Senior cat not eating, losing weight, has head lump & fur loss?

I'm sorry to hear that your cat isn't doing terribly well. There are several different possibilities here. One is that his weight loss is completely unrelated to the masses. As cats get older, they're more likely to develop conditions like hyperthyroidism or kidney disease, which can lead to weight loss. While neither of these conditions can be "cured," both can be managed to some degree with certain medications or diet. The other possibility is, as you mentioned, that these masses could be cancerous. I completely understand not wanting to pursue extensive treatment for cancer, but before making the assumption that it is cancer, I'd try to get some more information. For starters, I think it's perfectly reasonable to take your cat to the vet for an exam and some bloodwork to check his organ function. There's a chance that your vet may find something that's not terribly difficult to manage, but you don't know unless you look. I would expect that your vet would recommend trying to diagnose the masses in order to be thorough, but if you are clear that you don't want to look into them further, it shouldn't be an issue. At the end of the day, you own your cat and are responsible for making choices for him. Your vet's job is to present those choices to you and help you to find the approach that works best for you and your cat. I hope this helps and that everything goes well.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Im' sorry to hear Olliver hasn't been doing well. If he is reluctant to eat hard food but is willing to eat wet food, he may have some dental disease going on that makes him less willing to crunch on his regular food. As cats age, they can develop numerous issues that can lead to weight loss, including kidney disease, diabetes, an overactive thyroid, inflammatory bowel disease or another underlying medical issue. Many of these can be diagnosed via bloodwork. Finally, I do recommend any abnormal growth be evaluated by a veterinarian. While cats can develop many benign (non-cancerous) growths, there are others that are more concerning that we would want to address. I would have him evaluated by his regular veterinarian, have his teeth/mouth examined, have any necessary testing (bloodwork, xrays, needle aspirate of the mass) performed, and a treatment plan developed to help him feel better. Good luck!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! 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 him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. I am really hoping for something benign. Good luck and have a good day!

Thank you for providing a picture of Dalton's bump! This bump could be a benign or malignant tumor, but I am very concerned that he isn't eating well and is losing weight. It is best that he is seen by a vet as soon as possible for not eating well and losing weight. This could be caused by dental disease, systemic illness, infection, inflammation, or injury. It would be good to have a physical exam, blood tests, and urinalysis done on Dalton to diagnose why he isn't eating and losing weight. The vet can also do a fine needle aspirate on his bump. To do this, the vet sticks a small needle into the bump 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. Once all of his symptoms are diagnosed, the vet can discuss treatment options with you.

A huge lump on his neck could be an abscess, a blicked salivary duct, inflamed or infected salivary gland, a cyst, a tumor, or a swollen lymph node. This needs to be examined by your veterinarian who will likely want to take a bit of tissue or check if and what kind of fluid is in the lump. He will do this with a very thin needle (painless) to determine what kind of mass or lump there is. Not eating is dangerous for a cat as this can cause liver disease in cats in addition to the original cause. Please take your kitty to a veterinarian for an exam today.

Given his symptoms, he should be physically examined by your veterinarian. A fine needle aspirate can be done in the clinic to collect samples for pathology. This may determine if the bump is something that needs to be addressed or simply monitored. Your vet may recommend lab work (CBC, chemistry panel, urinalysis) to diagnose the underlying cause for the vomiting and weight loss. These symptoms have multiple causes. Abdominal x-rays may also be recommended. Supportive care (IV or subcutaneous fluids, antibiotics, anti-emetics, etc.) can be administered as indicated.

I would be worried that Oliver has something going on that has the potential to be serious. Oliver needs to see the veterinarian ASAP for bloodwork and the check the mass and his teeth. Bad teeth, cancer, kidney or thyroid disease could all account for the weight issues. A painful mass does not always mean its cancer but you still need to be concerned. The doctor may recommend to aspirate the mass to determine what it is and what steps are most appropriate moving forward. I hope this helps!