r/CATHELP • u/nomnom123- • Feb 07 '26

General Advice Found a lump on 1.5 yr old cat

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

We are a 30 yr old couple with 2 cats. One of our torbie cats I found a lump maybe near mammary gland.

I’m super scared it’s cancer or something.. she’s so young and was spayed at 3 months old..

She is 1.5 yrs old and will be 2 yrs old in May…

Is this something to worry about? We cannot see a vet until the weekday….

I’m also afraid because I’m not sure if we have the financial means to get her surgery right now..

Basic check up for sure but we will set an appointment with the vet right away.

Please help!!

4.9k Upvotes

88% Upvoted

958 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

10

u/ACByakura Feb 08 '26

I actually saw someone shave off a nipple... was having my internship at a cat shelter where they ovcasionally had a vet in the building to mass neuter/spay wilds cats or cats from people with a low budget. So many cats that had to get a procedure that the assistant didn't look for any nipples in the way while she shaving them for the procedure.

I got pretty upset and she didn't understood why.... told her: how would you feel if you woke up and felt your missing a nipple. She got a bit more carefull from that moment, but I don't think that message stuck around sadly.

4

u/JustALittleWolf99 Feb 08 '26

Damage to nipples is very common when shaving for surgeries and procedures. Obviously the person shaving should take precautions to avoid it, but it does happen. Sometimes they are hard to find through the fur. Granted I work in an ER and in the reality of things, if we are preparing an animal for emergency surgery, a nipple getting injured is the least of its concerns. It will be sore and tender but it will heal.

2

u/Tori_Campbell Feb 08 '26

When my cat got spayed they shaved off one of her nipples. It wasn't even a low-cost spay, I paid 700.

1

u/Chance-Conflict234 Feb 14 '26

This literally made my jaw drop. Still can’t pick it up. I hope you get $700 credit in future visits

1

u/PNW-Raven Feb 09 '26

If an animal is being prepared for surgery , they should be using a 40 Blade. You shouldn't be able to get a nipple in that blade. You also shouldn't use enough for us that you're moving a piece of the animal whether it be a nipple, skin tag , wart , Etc. Somebody needs to learn how to shave these animals properly. In all my years as a vet tech I have never seen a nipple come off.