Swollen leg (cat)

Question
My 18 month old neutered cat has a swollen mass on his front left leg. There are no puncture wounds visible but he is limping. The mass is warm and his pads are warm. I can still feel his pulse in his foot. This all happened overnight. He is an outdoor cat durring the day and comes in when he wants but sleeps in the house at night. He was not limping last night when he came in but this morning he is limping and is swollen. Any suggestions or answers would be great. Please help.

Sincerely a cat lover,
Dawn Herrada

Answer
Hi Dawn!  I am so sorry it took so long to reply! I've been having some major computer problems and was unable to get online.
There are two things that could be causing the swelling and limping....
The swelling of your cats leg could be due to either an old wound (it can be something as tiny as a pinhole) or a bug bite that has now become abcessed.  Your veterinarian will want to flush the abcess out and put your cat on a duration of antibiotics.
OR...
The swelling could be due to a fracture in the leg, in which case your veterinarian will want to perform some x-rays and treat accordingly.
Please let me know how your kitty is doing!
Hilary