My old cat's leg is swollen. Is it serious? What should I do?

This is most likely an infection, a parasite under the skin or a cancer. These conditions all need medical care. I recommend to have your kitty examined by the veterinarian for appropriate diagnosis and treatment. She will need antibiotics, the area cleaned, possibly pain medication, possibly antiparasitics and an elizabethan collar. The vet may also recommend additional treatment. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Poor Tommy! I would recommend returning to your vet for a follow-up. The swelling on Tommy's leg does not sound good, especially combined with the other symptoms you have reported. One possible cause of the swelling would be some kind of infection. However, since Tommy has also lost a lot of weight and has been off his food I worry more about a cancerous process such as lymphoma, or perhaps a bone mass. Your vet will be able to do bloodwork and X-rays, and likely will want to take some fine needle samples of the 'knot' to look at under the microscope. They may want to send these samples out to be looked at by a pathologist too. Treatment options can vary depending on the findings of the diagnostic tests. They could range from surgery, to oral medications, to injectable chemotherapy. I hope you are able to get to the bottom of things soon for Tommy and that he starts feeling better.

Poor Grady! Unfortunately, this swelling could be due to a malignant tumor, especially if he's an older cat. The difficulty jumping and walking could be due to arthritis. I would have Grady seen by a vet today or first thing tomorrow. The cause of the swelling needs to be diagnosed so the vet can decide if there is any treatment available for him. Should he have arthritis, the vet can prescribe pain medications for him. Please do not give him any human pain medications, as many are toxic to cats and are fatal if given.

Poor guy. Some tumors can for so big that they stretch the skin so much that it opens the skin up. This likely requires surgical removal of the entire mass. I would continue the antibiotic as long as it is safe for use in pets. I would also recommend cleaning it with Betadine diluted 50:50 with warm water on the first day, then sterile saline flushes thereafter until you can get him in to the vet. Here is also a website link with financial assistance programs to try. http://m.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_veterinary_care.html Best wishes with Max and his leg. I hope he gets better soon.

Hello. Without any additional information, it is impossible to make a diagnosis, but is it possible that Dexter may have gotten into a fight with another cat & was bitten? Abscesses on the leg are very common & will often blow up like this before rupturing. If you can have Dexter seen by your veterinarian, they can determine if this is an abscess & will put him on antibiotics. Until you can have him see, you can apply warm compresses to the swelling to help with the healing. 5-10 minutes a couple of times a day is sufficient. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Poor Cleopatra! There appears to be a wound on the leg and the swelling is likely related to that. Concerns are an abscess, fracture, cellulitis or puncture wound. All of these require care by the veterinarian. At home you can restrict her activity since the more she walks on it, the worse it may get. You may also try applying a cool (not cold) compress but this is unlikely to fix the problem but may give some temporary relief of pain. Cleopatra needs to see her veterinarian today ideally for pain medication and treatment. I hope she starts feeling better quickly and please feel free to post any additional questions.

It could be that Percy has injured himself leading to the limping and swelling. Limping means he is in pain, and unfortunately there are no OTC pain medications you can give him. Many human ones are toxic to cats, and are fatal if given. I would take him into a vet now for treatment. Best of luck.