Small Cyst on tail

[evathequeenie]

My cat has had a small round cyst near the end of her tail about the size of a marble, for about ten years.  Nothing about it has changed in that amount of time.  Three weeks ago I accidentally stepped on her tail and burst the cyst.  (ugh - I felt terrible)  A small amount of watery liquid came out, mostly clear, but with a trace of old blood, coffee colored.  For the next two weeks I treated the area like a wound, applied a warm compress to soften the scab, and gently pressed out any fluid that had accumulated.  The fluid remained the same, no ***** looking stuff came out at any time.  Now the area appears to have healed completely.  The cat does not appear to have any pain.  The cyst has filled back up with fluid and is about the same size it was before.  My question is, should I be concerned about this cyst now that it has been injured, or is it likely to continue as before?  

[frozensun11]

This is what so many people don't understand, that a trip to the vet, for an older cat, is very traumatic. My own cat's heart beats so fast and she pants like yours, I hate to put her through that. My cat has a lump on the end of her tail also, she's 13. She doesn't act sick at all and the lump doesn't seem to hurt her or bother her when I pressed down on it, although she didn't particularly like me messing with her tail right there either. I don't know what to do. Taking her to the vet is a last resort, it can cause more damage than good to her at this point in her life.

[Mrs_Savas]

You're certainly welcome!

For what it's worth, I agree.  That's what I would do, too, under the circumstances.  Just keep an eye on her, but don't put her through all that unless something changes.

At her age you have to weigh the advantages of taking her in to the vet vs. having her go into that state which is emotionally and physically traumatic.

Queenie sounds like a lovely lady and I'm glad she's doing well.

[evathequeenie]

Thanks for the quick response.  She has had regular vet check ups and visits.  The vet has hypothesized that her lump is a cyst, but has not conducted any tests.  The area has never lost fur, and she has never seemed to be bothered by it in the least.  When Queenie was a kitten she had a terrible abcess.  I remember what that was like, so I monitor every little thing extremely carefully.  Now that Queenie is an old lady (she is 17), she gets extremely nervous if I take her anywhere in the car.  I was hoping to avoid a trip to the vet this time, because car rides are so upsetting for her.  (she yowls until she is hoarse, drouls all over her own chest, sheds like a tornado, and pants like she is about to hyperventilate...just awful)  We will keep a close eye on her tail.  Everything seems to be healthy so far.  I will take her to the dreaded vet if anything seems odd.  Thanks for the advice!!

[Mrs_Savas]

My guess is that she should be fine and go along as before, however you might want to have a vet check it out.

Did you ever have it officially diagnosed by a vet?  They usually do a needle biopsy to be sure what they are dealing with.  Since she's had it so long, I would assume that it isn't a cancerous growth, or you would know by now.  And abcesses are short lived, so it isn't that.  

Still, to be safe, I would get it diagnosed if it hasn't been already.  Otherwise, keep an eye on it and see if there is any change, either at the site of the cyst or with Queenie's behavior, in any way.  Cats instinctively hide it when they are in pain, so it isn't always easy to recognize.  However, if her eating habits change or she seems listless or just "not herself", you should get her checked out right away.