My cat has a head bump, losing weight, vomiting, and hair. Should I worry?

Thank you for providing a picture of Dalton's bump! This bump could be a benign or malignant tumor, but I am very concerned that he isn't eating well and is losing weight. It is best that he is seen by a vet as soon as possible for not eating well and losing weight. This could be caused by dental disease, systemic illness, infection, inflammation, or injury. It would be good to have a physical exam, blood tests, and urinalysis done on Dalton to diagnose why he isn't eating and losing weight. The vet can also do a fine needle aspirate on his bump. 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. Once all of his symptoms are diagnosed, the vet can discuss treatment options with you.

She sounds pretty sick, and I'm concerned about her symptoms, especially that she is losing weight really fast. This is not something that can be treated at home, she needs to see a vet immediately. Please take her into one now.

I'm sorry to hear your cat is having problems. The bleeding bump on his leg, if he is allowed outside it could be a bite wound from another cat. If it has become infected, that will make him not feel well and have a decreased appetite. He could also have mass that has opened up on the skin. As far as his bottom, he may have an anal glad problem. These are small glands that sit under the skin on either side of the anus. They can become infected or blocked and even rupture open and bleed. If this doesn't appear to be the case, something coming out of his anus could be a parasite or a foreign object (piece of something he shouldn't have eaten such as a toy or clothing). Either of these scenarios can cause vomiting. You mentioned he hasn't gone to the bathroom. If he is unable to urinate (straining in the box, but no urine comes out), this is an emergency and he needs to go the veterinarian. If he hasn't defeated, it is likely due to his decreased appetite. It seems like he has more than one problem that should be evaluated by his veterinarian to get you some definitive answers. Good luck and I hope he feels better soon!

I'm sorry to hear that your cat isn't doing terribly well. There are several different possibilities here. One is that his weight loss is completely unrelated to the masses. As cats get older, they're more likely to develop conditions like hyperthyroidism or kidney disease, which can lead to weight loss. While neither of these conditions can be "cured," both can be managed to some degree with certain medications or diet. The other possibility is, as you mentioned, that these masses could be cancerous. I completely understand not wanting to pursue extensive treatment for cancer, but before making the assumption that it is cancer, I'd try to get some more information. For starters, I think it's perfectly reasonable to take your cat to the vet for an exam and some bloodwork to check his organ function. There's a chance that your vet may find something that's not terribly difficult to manage, but you don't know unless you look. I would expect that your vet would recommend trying to diagnose the masses in order to be thorough, but if you are clear that you don't want to look into them further, it shouldn't be an issue. At the end of the day, you own your cat and are responsible for making choices for him. Your vet's job is to present those choices to you and help you to find the approach that works best for you and your cat. I hope this helps and that everything goes well.

Thank you for posting again with the pictures! Yes, I would definitely get this lump checked. 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 its cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. Once the cause of the lump is diagnosed, the vet can discuss treatment options if needed. Give Patsy's vet a call to make her an appointment. Best of luck.

From your description, the mass sounds like a ruptured abscess. The weight loss and fur loss may or may not be related. He should be evaluated by a veterinarian. If he has not been tested for feline leukemia and aids, he should be as soon as possibly. Additionally, he should be dewormed, vaccinated and treated for fleas.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Im' sorry to hear Olliver hasn't been doing well. If he is reluctant to eat hard food but is willing to eat wet food, he may have some dental disease going on that makes him less willing to crunch on his regular food. As cats age, they can develop numerous issues that can lead to weight loss, including kidney disease, diabetes, an overactive thyroid, inflammatory bowel disease or another underlying medical issue. Many of these can be diagnosed via bloodwork. Finally, I do recommend any abnormal growth be evaluated by a veterinarian. While cats can develop many benign (non-cancerous) growths, there are others that are more concerning that we would want to address. I would have him evaluated by his regular veterinarian, have his teeth/mouth examined, have any necessary testing (bloodwork, xrays, needle aspirate of the mass) performed, and a treatment plan developed to help him feel better. Good luck!