My cat's x-ray: Does it show an intestinal tumor or cancer growth?

So very sorry for you loss of Indy. My condolences. I can see on the x-ray what the vet was thinking may have been an adhesion. I cannot tell you what it is though just by looking at the x-ray. The only way to know what the mass is/was is to have sent it to a laboratory for histopathology. Masses can be any number of things. I can tell you that lymphoma is quite common in cats. Unfortunately, we are not going to be able to help you with this via the internet as we were not there to see what happened. If you wanted a definitive diagnosis then a necropsy (autopsy) would have been needed with tissue samples sent to the lab for analysis.

I'm sorry to hear that Angel hasn't been feeling well. In my experience the signs that have been found on Angel's ultrasound are most commonly associated with either inflammatory bowel disease, or lymphoma. However, there are other possibilities as well such as parasitic diseases, bacterial infections, and granulomatous disorders. While I am sure you are concerned, all you can do is take one step at a time to identify the problem and then you and your veterinarian can devise a treatment plan once you have the answers. Take comfort in the fact that you are doing the steps you need to do to help her. Best of luck and I hope she improves quickly! Thank you for using Pet Coach.

So sorry about your cat. It Is sometimes hard to predict the likelihood of neoplasia versus a benign cause. I have had cases that I thought would be lymphoma and turned out to be an infection/inflammation. I know it is hard waiting on the biopsy results but try not to worry until the results are back. Hoping for good news when the results are in.

I'm sorry you and Oscar are going through this. My honest opinion? In talking to pet parents about cancers, intestinal cancers in cats are one of the instances where I almost always urge people to go for it, and try to treat them. Why? Because they can do so well for so long. I'm assuming your vet is thinking this is either intestinal lymphoma or inflammatory bowel disease. Those two diseases cannot be distinguished from each other on ultrasound, and we often just see thickened intestines, so biopsies are needed. IBD is very treatable, and at 5 years old that is the more likely diagnosis. Some of these guys do great with just a diet change to a hypoallergenic diet. Others need immunosuppressive therapy in addition to diet, but there is an excellent drug called budesonide that has minimal systemic side effects, and works primarily in the gut. I've managed IBD cats well for 10+ years. If it's lymphoma, those cats respond well to prednisolone therapy (another, stronger immunosuppressive drug) and sometimes the addition of a well-tolerated chemotherapeutic called leukeran. I've successfully managed cats with intestinal lymphoma for 3+ years. If it's not lymphoma, and more of an issue with a focal intestinal mass, that's a whole different ballgame, but again, treatable in many cases. And I would have expected that they would have seen a mass on ultrasound, so that seems unlikely. I think the best thing about getting biopsies is having a definitive answer, and knowing what you're dealing with. Best of luck to you and Oscar in getting this figured out.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It is difficult to make the diagnosis from the picture you posted but the rounded, egg-shaped area in the central part of the abdomen looks abnormal. Also, a part of the kidney is surprisingly dense, which could be a sign of a disease. I would not be able to make a diagnosis without having Coco fully examined and receiving full clinical history. However, I am concerned about the large shadow in the abdomen and the dense part of the kidney. The chest looks normal for a cat of her age. If you have more x-rays of Coco (ideally a view called dorso-ventral) that would be very helpful if post them on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Unfortunately the nature of the lump must be understood (through a sampling) to be able to give you appropriate treatment options. This could be a tumor but the origin and type of it are really essential informations at this stage. I would take Lilbear back to your vet and have an abdominal ultrasound performed.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Fiona. Unfortunately, there is no way to determine if the mass is cancerous or not just by looking at it. Her veterinarian could perform a simple procedure known as a fine needle aspirated. The doctor would use a small needle to collect a sample of cells to evaluate under the microscope. This can lead to a diagnosis in some cases, but can be inaccurate. For a more accurate diagnosis, the mass would need to surgically removed and the whole mass submitted to the laboratory for a pathologist to review. I understand your hesitancy to do so given her age. That being said, cats have a higher rate of cancerous mammary tumors compared to dogs. Furthermore, the mass appears ulcerated in your picture. This can can associated with malignancy as well. Unfortunately, there is a good chance that it is cancerous. I hope this information helps.