My 17-year-old indoor cat has a tumor on her front paw

Question:

I hope you can give me advice to help my 17-year-old indoor calico cat with a paw problem.

She has a tumor on her right front paw that has left a hole about 1/2 inch deep. She walks and jumps using the paw with no obvious pain, and she eats normally. I clean her paw regularly with peroxide, which was recommended by two veterinarians who have checked her physical condition. They both said part or the entire paw would have to be amputated, but did not recommend it because of her age -- she might not survive the operation.

Any advice on avoiding amputation would be greatly appreciated.

F.M., Elk Garden, NY Jun 19, 2012

Answer:

I am glad those veterinarians are not persuading you to subject your cat to surgery.

I agree that, because of her age and because she is enjoying normal physical activity, doing nothing outweighs the risk of surgery. She may not survive the anesthetic or, if she does, she will have a painful healing process.

If she is periodically licking the sore, she may be preventing it from healing. Cancer cells in the lesion will also interfere with the healing process. If possible, keep a light bandage on the wound to prevent her from licking to help the lesion slowly close up and possibly heal. Clean the wound once daily with an irrigating stream of warm saline solution, dry and add a few drops of organic honey, a natural antibiotic with healing properties. Irrigate once every five to seven days with diluted hydrogen peroxide if there appears to be any pus; daily application could actually delay healing.