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My cat has a soft, fluid-filled bump on her head. Is it serious?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 10 years and 1 month old | 10 lbs

My indoor cat [10 years old] has developed an abcess type growth on top of her head directly between her ears. it is soft and appears to be fliid filled. There is no leakage and she doesn't appear to mind it being touched or rubbed. On her own she never attempts to scratch it . It appeared about a year ago and hasn't grown any larger for about 6 months. it is about dime sized. She does not have contact with any other animals directly. I could send a photo if that's an option.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

Published on October 11th, 2017

I would recommend that Scooter have this bump checked out. An abscess is an infection, and I would not expect it to be there 6 months large. It is more likely to be a cyst or even a tumor. A vet can evaluate the bump, and may stick a needle inside to collect a sample of cells to look at under a microscope. Once they have a better idea of what it is, they can tell you if it needs to be surgically removed or not.

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    Answered By Christie Long, DVM

    Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

    Published on January 29th, 2017

    It's most likely either a benign or malignant skin growth. Cats don't get serious skin cancers as often as dogs do, however in order to know exactly what it is Joey should see his vet for a simple procedure called a fine needle aspirate. In this procedure the vet takes a small sample of the material inside the growth with a needle, then examines it under a microscope. This way he/she can tell if the growth is something to be concerned about, and whether it should be removed.

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