Small scab/bump on back of 10 month old kitten's neck

[blissfulbean]

Title pretty much says it all. I noticed a small bump on the back of my cat's neck in early January. It felt/looked like a scab, so I assumed she just scratched herself and that it would heal. I've kept an eye on it since then, and it's scabbed over a few times, but hasn't gone away (and hasn't gotten any bigger). She doesn't seem bothered when I touch it, and it feels like it's on the surface of the skin, rather than beneath it. We have a vet appointment scheduled for Friday morning, but I'm curious to see if anyone's run into anything like this with their cats. Thanks!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Could be any number of things. However, it isn't one of those "screaming emergencies," so take a deep breath, and wait for the vet to identify this. With any luck, it is not ringworm, which is treatable, but LORD, the cleaning! If it is, we have articles that can help you! Let us know!

 

[blissfulbean]

Just wanted to update this in case anyone with a similar question stumbles upon it in the future. Long story short, the vet was concerned by the way the lump looked and felt, and suggested an excisional biopsy. She just had the surgery today, so we should get the biopsy results in about a week (which I'll post here).

 

[fionasmom]

Please let us know what you find out.

 

[blissfulbean]

Got the biopsy results from the vet today. Bad news is that the mass was cancerous (mast cell tumor). The good news is that they got all of it with clean margins, so no kitty chemo or radiation needed, and it was only grade 1, so she should be able to live out the rest of her life as a happy and healthy kitty and it’s pretty unlikely that any other tumors will pop up. I obviously would've preferred if it was a benign mass, but at least I can finally put this behind us and get ready to celebrate kitty's first birthday later this month!

 

[fionasmom]

Thank you for letting us know. Mast cell tumors in early stages with clean margins have a very good prognosis. Congratulate yourself for having taken care of this and been diligent in watching it.