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My cat has a hard, unmoving lump on its shoulder. Is it serious?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 3 years and 5 months old

What could the lump on the shoulder of my cat be? It's hard and doesn't move around. Vet said it wasn't and abscess. Cat still acts fine.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on February 8th, 2016

Most lumps that occur on a pets skin can be either one of 3 things, especially in cats. 1) Abscess- it seems your vet has ruled this out, 2) Benign tumor- typically fatty lipomas and some other tumors we don't tend to worry about 3) Malignant tumor- these are often invasive and can also spread, depending on type, to other parts of the body. Now the one and only way to differentiate #2 from #3 is to have either: a) Fine-needle aspirate (least invasive procedure where a needle is introduced into the mass, cells are drawn off and then send off to a lab for analysis, this procedure does have a chance that the cells taken are not enough and results can be inconclusive in some situations) b) Excisional biospy- this is where the whole mass is removed surgically and typically either under sedation or general anesthesia. Because the entire mass is removed the results are almost always conclusive and you get your answer as to what type of mass it is , if it was removed in its entirety in that one area of the body, and the prognosis (life expectancy) with that specific tumor. So as you can probably see, if you want to find out what this thing could possible be, then further testing is most definitely warranted here to give you the answers you seek. Also to add here, most pets will not show generalized illness (anorexia, vomting, lethargy) with skin tumors when they initially present themselves, especially if they are localized to one area of the body. It is only when potentially cancerous tumors begin to spread to other more vital organs (ie. More commonly the lungs) that owners will see illness in their pet, and at this point it is often a much more progressed disease process and a lot harder to treat. Best regards, - Dr. H

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    Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    It could be a lump caused as a reaction to previous vaccination, it's unfortunately not very common but when it happens it could be a malignant tumor that needs being removed. I recommend asking your vet to take an FNA or biopsy and send it to the lab for diagnosis.

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