strange looking growth; food allergy?

hi, can anyone help with this? I phoned the vet yesterday but he didnt seem very bothered as its causing no pain and told me to bring him in when the surgery is back open.
its just above the top of his front leg...kinda side on the chest, its very dry and scabby, no licking or scratching. Hes an indoor cat, sorry the pic is not better but when hes not in the mood to sit still theres no talking him into it.

that might be a little clearer.

Erm.....it's hard to tell from photos. It looks like he had a scratch and the scab is falling off. But I would get it checked out soon as your vets open again

There has been no cut, its all white almost like spots with crusty bits on the end....hopefully it's nothing, I just hate waiting

Sorry but I haven't seen anything like this before, and I haven't been able to find anything that looks or sounds like it on the Internet either.  When will your vet practice re-open?  If it is changing really quickly I would think about calling an emergency surgery but if it is pretty much the same over a couple of days I would tend to wait till the surgery is open and then take your cat as soon as possible. Are you in a town or city where you have some choice and access to out of hours services?

Do you know how long this has been developing? Did it appear suddenly or could it have been developing over time?  In the photo is does look like there is a line almost like a scar but I presume this is what you say is like white spots.  Could the dry tags be fluid that has come out of the spots and dried or do you think it is dry skin? The area of skin around the area looks slightly red as well.  The chances are it could be some kind of allergy, or fungal or parasite related, or some form of skin growth like the tags that are common in animals and people, and not be anything serious but I totally understand why you are anxious having to wait. I know I would be; it's like as soon as you know something is there you have to know it's OK and what you can do about it.

If your cat is not bothering with it and is otherwise well and eating this is a good sign, as at least no further skin dammage is happening and he is not going to get more sick due to dehydration or lack of food. 

I hope you don't see any rapid changes and can access a vet soon so you can find out what it is.  Keep us posted.    it's something really straight forward and your cat is fine. 

Yeah I searched and could not see anything. He seems fine otherwise...although I have been getting a row this morning as I introduced pouches into his food and this is his time to get it, its the only change I can think of to cause a reaction. Hes been fine otherwise, eating and playing and normal so thats a good side. We are in a small town with only 1 vet, its open tommz so will lbe there first thing with him. I tried to wash it with some sterile water and a bit of anti baterial liquid I use on my daughters cuts to keep it clean....didnt go well lol, its not red or angry looking but there is a raised area beside it I can get at to see cause he wont sit still long enough.
he had a full check over a few weeks ago but I canf be sure when it started, hes not picked up very often and when looking for a cuddle hes all about the ears and chin for a rub. Thanks for answering, really hope the wee man is ok

 Never easy when you have a cat that doesn't like to be handled and at this time of year it's a real pain.  One of my girls had a way with timing, once she even managed to leave a claw in my sitting room carpet and a trail of blood through the flat late on new years eve (my fault for hoovering)!  Not the best when you're north of the border as you know.    Chances are this skin issue has been there more than the 2 days you have had to wait and thankfully your vet will be back in tomorrow so good lucj being first in the queue.

Do be careful putting anything on ot other than water as many things we take for granted can be toxic for cats and the last thing you want is your boy getting problems from licking something off, or having a skin reaction than makes it harder for the vet to see what was going on before hand. If you think it looks different tomorrow before you go, it might help to take the photo you posted along with you too.

Please keep us updated, I'd like to know how you're all doing after you see the vet. Fingers and paws crossed in this household that all the Christmas worries have been about something really simple. 

It's hard to say what it is, it looks like a scab healing up but it could be something else.  I would recommend a vet visit as soon as you can.

Goodluck for tomorrow.  I'll be at work and checking in when I get home, here's to it being nothing more than a healing scab or something. Sending good vibes. 

vet thinks its been a reaction to something and seems to be healing ok so I'm just to keep an eye on it...only thing I can think he's had different has been introducing wet food into his diet..not sure if I should remove it in case or wait and see what happens. if it comes back or does not heal then they are going to do some tests. he seems happy enough but would be good to know what to avoid in the future.
thanks ladies czar to be avoiding

If it was me I would probably stop the new food, maybe try grain free, and check it all heals up before trying introducing things one at a time.  You could try going back to your previous food and see if it started to get worse again as another option, as it might have been there a while and started to get better and scab over on the wet food?

What were you feeding before, and what is the wet food you changed to and how long ago?  

If the vet does think it is a reaction and you think it is food then a good read through some of the Nutrition forum articles and threads will probably be a big help to you in deciding what to do.

we gave him whiskers biscuits...neither me or my daughter knew much about cats when we took him in as my neighbour left and left him behind, I messages her on fb just incase he was lost but she never answered so we used to feed him. we moved and could not just leave him so bought a cage and a litter tray and took him with us so been a learning curve for us all. he lost some weight after moving so started INS pouch a day to help him build up a bit again about 4 Weeks ago...poor wee guy loves his meat.

Poor guy, he is so lucky to have had you to offer him a home. Thank you for taking him in, and now looking to find the best care you can for him.

I'm sure I should know what INS stands for as we are fairly local to each other but you'll have to help me out!!! Mouse lives off prescription dental food so I don't get to look at cat food brands much. 

One thing I'm wondering about is whether, now you've seen your vet, it might be better looking for advice on the Nutrition forum?  I'll send you a PM.

INS was a typo for *on a* sorry.
Poor wee guy had gotten used to me waking up then after waking my daughter he gets his meat. Been given a few rows and I cant go in the kitchen without him at my feet looking hopeful...hopefully will be able to find a new brand or alternative for him.
thanks for ur help

Hmmm, allergic reactions usually cause itching, or are bothersome  in some way.  I've never heard of this type of reaction where the cat didn't even realize it was there, which seems to be the case here.  I guess I would do as the Vet suggested and just see if it gets better or not.  Did he give you anything to put on it at all, or just say to leave it entirely alone?

I'm wondering if maybe it might have been an allergy to the dry food, and now it's healing because you're giving him wet food (which is better IMHO), but still doesn't seem like a "normal" food allergy reaction.

Hi, how are things going?  Is the area still healing up?  Have you continued with the same wet food?