Finding lumps and bumps on your cat can be worrying, and as owners we often think the worst. Our helpful guide covers different kinds of lumps on cats and what you should do if you find a lump on your cat.

It’s important to remember that not every lump on your cat could be cancer. There are a lot of things that can cause cats to get lumps. They might go out exploring in the morning and come home later with a new lump on them.

If your cat has a new lump, it’s best to make an appointment with your vet to get it checked. Lumps, bumps, funny scabby bits, non-healing wounds – things that don’t belong on the skin and are refusing to go away on their own need attention. This is doubly true if they’re growing, spreading, funny colours, or weird shapes.

Skin tumours and cancerous lumps on cats

There are two types of tumour that could be found on your cat’s body: benign (not cancerous) or malignant (cancerous).

Lipomas are non-cancerous lumps. They are fatty tumours that can show up anywhere on your cat’s body. They are more common in older cats or cats who are overweight. These lumps are usually harmless unless they are in a place that is getting in your cat’s way. You can find out more information about managing your cat’s weight on our advice pages.

Cancerous lumps can also appear anywhere on your cat depending on the type of cancer they have. If any new lumps appear on your cat, you should take them to your vet to get checked.

There’s no way of knowing if a lump is cancer just by looking at it so your vet may need to run tests. This might include taking a cell sample from the lump (usually using a needle) which can be uncomfortable for your cat but is over very quickly! Sometimes your vet may need to take a larger sample or remove the lump entirely for further testing.

Treating lumps on cats

The treatment for your cat’s lumps will depend entirely on what they are and what has caused them. Some treatments can include:

• antibiotics, for infected lumps (for example, abscesses)
• draining the lump (again this is sometimes needed for an infected abscess)
• anti-inflammatories and other forms of pain relief
• changing your cat’s food (for example, if a food allergy is causing lumps)
• surgery, may be recommended for either benign or malignant tumours
• steroids and chemotherapy, for cancerous tumours
• monitoring. Sometimes your vet may ask you to keep an eye on your cat’s lump and let them know if changes in size, texture or if it starts causing your cat any pain