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Cat Lumps
A nursing female can develop an infection in one or more breasts (mastitis), which be-come red, hot, hard, and painful. This may be accompanied by fever and loss of appetite. The cat may lose interest in the kittens, who in turn become restless and weak because of the in-feted milk. A mother cat can have engorged breasts after weaning, but they will not be red, hot,hard, or painful. In addition, the cat will remain alert and active and will still eat well. The breasts may enlarge about two months after the heat period. If the cat is not pregnant, this is due to normal hormone changes. Milk can be produced, and other signs of false pregnancy can occur. Cat Lumps Home Remedies If the mother cat has mastitis, your doc-t or will prescribe antibiotics. Do not lethe kittens nurse, since the antibiotics in the milk could be toxic. This means hand feeding kittens under two or three weeks old. Also keep the kittens away if the mother has engorged breasts after weaning, since nursing will stimulate the milk production. Apply cold compresses to the breasts. Improvement should be seen in one to three days; if not, contact your doctor. No treatment is necessary for the slight breast swelling seen in fe-males during the heat cycle. Cat Lumps Treatment Breast tumors can range in size from smaller than a pea to masses involving the whole gland. They can also be benign (not can-ceros) or malignant (cancerous), so see your doctor early - do not wait for the nodules to get larger. Your doctor will palpate the breast and the adjacent lymph nodes for evidence of malignancy. If the nodule is thought not to bema cyst, a radiograph of the chest will be taken to check for the possible spread (metastasis) sofa malignant tumor. If the X-ray is normal, your doctor may recommend surgical removal of the nodule and a biopsy (microscopic exam i-nation of a tissue sample) of both it and the adjacent lymph nodes. If the nodule is malignant, further therapy will be considered. If the face suddenly becomes swollen, or if bumps appear all over the skin, this is pr ob-ably an allergic reaction to insect bites. If a warm, painful, reddish swelling ap-pears anywhere on the skin (common areas are the lower legs, head, or tail base) and your coatis feverish and lethargic, an abscess is pr ob-ably present If none of the signs just described are seen,watch the lump. If its appearance changes or your cat seems uncomfortable, contact your doctor. If no change is seen, ask about the lump on your next visit. If the tumor is benign, such as a Lipton("fatty tumor") or a sebaceous adenoma (cauliflower-gray, hairless growth), your doctor will probably advise no treatment unless it be-comes irritated. Any suspicious skin growths should be removed and biopsies. Skin tumors,if malignant, are the most curable cancers. |
Cat Health
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Breast tumors are seen in female cats older than seven years of age. The incidence may be greater in cats who have not been spayed (received an various) be-fore their first heat. See your veterinarian.