Street cat with a huge bulge

[goldilocks3bears]

Hi,

The other day near my work I saw a cat with a huge lump (attached pic).

What could it be?

I called the local municipality to come catch the cat and take it to their vet (luckily the city where the cat is are known for helping animals).
However, they still weren't able to catch her. I am not giving up.
I don't know the cat as I just started working at the new place and I mostly work from home. The woman who feeds them heard what I was trying to do and got really angry. She said the cat has been like that for a long time and I don't know the cat and to leave them alone.

The cat otherwise looks healthy as she eats quite well

I personally, think that it looks bad and she needs a vet. What you guys think?
Thanks

[lilynmitz]

All I can suggest is you borrow a trap and catch her yourself without your cat-feeding neighbour knowing. If she objects, you might ask her what her veterinary qualifications are, and you're only doing this out of concern for the cat, something that perhaps should have been done a long time ago given that your neighbour had been aware of it.

It's hard to say what it is though. It's clearly not normal, and whether or not it's affecting her appetite and overall condition, no one will know exactly whether it's something to worry about until a vet has a look.