My cat a white and skin colored lump on his face that was tiny and has now grown a bit, is that serious? Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Mediumhair | Male | neutered | 6 years and 4 months old | 28 lbs

This may be an abscess, a cyst or a tumor. You should have it examined by your veterinarian, as it is not possible to distinguish these by just looking at a photo. An abscess can usually be treated with antibiotics and/or be lanced, and a cyst can be evacuated. To identify a tumor, your vet may want to do a fine needle aspirate (he takes some material from the bump with a needle and then looks at it under the microscope) to determine whether the mass is concerning.

If the growth causes concern, have your veterinarian examine your cat. A fine needle aspirate can be done in the clinic to collect samples for pathology. This may provide a diagnosis. If the mass needs to come off, it would be easier to do when when it is still small. It is almost impossible to determine whether or not it is malignant with an image.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. This lump is likely due to the vaccine and with the newer vaccinations for cats, this is likely is nothing to worry about. However, if you would rather be on the safe side I would recommend having your veterinarian take a look at this lump and perform some tests on it. Your vet can insert a small needle into the lump and look at the cells under a microscope or send them out to the laboratory to be analyzed for a better idea of what it may be. The ultimate test would be to take a biopsy punch of the mass or remove the mass and send it out to have the tissue analyzed. This would confirm what it is and would tell you if it is benign or malignant. Because of the history of cats and vaccines with vaccine-associated sarcoma, I would have this checked out sooner rather than later. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to answer them for you.

Unfortunately in a senior cat like Baby, this lump could be a malignant tumor. Cats can be very stoic about pain, and they are often in pain but don't show it. Too often, they don't show signs of illness until they are extremely ill. 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 have Baby seen by a vet today if possible or first thing Monday to have this lump examined and diagnosed so it can be treated as needed. Other possible causes of this lump include a cyst, abscess, lipoma, or benign tumor.