Two years ago I detected three small bulges under the hip skin of my older cat. I thought they were cysts, but it turned out that they were soft tissue sarcomas, sort of subcutaneous tumors.
At the time, Shy - my female cat - was 16 years old and in good health, my vet suggested that she could have surgery, so we had the surgery done. I was very worried, because a few months earlier I had lost two of our old cats (both her litter) due to kidneys and liver problems.
(The day after surgery)
Wow! She got a huge scar! But luckily she recovered quickly and went back to her usual life.
The vet warned us that in a couple of years the sarcoma would regrow.
And, indeed, this year it appeared again in the same spot, just horribly huge! About the size of a tangerine fruit!
Being now 17, the vet advised against another surgery and told us to let her live her life in peace, as the tumor was not painful and didn't affect her health.
Last month the sarcoma cracked open and started to suppurate, something that I wasn't at all aware of.
We had another trip to the vet just to be told that the wound would never heal, that we had to keep it clothed and that she would need a daily medication for the rest of her life.
Despite people who told us to have her put to sleep, we got organized with medicaments, gauzes and such.
We even tried a cat dress (they are more expensive than baby clothes!), but she kept wearing it off, so we opted for bandages.
(Shy with her "dress". You can see that she is not happy about it. Hahaha!)
By covering it, the wound seems to get better. We only need to keep it clean.
So, each night we gather our medications and try to keep her still until I "pack her up".
She is not very happy about it but, hey, she is still alive and kicking! __