My new cat has a swollen bump under its chin. Is a vet visit urgent?

Poor Little Bit! If it's his lymph nodes that are swollen, he could have an infection in that area causing the swelling. It could also be a virus, immune mediated disease, allergies, and even cancer though that would be rare in a cat his age. This is something that needs to be checked out by the vet, so give his vet a call now to make him an appointment. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

Hi and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I cannot tell where the lump is on the photo but most if not all lumps needs to be evaluated by a vet. Especially in Simba's case since the lump has gotten swollen. Your vet will perform a full physical exam and determine if the lump needs to be aspirated. Lumps can be anything from an abscess, mass/growth, hernia etc. Your vet will determine after an exam what the next best steps and treatments are. Good luck!

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I suspect this is either allergic reaction or developing abscess. Please, take Sweet to your local vets for an appointment as she will likely need treatment with either antibiotics (for abscess) or anti-allergic medication (steroids or antihistamine medicine).

This could be a few different things. It may be a cyst or it could be a growth that is concerning. Without actually seeing the growth I can't really tell you exactly what it is. I always recommend taking an animal to the veterinarian that has a growth to have an aspirate performed. This may give an answer as to what exactly the growth is. To get the definitive answer on what this growth is Blackbear would need the growth removed and biopsied. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi there. The area of inflammation should be monitored. Sometimes lymph nodes swell with a mild infection, and when it is just one that is swollen, it is safe to monitor at this time. If Bambina continues to act normally, I would wait 7-10 days if the swelling remains the same. If it is still swollen after that time period, I would have your veterinarian check it out. I hope that helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Dexter. This lump may be an enlarged lymph node if it's right below his neck. That can indicate an infection or a dental problem. Other possibilities include a cyst, an abscess, a lipoma, or a benign growth. Given it's local, I do think it's important to have it checked out by a vet, and I would have him seen by one in the next few days. I hope this helps!