My cat has a lump on her belly. What could it be and what's next?

I'm sorry to hear that Al has a skin lump that you found. Cats can develop growths that are benign (cysts, fatty deposits) or some that are concerning (skin cancers, abscesses). I would recommend he be evaluated by his regular veterinarian to determine what kind of mass it is, and whether or not it is potentially a problem for him. Good luck!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be a benign or malignant growth. This is likely from her mammary gland. There is no way of knowing for sure without an examination though this represents a reason to seek veterinary care. This is usually determined with an examination and a fine needle aspirate (FNA) or a biopsy. Treatment depends on the findings up to that point. I recommend you have Dahlia evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a good night!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Tummy! Possible causes for a lump are: an abscess, a skin mass, or an internal mass in his belly. If Tummy has lost weight or is having any other change either behaviorally or appetite wise I recommend having him evaluated by your Vet. If the mass and in the skin (not the belly), is soft it is likely an abscess or a cyst. Sine this is a new finding I recommend having him seen by your Vet to be safe. I hope this helps and feel free to post a picture if you think that would help us better. Have a great day!

There is no way to know what this mass is without seeing your cat. It could be a benign or cancerous tumor, or firm ball of scar tissue, or an abscess. I recommend a visit to your vet for a fine needle aspirate and cytology, where he/she will take a sample from the mass to examine under a microscope to give you a diagnosis and come up with a treatment plan.

Hi, and thanks for your question. Although a picture of the lump would help to give you more specific answers, this growth should be ideally examined by your veterinarian to have a definitive diagnosis. Your vet will examine it and possibly perform with an FNA (fine needle aspiration) or a biopsy. Differentials would include skin cyst, infections or benign or malignant type of tumors. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

This kind of lump/growth needs to be ideally assessed by your veterinarian to have a definitive and specific answer. Usually there are two ways your vet can do that a part from examining it directly during physical examination. A biopsy can be taken under local or general anesthetic, otherwise a smaller sample through a fine needle can be aspirated (this technique is called FNA= fine needle aspiration). Differentials include skin cysts, infections, benign or more sinister type of tumors. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

I would recommend having this evaluated fairly soon. It could be a swollen lymph node or abscess or tumor of some sort. The vet can do a needle aspirate of the lump to look at cells and determine what it may be or if it's of concern. Because some tumors can grow quickly it's always better to have lumps evaluated fairly quickly to make sure it's not malignant.