My cat has a growing, painless leg bump. Should I worry about it?

This bump on Elijah could be a cyst, a benign tumor, from an insect bite, or it could be a malignant tumor. Unfortunately without seeing him in person, I can't say for certain what it is. Any suspicious bumps should be examined by the vet. The vet can perform a test called a fine needle aspirate on it. To do this, the vet sticks a small needle into the bump to get a sample of it's cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. I would take him into the vet on Monday to have this bump examined and diagnosed so it can be treated as needed. I hope this helps, best of luck!

Yes, it is best to be safer rather than sorry and have the lump checked over as soon as possible. It could be a cancerous lump that requires urgent treatment. Your vet can start sampling it with a needle and putting the content on a slide and take it from there.

Without further testing, there is no way to tell if this growth is due to infection, trauma or allergy, or if it is a mass. Masses can be of a malignant (cancerous) type that can spread elsewhere and/ or invade the healthy tissue around them, or a more benign (noncancerous) type that is unlikely to spread. I recommend making an appointment for Onxy to see your vet to have the growth tested. In many cases this can be done using a fine needle aspirate, where cells are removed from the growth using a needle and examined under a microscope to determine what it is and to guide treatment. In some cases further testing may be needed to determine the necessary course of treatment, but it is important to get new growths tested in a timely manner, to allow for treatment if necessary.

Please take Sabbath in to have the lump examined. The most common lumps in cats are from infections but those generally are hot and painful. Cats do get masses that can be cancerous so having it examined is best. They can get some cells through a small needle and have it looked at to determine if it needs to be removed. The lump may be benign or an infection which would be nothing to be concerned about but I recommend finding out for sure what it is. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Sabbath.

Hi Greg! Thank you for providing a picture of Lily's lump on her leg. From the picture, it could be a cyst, a benign tumor, or a malignant tumor. Any suspicious lumps should be examined by the vet. The vet can perform a test called a fine needle aspirate on it. To do this, the vet sticks a small needle into the lump to get a sample of it's cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. I would take her into the vet in the next couple of days to have the lump examined and diagnosed so it can be treated as needed. Good luck, I hope this helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be a benign or malignant growth. This may even be an abscess. There is no way of knowing what it is just based on its appearance. This is often differentiated by a test called a fine needle aspirate (FNA) which is a pain free, inexpensive and easy procedure which in most cases will help reach a diagnosis. Sometimes a biopsy is needed for a definitive diagnosis. I recommend that you have him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. I am really hoping for something benign. Good luck and have a good day!

Hello, thank you for your question about Milo. Based on the photo that you have attached it is possible that this lesion could be due to a cyst, abscess, or mass. A cyst is a benign fluid filled structure that can develop in various locations on animal's bodies. An abscess is an encapsulated infection that is most commonly associated with some kind of trauma, but can occur for an unknown reason. Masses, tend to feel more firm/solid and can be caused by many different types of cancers (benign or malignant). I would recommend having Milo evaluated by your veterinarian so that they can examine the lesion. They may recommend collecting an aspirate, or small needle, sample from the lesion to help determine exactly what it is. They can then discuss further treatment options based on these findings. Hope this helps, good luck!