My family has recently adopted a young female Tortoiseshell cat (Zoe) from a shelter in the local area.

Her past is rather sad; she lived in a hoarder's trailer house, with many other cats and dogs. When she was rescued, they had to trap her because of how bad the situation was. Some of the cats had to be put down due to poor health and the horrific environmental conditions they had all lived in.

Zoe's age is approximately 1-5 years old, but she's considered a young adult nonetheless. After she was rescued, they gave her shots, tested her for any feline diseases (tested negative for leukemia and aids!), and then spayed her.

About two weeks ago, we brought her to "our vet" because my mom and I, as well as Zoe's foster mommy, were concerned about a little lump found on her lower belly. The reason I put "our vet" in quotations is because we really haven't found a vet as good as the one we had in North Carolina (we now live in Pennsylvania). The vet we go to is an okay facility, but my mom's really not satisfied with them.

The vet examined Zoe, and said it could be a reaction from the sutures used after being spayed. She told us that it should clear up, and that it was nothing to worry about. They sent us home with a clean bill of health, and she was fine for awhile.

Tonight, however, she's extremely moody. She even swatted at our dog, front claws and all, which was strange seeing as she gets along with him just fine. He simply walked by her and she went after him. I noticed the lump on her belly was enlarged, bigger than the first time. I tried to feel it--which Zoe promptly informed me she did not like it being touched--and it felt very round and protruding. She's definitely in pain, which explains her strange behavior towards our dog.

Long story short, should we get a second opinion on this matter? Something in my gut instinct wants to trust what the vet had said, but at the same time, I still really question the initial diagnosis. Something is telling me there's more going on.

I hate to seem paranoid, but could it be cancerous? Her living conditions from before were definitely not picturesque, and she was most likely born into and grew up in that situation. Could that have had an impact on her health?

Please ping me, as I tend to be very bad at checking for responses.

(another note: we own two older cats, and they really do not like Zoe. At all. Could their aggressiveness be due to her possibly being sick?)

When in doubt, always get a second opinion. It could be a number of things. I know a lot of animals will get hernias after getting fixed, so it's possible it's just that but it's better to be on the safe side and get a second opinion. Good luck and tell me how it goes.

She seems to be doing better today. My mom says she could have been constipated last night. I'l keep an eye on her, and if she stops eating or drinking, then we'll be sure to bring her to the vet then.

Thanks!

I'm glad she's doing better. Wet cat food helps with constipation. I hope everything works out with her

- I don't see how constipation would cause that lump on your cat? I don't think it's cancer because I heard tumors don't hurt when you touch them. I'd definitely take her to another vet, because a random painful lump on her isn't normal and it could be very well something serious. I'm no cat expert, but after being around cats my whole life, I know none of them ever had this and I'd check it out before it's too late.

How have things gone since you initially asked this question? I would give my opinion, but it's a little late now. I would love to hear an update about your cat to know how she's doing.

She's doing good. We suspect she might have giardia though. One detail I failed to mention in my original post, is that when she poops, we can smell it all from the top of the basement stairs (the litterboxes are in the unfinished part of the basement, and we close the door to keep the dog out; but the cats can still go through the catflap). And it's such a foul smell that could probably kill a person.

I think that's why her abdomen gets that distention. So we're going to bring a stool sample to the vet, have them test it and go from there. If she tests positive, she'll get an anti-biotic and then go on probiotic afterwards.

I'm glad you have an idea of what's going on with her :) It's too bad she's sick, but I'm glad it's something you can fix :)

She's a pretty tough cat. Whenever there's a loud sound, like a close thunder clap, she's the only one who doesn't freak out. Sometimes I'll get really loud or drop something near her, and I'll go to apologize to her, but then I remember and instead say, "Oh yeah, you're the weird child, Zoe. Nothing seems to bother you." xD

Lol she sounds like quite the cat :p