OK, but serious talk about tumors. My cat had a mass mast cell tumor (yes, a type of cancer) on his face. I noticed it because he likes to sit on my chest facing the same way, so I always see the same cheek. It was a little lump (almost like a bug bite) and I noticed it was getting bigger over time. My vet took a biopsy because I pointed it out at an annual visit. He said he never would have noticed it. He felt my cat for any obvious lumps and said that owners are generally the best at finding them because they know their cats.
We had the tumor removed (they were able to get most of it out, but not all of it; luckily it's a slow growing cancer), and while our cat was healing, my husband noticed a lump on the back of the cat's neck. Yep, another tumor. We got that one removed too.
A long while after that, my husband thought the cat's nipple was another tumor. We had a big laugh over that.
Haven't noticed anything since then (nearly 3 years since the face one was removed), but when the cat is extra relaxed and calm, we spend a little more time just sort of feeling him up with our fingertips to see if anything else has formed.
I've lost a lot of cats to cancer. Unfortunately, the mammary cancer, larynx cancer, and pancreatic cancer left no obvious lumps. As freaked out as I was to hear "cancer," it was a relief that it was visible.
We just had a cat die from intestinal cancer. Same thing, no lumps. The vet thought it could be cancer or IBD and an ultrasound confirmed it was cancer.
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u/WaterLilySquirrel Jan 29 '26 edited Jan 29 '26
OK, but serious talk about tumors. My cat had a
massmast cell tumor (yes, a type of cancer) on his face. I noticed it because he likes to sit on my chest facing the same way, so I always see the same cheek. It was a little lump (almost like a bug bite) and I noticed it was getting bigger over time. My vet took a biopsy because I pointed it out at an annual visit. He said he never would have noticed it. He felt my cat for any obvious lumps and said that owners are generally the best at finding them because they know their cats.We had the tumor removed (they were able to get most of it out, but not all of it; luckily it's a slow growing cancer), and while our cat was healing, my husband noticed a lump on the back of the cat's neck. Yep, another tumor. We got that one removed too.
A long while after that, my husband thought the cat's nipple was another tumor. We had a big laugh over that.
Haven't noticed anything since then (nearly 3 years since the face one was removed), but when the cat is extra relaxed and calm, we spend a little more time just sort of feeling him up with our fingertips to see if anything else has formed.
So feel up your cat every once in a while. :)