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Hi, my 16yr old ( normally healthy) cat has a half walnut sized lump on her ribcage, no trauma has been involved, the local vet says it could be a tumor and wants to anaesthatise her, xray her, take a biopsy and take bloods. Is this common practice.? Can he not diagnose purely by taking a biopsy.?? I feel like they are trying to get as much money out of us as possible.... Thank you

Hi, my 16yr old ( normally healthy) cat has a half walnut sized lump on her ribcage, no trauma has been involved, the local vet says it could be a tumor and wants to anaesthatise her, xray her, take a biopsy and take bloods. Is this common practice.? Can he not diagnose purely by taking a biopsy.?? I feel like they are trying to get as much money out of us as possible.... Thank you

Updated On January 21st, 2020

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 15 years and 9 months old

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Answered By Ana M, DVM

Veterinarian

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Thank you for submitting your question regarding Milly. I will typically start with a procedure known as a fine needle aspirate. I use a small needle to collect a sample of cells to evaluate under the microscope. This can help to diagnose the mass. It is not as accurate as a biopsy, but it generally gives a lot of information. The cat needs to hold still and cooperate though. So cats are different to draw blood on awake. This may have been why the recommendation was made to anesthetize her and collect all the samples at once. I hope this information helps!

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