My cat has a scabbed growth on his back. Is it a skin tag or a tumor?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Judging from the photos you provided, I suspect this is a benign skin mass from its appearance. These generally are find to just keep an eye on but if you would like it gone, I would recommend having a veterinarian examine the mass and discuss options for removal. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Growing skin lumps and tags should be investigated and treated. This one does not look like a typical benign and harmless ski tag (still could be !), so please take Fluffington to your local vets for an appointment. Your vet may recommend to treat it with anti-inflammatory cream or to aspirate it with a needle to find out what type of growth this is.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If this happens to be in the abdomen, it is possible that this is a nipple. If not, then yes I agree it could be a growth. In that case, I recommend you have Leo evaluated by your veterinarian for a test called fine needle aspirate which is an easy, quick and pain-free procedure which in the majority of cases will help reach a diagnosis to identify what the best course of action is based on the findings. In some cases, a biopsy is needed for a diagnosis. If it truly is benign then removal is not necessarily recommended. However, if it is malignant and it has not spread to other locations, then surgical removal is recommended. Good luck! Keeping my fingers crossed that it is something benign.

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!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question. It looks like it could be from an injury if there is a scab on it. A scab means it's healing, so I would just keep an eye on it for now. If you see signs of infection, it gets bigger, it starts to bother her, or it doesn't appear to be healing, then have Fatina seen by a vet. I hope this helps!

Hi there, Emmie could just have a benign skin tag, but any lump should be checked with fine needle aspirate (small poke into the bump to collect cells which then get checked on microscope). Checking will insure it's caught early if it is anything, and if it's not you have that peace of mind. I hope that helps and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

This definitely could be a skin tag and nothing to worry about, but since it is new, I would have your vet take a look at it once to ensure it doesn’t need to be removed. There are other types of skin masses that can look similar to skin tags but are actually cancerous so it is always better to just have someone confirm. I hope this helps!