Cat with lump on breast and bleeding possibly from nipple

[Gracie]

I took my non-spayed female 10 year old cat to one vet who gave me an estimate of $1100 to get the lump cut out and do all these tests to see if it went into her lungs and get her spayed. I don't have that kind of money and am trying to find the best solution to get the lump cut out or whatever else should be done without paying a huge amount. Or if there is a payment plan, that would be great. The vet thought it may be a cancerous tumor, but not sure unless the tests are done. My cat does not seem to be in pain and acts her normal self.

Please let me know what I should do.
Thanks

[Brad Buckley, D.V.M.]

Any lump on the breast in a non-spayed cat must be assumed to be cancerous until proven otherwise. An aspiration and cytologic evaluation can be done rather easily and better info can be gained from this. We always want to know if a cancer has spread to other organs, in this instance the lungs, and we always want to spay them as these tumors are usually driven by estrogen and progesterone. A radiograph of the thorax can help us determine if anything has spread.

You might seek a second opinion and second estimate to perform this surgery. Fees can vary greatly depending on the individual circumstances of different clinics and hospitals. I wish your cat well.

[Gracie]

Well, I took my cat to Dr. Jones (Killeen Vet Clinic) who operated on her, removed the tumor and spayed her. The lab results came back as a Tubulur Papillary Mammary Carcinoma. Now what to do next. Dr. Jones said that we can watch for more lumps after she heals from this operation. She can do an xray of her lungs to check for spreading there. Is there a test that can be done to check to see if it's in the lymph nodes or is this just a wait and see thing? What about chemo? Is that necessary?

My kitty is doing fine and is acting like her normal self playing with her play mice, eating okay, and drinking okay. It looks like she has worn away a couple of stitches when I checked her last night. I think she may be washing that area too much. The doctor suggested a collar. Do I need to take her in to get her stitches checked and maybe get one of those collars or can I just wait it out until she gets her stitches out next Friday?

[xzochye]

I hope you little kitty heals fully and quickly. She is in great hands with Dr. Jones. If Dr. Buckley doesn't get on again tonight you should call her tomorrow and speak with her about your concerns. She just saw my dog a few weeks ago and she has been very patient with me calling her and asking questions.

[Brad Buckley, D.V.M.]

It is pretty common for a kitty to groom an incision during the healing process. Sometimes that little "sandpaper" tongue can remove a stitch or two or ten. As long as the incision is not gaping open and their is not red, clear, yellow debris coming from the site then all should be OK. An elizabethan collar works great in a situation like that but the kitties are often none too happy with wearing it.

I'll be working Saturday morning from 9am to noon if you would like for me to take a look at the incision. Surgical follow-ups are usually complimentary and it helps us to see how things are progressing. We can also discuss the options for further testing and imaging if you like.

Dr. Jones will be off on Saturday but will be back in the clinic on Monday.

[Deb]

I also hope your kitty heals quickly. I'm surprised the vet didn't "glue" the incision back together. My last 5 dogs were glued when they were fixed. But since I don't know how big the lump was, that may be why s/he got stitches.

[Gracie]

My kitty is doing well. When I took her in to get her last stitch or two out, they came back and said that she had taken them all out herself. Her incision where her tumor was is healing nicely. She had a separate incision for her spaying, so two different areas were stitched. The spaying stitches were the ones that are inside and dissolving, I think. The tumor stitches, about 10-12, were black and were supposed to be removed after two weeks. She took care of those. She is back to her happy self, eating good, and playing with her mousies. I'll probably take her in sometime this Summer to maybe get an x-ray and check for any possible spreading of the tumor.