My kitten has a hard, crispy lump in her fur. What could it be?

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It could be a small cyst (non cancerous growth) from epidermal origin, or potentially a small abscess that has not yet reached the point of rupture from a sting or bite. If it is possible I would suggest clipping the hair short to get a better look. If you can get a picture, this would help us to better help you out. Likely Freya will need to see a vet for either a drainage of this or a removal if the mass becomes bothersome. Antibiotics will be warranted if the mass ends up being an abscess that is currently brewing under the skin. I hope this helps! Please resubmit if you can get some photos! We'd love to be as accurate as possible.

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!

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Unfortunately it is very hard to see exactly what is going on with the pictures you have posted. It does however look like there are little blood clots present, which suggests small little wounds or scratches present underneath. Possible causes of scratches/wounds on the skin would be fleas, fights with other cats/animals, mange and self-trauma scratching, tick bite craters, etc. I recommend you give her a bath and get it all cleaned up, and see if more are appearing or if they are healing up after a few days. They don't look infected so medications for the wounds themselves are likely not required. I would treat for fleas/mange if you are not already. Best of luck with Freckie!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This lump could potentially be something like an abscess for example. However, other things are possible. I recommend that you have Jeri evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. If an abscess was noted, further local therapy with drainage and antibiotics would be recommended. Without knowing what this is exactly, it is not possible to recommend a good treatment for it. Good luck and best wishes!

Unfortunately, it's impossible to tell what is going on with a skin problem by just looking at the skin since most skin problems look very similar. My best recommendation would be to have your veterinarian perform some simple skin tests to get a sample of the area to examine under the microscope. They will be able to evaluate for bacteria, yeast, mites, fungus and abnormal cells. Hopefully that will determine what is causing the problem and how to treat it. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is very hard to see in these pictures. This could be a benign or malignant growth. 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 her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. I am really hoping for something benign. Good luck and have a good night!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This looks like it may be the nipple and not a mass. She may be licking due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!