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My senior cat has a growing lump on her belly. Is it a fatty tumor?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 14 years and 7 months old | 8.5 lbs

My cat is 14. She was spayed at age 3. A couple years after the spaying I noticed a small lump near the site. It is on her belly kind of between her legs. It has grown over the years and is now the size of roughly half a golf ball. It does not bother her movement and she isn't very reactive to it being touched other than not liking her belly rubbed. I'm concerned what it is. I though at first it was a fatty tumor and told if it didn't bother her it was OK. But should it grow this much?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on May 28th, 2020

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Monkey. First off, love her name! Fatty lumps can grow to be quite big over time, but it is worth getting checked out. 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 its cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. Once the cause of the lump is diagnosed, the vet can discuss treatment options if needed. Give her vet a call to make her an appointment. I hope this helps!

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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