Vet unable to diagnose leg mass after 2 biopsies looking for advice/experiences
My 11 year old cat has been seen by our regular vet multiple times now for hard bumps on his front leg joint. They’ve attempted biopsies (FNA) twice, but unfortunately neither sample was sufficient enough to give us any answers.
They did run bloodwork, but no x-rays, CT scan, or MRI were ever done, and we honestly were never told those imaging options could potentially help figure out what the bumps are. At this point, we feel a little lost and are trying to figure out what the best next step should be.
Right now, we’ve basically been told to wait and monitor to see if things get worse. My vet is hesitant to surgically go in for a larger biopsy because of his age and the risks of anesthesia/healing in older cats. Amputation was also brought up at one point, but I was told he may have a very difficult time adjusting to losing a front leg at his age, which honestly worries me a lot.
What’s confusing to me is that the bumps have not noticeably grown in over a year. They’re very hard, sit directly on the joint, and feel like two separate bumps. From what I’ve read, a lot of bone cancers involving joints seem to progress much faster than this, which is why I was hoping maybe it could be something less serious like bone spurs, arthritis-related changes, or something benign. But at this point, I really don’t know what to think anymore.
I know I should have pushed for more answers sooner, and I’m already beating myself up over that, so please be kind. We just really want to know if anyone has experienced something similar with their cat, especially with slow progression and inconclusive FNAs.
We are located in Nashville, TN, but we are absolutely willing to travel for the right veterinarian or specialist. Right now we just really need help figuring out what direction to go in and what questions we should be asking. Any advice or shared experiences would mean so much to us 🐈
Here are photos
Posted May 12, 2026, 2:59 PM UTC