My cat has a lump on his shoulder and fur loss. Should I see a vet?

The pink raised mass in the picture appears to be a wart. I would not be concerned about this unless it grows or changes in color. The lump you feel could range from a cyst to a cancerous growth. I would recommend taking her to a veterinarian for an aspirate. This is where they can take cells from the mass and look at it with microscope

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is difficult to see a lump in the photo, but at Capernicus’s age, malignant growths are fairly unlikely. This may be a reaction to a vaccine if administered recently that should disappear with time. I recommend keeping an eye on it and having the spot seen by a vet if there is any discharge, bleeding, increase in size, or it seems to be bothering him. I hope this helps and that all is well!

Hello, thank you for your question about Hatter. Based on the photos attached and your description it is possible that this lesion could be a sebaceous cyst, or cyst within one of the sweat glands in the skin. It is also possible that the lesion could be indicative of a skin infection/abscess or a growing mass; however, I think this is less likely. If Hatter does not seem bothered by this lesion and there is no colored/odorous discharge from it I would recommend continuing to monitor the lesion. If it develops discharge, becomes painful, or grows rapidly in size I would recommend having Hatter seen by your veterinarian. Hope this helps, good luck!

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I am sorry for your concerns about Rocky. This appears to be a small cystic nodule, probably not cancerous, but all lumps & bumps should be evaluated by your veterinarian. A small sample taken with a very small needle can be examined under a microscope to see if there is anything to be worried about. You can watch this for a while, but if it suddenly should enlarge, please have it looked at. Take care.

From the picture, it could be that Lemon has a papilloma (benign tumor) or another kind of benign tumor. In a senior cat, there is always a chance it could be 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 have Lemon seen by a vet in the morning to have this lump examined and diagnosed so it can be treated as needed.

Hello, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The only way to know for sure what this little growth is, would be to have it tested in some way. The least invasive way to test is to do cytology, where your vet can use a needle to remove a few cells from the lump and look at them under the microscope. Cytology is not always 100% diagnostic, but it is minimally invasive and often allows us to gauge a level of concern, or diagnose certain types of common masses. The way to know for sure what that lump is, would be to have it surgically removed and send the lump itself in for testing (histopathology). Histopathology nearly always gives us a diagnosis, but of course is more invasive. While Silver's age (as a young adult) makes him less prone to scary malignant growths, and growths that are very slow to change may turn out to be benign, there is no way to know for sure what the growth is without having it tested in some way. You may choose to leave it that way, but doing so without having it evaluated in some way is a little bit of a gamble. I know this isn't an absolute answer - but unfortunately the only answer can come from testing the lump. I'd say it's worth having a vet take a look at the lump for peace of mind. Hope this helps.

Thank you for providing a picture of the bump on your cat, it's very helpful! It could simply be a benign growth, as it looks like it could be one in your picture, but unfortunately I cannot make the determination for sure without seeing him in person and doing tests on it. It is a bit concerning that it has grown up to 4x in size and is bleeding. It could be bleeding because he is scratching at it, but again I don't know unless I see him in person. Due to the fact it has grown in size and is bleeding for some reason, then yes I do think this is concerning enough to see the vet. It would be good to get the exact diagnosis of the bump; in addition, your cat is 10, which means he's a senior cat, and there is always a risk that any bump in a senior cat could be malignant. I'd give your vet a call to make an appointment. I hope this helps!