Why is my cat limping with a painful leg lump? What could it be?

Hello. I would have this looked at by your vet tomorrow. The most common thing we see in cats are bite abscesses & it is really amazing how hard it is to sometimes find a bite wound. A cat's bite can leave a tiny needle like puncture & an abscess can begin to develop within hours. It can be very painful & make Buddy feel sick. Your vet can quickly determine if this is the cause of his lump, lance & treat it & Buddy will be feeling better very soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Please take Sabbath in to have the lump examined. The most common lumps in cats are from infections but those generally are hot and painful. Cats do get masses that can be cancerous so having it examined is best. They can get some cells through a small needle and have it looked at to determine if it needs to be removed. The lump may be benign or an infection which would be nothing to be concerned about but I recommend finding out for sure what it is. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Sabbath.

Hello. I would suggest that you have Boo seen by your vet. The lump under his leg could be an enlarged lymph node and could be related to his limping, he may have an infection that needs medications. Shivering can be a sign of pain or fever. I would suggest having him assessed.

If you could post a picture of the lump in might help with deciding what it could be. Based on Snowy's history she could've got into a fight and have a deep abscess forming, it could be another type of cancer, or maybe a soft tissue injury. With her history of having various cancers as well as the potential for this to be an infection I recommend she get examined by her veterinarian. In the meantime do not give any human pain medication as it can be very toxic and even deadly to cats.

It could be that Ballora has injured herself causing her to limp. She is showing you she is in pain by limping and not putting much weight on the leg. I would rest her for the next 24 hours. No running, jumping, or playing. Keep her confined to a small room or a large crate (with food, water, and litter box in it) to restrict her movement. If after this time she is still limping, take her into a vet asap. The vet can diagnose what is causing her pain, and can treat her for it. The vet can also prescribe pain medication for her. Please do not give her any human pain medications, many are toxic to cats and are fatal if given. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

This kind of lump/growth needs to be ideally assessed by your veterinarian to have a definitive and specific answer. Usually there are two ways your vet can do that a part from examining it directly during physical examination. A biopsy can be taken under local or general anesthetic, otherwise a smaller sample through a fine needle can be aspirated (this technique is called FNA= fine needle aspiration). Differentials include skin cysts, infections of the joint, benign or more sinister type of tumors. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Yes, I would be concerned because it sounds like Scout is in pain if he's limping and shaking. He could have been injured causing the big knot under his armpit, or he could have an abscess, cyst, benign tumor, or malignant tumor causing the large lump. I would take him into a vet tonight given his old age and symptoms. The vet can examine him and diagnose what is causing his symptoms and the lump. Once the causes are diagnosed, the vet can discuss treatment options. Please do not give Scout any human pain medications, as many are toxic to cats and are fatal if given.