My senior cat has a growing black lump on her leg. Is it serious?

Yes, it is best to be safer rather than sorry and have the lump checked over as soon as possible. It could be a cancerous lump that requires urgent treatment. Your vet can start sampling it with a needle and putting the content on a slide and take it from there.

Thank you for providing a picture of the lump on Beaju's back. It could simply be a wart, but there is always a chance that any lump on a senior cat could be malignant. Same for the lump on his front leg. 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 it's cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. I would take him into the vet on Monday to have these lumps examined and diagnosed so they can be treated as needed. I hope this helps!

I would get this checked out by a vet. I worry about these dark-colored masses being melanoma, which can be a serious cancer if not controlled soon enough. It's also possible that this is a benign skin tumor or cyst, but there's no way to tell for sure from looking at it. A sample will need to be analyzed under a microscope in order to tell what type of mass it is. I hope that helps and all is well with the cat.

From the picture, it could be that Lemon has a papilloma (benign tumor) or another kind of benign tumor. In a senior cat, there is always a chance it could be a malignant tumor. 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 it's cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. I would have Lemon seen by a vet in the morning to have this lump examined and diagnosed so it can be treated as needed.

It could be a lipoma, but unfortunately in a senior cat like Leia it could also be a malignant tumor. Other possibilities include a cyst, abscess, or benign tumor. 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 it's cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. I would have Leia seen by a vet tomorrow to have this lump examined and diagnosed so it can be treated as needed.

The most common causes of oral tumors in cats are melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma and fibrosarcoma. A black tumor would be more suspicious of melanoma. In either of these cases, you want to get it removed and identified soon, because they are all cancerous. However, there are many benign (non- cancerous) causes of nodules in the mouth, so don't worry too much yet. A veterinarian may see it and not be as concerned based on the appearance. I hope that helps and all turns out OK with Alexis.

I don't believe it is urgent. but as soon as you can you should have it aspirated and discuss removal with your veterinarian. It may be a benign growth but if it causes a hinderence to mobility then it becomes a larger issue. It is best to remove them when they are small.