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My cat has a hard, bleeding head lump that isn't painful. What is it?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Male | neutered | 2 years and 7 months old

My cats had this lump/wound on his head for a little over a week now. The lump is hard and moves around with the skin. The scabs on top occasionally bleed a small amount and leaks clear plasma-like fluid (I think he rubs the scab off). I have never seen him itch it and he doesn’t pull away when I touch it (not painful?) It has not produced any pus like substances. He hasn’t been lethargic and has been eating normally. He is an indoor cat and I have no other pets. What could this knot/wound be?

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner

Published on April 30th, 2018

Unfortunately, it's impossible to tell what is going on with a skin problem by just looking at the skin since most skin problems look very similar. My best recommendation would be to have your veterinarian perform some simple skin tests to get a sample of the area to examine under the microscope. They will be able to evaluate for bacteria, yeast, mites, fungus and abnormal cells. Hopefully that will determine what is causing the problem and how to treat it. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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    Answered By Lauren Kennedy, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on October 13th, 2017

    Based on what you are describing I was initially concerned about a wolf worm as well. These will burrow deep into the tissues and cause a local inflammation and sometimes infection. Typically these need to be removed surgically by a veterinarian. I would recommend taking your cat in to see you vet. If it is not a wolf worm it may be an abscess or cyst that needs to be addressed. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck!

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