My cat has a hard lump with dried blood near her tail. Is it serious?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is very hard to see in these pictures. This could be a benign or malignant growth. 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 her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. I am really hoping for something benign. Good luck and have a good night!

Unfortunately, it's impossible to tell what is going on with a skin problem by just looking at the skin since most skin problems look very similar. My best recommendation would be to have your veterinarian perform some simple skin tests to get a sample of the area to examine under the microscope. They will be able to evaluate for bacteria, yeast, mites, fungus and abnormal cells. Hopefully that will determine what is causing the problem and how to treat it. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be a benign or malignant growth. 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 night!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be a benign or malignant growth. Based on its location, this could also be a mammary gland tumor which in most cases are malignant. 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 her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. I am really hoping for something benign. Good luck and have a good day!

This looks most like a sebaceous cyst which is a benign cyst that can rupture or get infected from time to time. However, there are other things that this could be that are not benign. Just to be safe, I’d see the vet for a better examination. He or she may recommend a cytology (poking the mass with a slim needle and looking at the cells under the microscope) to determine if it needs to be removed or just monitored. Best wishes to you and Mamush!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be a benign or malignant growth. That type of behavior of coming and going is typical of a mast cell tumor though of course that is not the only possibility. Another possibility is a recurring infection. 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. I am so sorry for your worries with Dot. I think you need to be very suspicious of this & let your veterinarian examine Dot. There is just no way to say if this is a benign cyst or lump, or something more serious. But based on you picture, it does not look very big, so if there is any doubt as to what this might be, the best thing to do is remove it & send the tissue to a pathologist before it does get bigger. I hope all is well & thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.