worried about my cat.

Question
hi there,
today i noticed a large lump on the back of my cat's paw. it is slightly red and sticky. he keeps licking it and now he has started pulling out the hair from that area. I am going to the vet first thing tomorrow, but meanwhile i just wanted to know whether there could be any other reason for the lump other than cancer. my cat is three years old and neutered. my worst fear is also this that there are very few cancer treatment options for cats in india, what can be done if the news is bad?
any help will be appreciated.
thanks.  

Answer
I can certainly understand your concern, but try not to "borrow trouble" as we say here in the U.S. Your cat is relatively young and the kind of cancer that is likely to show up at this age would probably be either at a vaccination site (not usually the back of a paw!) or internally and not obvious to an observer. I would be much more likely to suspect some sort of skin infection or even an insect bite. Cats typically react to any minor skin trauma by making it worse with their licking, so you need to do two things  1) relieve the pain/itch if you can and 2) stop him from licking at it and making it worse.

Your vet will probably put what is called an "Elizabethan collar" on your kitty to stop the licking. I don't imagine that you have one of these around the house. In the U.S., they can be bought at some pet supply chains but I wouldn't know where to refer you in India.  However, it is perfectly OK to put a cool compress on the paw periodically -- maybe a couple of ice cubes in a small plastic back, wrapped in a towel. This may numb the paw so that he doesn't bother it so much.

You are to be commended for spotting this right away and getting prompt care for your cat. I'm sure with an attentive owner like you, he is going to be just fine. Write back and let me know how it goes at the vet!

iris