What is this black raised lump on my senior cat's head near its ear?

Question

My 12 year old tabby has developed a raised slightly shiny black nodule slightly larger than a pencil eraser on the front of his scalp near his ear. There is no crust or oozing and there doesn't appear to be a lump below the surface . It appears to be external only. He is an indoor cat only. Thank you. Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Male | neutered | 11 years and 11 months old | 14 lbs

Destini R. Holloway, DVM · Accepted Answer

Hi and thank you for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This large black lesion appears to be a skin mass. Skin masses that look like this can be either cancerous or benign (non-cancerous). The best way to go about finding out which it is, is to get the mass tested through your vet with a procedure called a fine needle aspirate. This is where the vet will take a small needle and draw off cells that are inside the mass and then put these cells on a slide to be read by a histopathologist who specialized in identifying cells. I do hope that this is a non-cancerous mass after it has been tested. If it is then surgical removal will be the likely recommended course of treatment. Best of luck to you and Merlin moving forward on this. Take care.

What is this black raised lump on my senior cat's head near its ear?

Most Helpful Answer

Related Questions

What to do if my cat has a small hole with pus coming from its ear?

My pet keeps scratching its ear. What's causing this problem?

My guinea pig has a growing lump on its neck. Can it heal itself?

My pet's ear mite treatment isn't working. What else could it be?

My pet has a lump on their neck. What is it and what should I do?

My mouse has a growing lump. What can I do if I can't afford a vet?

Share