sure the tablets had worked but after a few days in a cattery her allergy resurfaced and she had licked herself red raw. I brought her home and put her cone collar on her to stop her licking and after a few days it had started to clear. It left a scabbed over belly and under that lots of puss fill spots and I felt a rather large lump that I don't remember being there before. That was last night. I've phoned the vet and they're fitting me in this evening at one of their other surgeries this evening since my regular one is totally booked up.
What I really need to know is if anyone has experience with cats with breast cancer and if anyone has any idea my girls chances and the likely cost of treatment. When I mentioned it to my vet he implied it would be expensive. I'm wondering if her already complicated medical file might alter her chances of getting through this. I'm worried about her, she's been a pain to look after but I've done it because she is such a special cat to me. I'm not ready to give up on her yet.