Is my Cat ok?

[nonils]

Hi! my cat is 19 years old and she has a strange type of knob above her left hind leg, its been there for years now! Her breathing is also very slow and sometimes she gets these small attacks where for a short while she struggles to breathe and she starts panicing, so i calm her down and then everythings back to normal... its scary! Shes also very sensitive to sounds and sleepy most of the time! pls help...is there something wrong, is there anything that i can do? i need your advice!!!

[BTownMeezer]

The best thing you can do for your cat right now is take her to the veterinarian.  She should have been having regular checkups through her life, especially as she entered her senior years.  19 is old for a cat (mine just died at 18).  Older cats frequently suffer from diabetes, CRF (chronic renal failure), heart problems - all the things that elderly humans can suffer.  Older cats do have a tendency to sleep much more as well.  Please do get her to a veterinarian as soon as possible.

[Savas]

With a cat of that age, changes in behavior are not unexpected. If you're truly concerned, have a vet check kitty out. 19 is an incredibly long life, but you should consider regular checkups to be sure kitty has quite a few years more.

The knob is most likely just a solid mass, probably not dangerous. BUT...I would have it checked out. There's a possibility if that's what it is, it can/is causing issues as kitty gets older.