Anyone have experience with mammary tumors in cats?

Prognosis? Treatment options? My girl will be 18 in march, I'm 99% sure that this is what it is but am going to hopefully get her to the vet later... we found the growth on her belly (on a teat) last night and I barely slept. I don't know how we didn't find it before. It's small but still.... we make sure (especially now, with a newborn) to give her lots of attention and petting every day. It's buried so deep in her thick white belly fur. I'm just at a loss.

Thanks

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Message edited 1/11/2012 7:06:13 AM.

Re: Anyone have experience with mammary tumors in cats?

i have no experience...just hugs

p.s. cats in hats ROCK!

Re: Anyone have experience with mammary tumors in cats?

Is she fixed/spayed?

I have to be honest with you, the experience I had was not a good one.

Growing up, my very first cat, who was not fixed, wound up getting mammary tumors when she was about 12 years old. She did not recover.

But that was also 25+ years ago keep in mind.

Are you sure it's a tumor? Maybe it's just a benign growth?

Re: Anyone have experience with mammary tumors in cats?

My mother's cat has something like you describe. She's 17, good appetite, fat, lazy , not in pain, and basically living the life of riley over there. She goes apesht at the vet so mom wont take her and put her through that; to me it just looks like a cyst, but im not a vet.

I hope everything is ok with your furbaby, love the pic, love the hat!!

Re: Anyone have experience with mammary tumors in cats?

Thanks girls.
Goobster I'm not sure it's a tumor - that's just my "educated" guess based on the quick internet research I did last night. It feels like a hard nodule and looks like a blood blister. We think it must have been growing under the skin and just popped out recently because my DH rubs her belly ALL the time - and he immediately noticed it when he was doing it last night. It's hard to imagine it has been there for long without having been felt by one of us (or him, as she only lets him rub her belly )

We got an appointment for 7:20pm today. Will update when I can.

ETA yes she is fixed, never had kittens. I've had her since she was old enough to be adopted... way back in '94

Message edited 1/11/2012 10:05:39 AM.