Why does my old cat have a chest bulge and difficulty breathing?

Hi there, sorry to hear this about Bussia! I would definitely get her checked out by a vet asap as I am concerned that their could be something serious going on. For example if she has a heart condition this could effect her breathing and cause fluid accumulation in her belly. Unfortunately she could also have tumours effecting her lungs and belly. It could also be something really simple such as a chest infection and maybe another condition going on concurrently. I'm afraid that I can't give you a more specific diagnosis without examining her as there are so many possibilities. I would stress to you that it is really important to have her examined soon.

Hi, and thanks for your question. Although a picture of the lump would help to give you more specific answers, this growth should be ideally examined by your veterinarian to have a definitive diagnosis. Your vet will examine it and possibly perform with an FNA (fine needle aspiration) or a biopsy. Differentials would include skin cyst, infections or benign or malignant type of tumors. Hope this answer was helpful, but 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. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

It sounds like there could be a few things going on with Whiskers. He could have a respiratory infection causing the heavy breathing, cough, and sneezing. The bump could be a growth, either benign or malignant, a cyst, or a lipoma. I"d have him seen by a vet for these problems to have this diagnosed and treated. Best of luck.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Pillu. I recommend that he sees his veterinarian for an examination and a procedure known as a fine needle aspirate. The veterinarian will use a small needle to collect a sample of cells to evaluate under the microscope. This will help to diagnose the mass. He could have an infection under the skin, a benign growth or even skin cancer. Based on these results, treatment can be started if needed. I hope this information helps!

Poor guy. There are a lot of wildlife critters and probably a fair number of strays out and about, depending on your neighborhood. The swollen not to the touch area is likely an abscess (infected pocket caused by a puncture wound). You will need to see a vet to have this abscess drained and then have him placed on a short course of antibiotics to help this heal properly. I would consider keeping him indoors more often and fixed if he isn’t already, because intact males typically get into more fights and sustain more injuries. Best of luck with your cat. Take care.

This sounds like he has an enlarged liver. The liver is near the front of the abdomen and if it enlarges it can cause the symptoms you are describing. It can put pressure on the lungs so they aren’t able to expand normally which can cause difficulty breathing, usually when excited. I would continue with the treatments your veterinarian recommends. An X-ray would show if the liver is enlarged, although there may not be much to do about it with his other medical problems. We do give supplements for the liver but rarely do surgery or other treatments. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Abner.

I recommend you have your cat seen by a veterinarian immediately if she is having trouble breathing/irregular breathing. She may be dealing with allergies, asthma, or even heart disease, which is often very difficult to detect in cats until it becomes an emergency situation such as this. It's better to be safe than sorry, so I recommend you have her examined by a vet right away. I do not recommend you giving 2cute the ZydaClin you have from your other cat's dental issue, as misuse of antibiotics can lead to resistant bacteria. Without further testing, there is no way to tell if what you are concerned is a tumour is due to infection, trauma or allergy, or if it is a mass. Masses can be of a malignant (cancerous) type that can spread elsewhere and/ or invade the healthy tissue around them, or a more benign (noncancerous) type that is unlikely to spread. Cancerous types of masses are less common than benign ones, but I recommend having 2cute seen by a vet to have the growth tested and to guide treatment.