My senior cat has a growing, scabby lump on her knee. Is it urgent?

Ouch! That definitely should be seen by your vet. They will need to take a sample, generally a fine-needle aspirate, to help determine what the growth is and if it needs to be removed, drained, or treated. If your kitty doesn't like going to the vet, you can call ahead to see if they can prescribe a sedative to give at home before bringing her in which can help make things less stressful (and easier for your vet to get a sample of the growth). Some veterinarians also provide home services, so if you feel kitty would be calmer at home, a housecall vet may be a good alternative.

I would recommend to get Peanut in sooner rather than later to have the mass aspirated. This should give you an idea of what type of mass it is and if you need to be worried. Most skin masses are benign but there is always a chance its cancerous. The aspirate is quick and generally does not require sedation or stitches. Try not to worry until you know what you are dealing with. Best of luck with Peanut.

Yes, this does sound like a melanoma. please take your cat to a vet ASAP as melanomas are very aggressive. Your vet may not even biopsy it for fear of spreading it, but opt to remove the tumor surgically under anesthesia. Do not wait, take her now.

Unfortunately no, any lump removal does require being put under, whether is general anesthesia or sedation. Lump removal can be done in senior cats, and I recommend having a geriatric blood panel done on Pursie prior to deciding to remove the lump. That will tell the vet how her organ's are functioning, and can give an idea of the anesthetic risk of putting her under.

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!

Hi there. I will agree with you that this probably needs immediate attention. It would be helpful to know how long it has been there-how long it has been growing and at what rate, etc. This lump may be a mass that needs aspirated to definitively diagnose. My best to you and your pup!