Does this look like cancer ?

heres a link to a large image of it https://ibb.co/JCZ4v7c I just need to prepare myself and know whether or not to allow my mother to go to the vet with me. She will freak either way but me breaking it to her slowly will be better and we live together so i cant just remove the cat without her knowing .   Thank you  

imagebb link so you can see it close up  .   https://ibb.co/JCZ4v7c

Hello - I'm afraid that cancer probably can look like this, and a thousand other ways too.   However, so can a large cyst with an ulcerated surface, or an abscess, or lick granuloma or an overlicked patch of skin due to an allergy, to name a few.  It is becoming increasingly apparent that looking at a lump doesn't really identify the sort of cell within it - and it is the sort of cell, not the external appearance, that dictates how the lump is going to behave.   So, what can you expect from your vet appointment?  I expect that the vet will examine your cat for other clues and also clues regarding their ability to stand an anaesthetic  eg enlarged lymph nodes, other lumps, chest sounds etc.  They will then tell you their findings.  'This is undoubtedly cancer' does happen sometimes, but it's a rare one; they might be more likely to say something like, 'this could be cancer or something of an inflammatory nature and we would like to take a biopsy to find out more.'  They may then carry out tests or book your cat in to do that, depending what is needed.

It is absolutely natural and normal for children to greive a pet or their health and this is sometimes done messily and sometimes quietly.  However, just as the external appearance of a lump does not reflect the cell type within it, so the outer appearance of greif does not reflect an individual's success in coping with it or preparing for it within their mind.  I have dealt with children and dying small pets and also grandparents and in my experience, taking them along, allowing them to take an open and honest part in the conversation (or leaving them at home but talking it through properly with them later), letting them ask the vet or yourself questions ('we don't know that yet' is a valid answer) and answering them honestly but not too graphically, would be my way to deal with any medical issue.  Hopefully by modelling this behaviour well, one can teach children to take a brave, kind and realistic approach to facing medical issues.  The RALPH site (search engine them) was set up by a greiving cat vet who lost a cat called Ralph, to help owners to cope with medical issues or greif.  It is a charity and an excellent resource.  They or your vet (phone them first if you are concerned) may be able to suggest some additional resources for children.

Thank you all for such good advice. Im waiting for records from the last vet she saw and then off to the vet i suppose fingers crossed.

The best of luck

The best of luck

@ Liz Buchanan Keymaster Thank you for your advice. It indeed was EGC we dont know what caused her to lick so much to cause this wound but after seeing images of what you said it might be i was relieved because i was convinced it was an overlicked area thank you. The vet put her on tresaderma (spelling),antihistamines and omega 3 oil. Shes doing great other than some bad teeth now we need to address

That's brilliant news.  Thank you for the update.