My cat's tail has a painful swollen bump. Is it a bite? Should I worry?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Rilian. He will need to see his veterinarian as he most likely has developed an abscess under his skin. Cat teeth are very sharp and puncture the skin introducing bacteria deep inside. The overlying skin heals quickly trapping the infection underneath. A visible swelling will develop. This is what I suspect has happened to Rilian. Most cats will develop a fever and may stop eating. He will likely need antibiotics and possibly to have the abscess lanced. In the meantime, it is fine to shave the overlying hair. I would not apply anything topically aside from water to cleanse the wound though. You can apply warm compresses for 5 minutes 3 times per day if he will tolerate it as well. I hope this information helps!

It looks like it could be an injury to your cat’s tail. If he’s allowed outside, he could have gotten into a fight with another cat causing the wound. Cat bites frequently become infected and cause an abscess, so I would have this checked out by a vet today or tomorrow. The vet can clean it up and can give antibiotics as needed. I hope this helps!

It is difficult to diagnose without seeing the bump but it could be an infection, cyst, mass, or an injury. The best thing would be to have your vet take a look at it to determine the exact cause and best way to treat. He may need an antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, or other medications to treat. Your vet can do a needle aspirate, if necessary, to help diagnose the cause of the bump.

Hi there. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It sounds like Felix has an abscess on his tail. it is very common for them to get this from the bite of another cat. The loss of appetite is usually due to a fever from the infection. The other possibility would be a fracture in the tail. Either way, he needs to see a vet for treatment. Your vet should be able to distinguish between these two possibilities with just an examination. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

You need to take Nala into a vet now to get treated. Bites from cats frequently become abscesses, and it will be painful to her plus make her feel pretty bad. Please have her seen by a vet immediately.

The lump needs to be checked and analysed as there are many conditions and types of tumors that could look like that. take Alex to the vet, they will perform a fine needle aspiration on the growth and send it to the lab for analysis. when the result comes, the vet will advise what needs to be done according to the diagnosis.

Hello, thank you for your question about Lulu. Based on the symptoms/lesion that you are describing it is possible that she got bit by another animal or encountered some kind of unknown trauma. based on the swelling and the brown discharge that you are describing I suspect that this area is infected. I would recommend having her seen by your veterinarian so that they can examine the area and thoroughly clean and flush it. Lulu may require a course of systemic antibiotics to prevent this wound from becoming severely infected or leading to further problems. Hope this helps!