Content
- lump in cats
- A lump in the cat's belly: causes
- ticks on cats
- warts on cats
- Side Effects of Vaccines or Injections
- Allergic Dermatitis in Cats
- Lick dermatitis (neurodermatitis)
- enlarged lymph nodes
- Bruises
- abscesses in cats
- Cysts in cats
- granulomas
- Lipomas
- Tumors in cats
- A lump in the belly of a cat: diagnosis
When a strange structure or bump appears on your pet's body, it is normal for this to cause concern. And when it comes to lumps, it's common to think of something serious like a tumor. However, lumps can originate from different causes, which can be more or less serious. When you feel a ball in the cat's belly under the skin or fur, it's common to get scared and seek help.
In this article by PeritoAnimal, we will comment on lump in the cat's belly, what can be and how to proceed in this situation.
lump in cats
These protrusions can be smaller (papules) or larger (nodules in cats or lumps in cats) and appear on the body of a cat with different characteristics, from origin, size, shape, location and degree of severity. Therefore, it is very important to identify early the appearance of a lump in cats because the sooner it is discovered, the faster it can act and treat.
You benign nodules, as a rule, have a slow growth and are located in a single region. In contrast, malignant nodules present a very fast growing, they can spread across multiple locations and being very invasive to surrounding tissues. Usually these types of malignant lumps are placed at the top of the diagnostic list when it comes to older or older cats.
Note that not always a change in the skin in the abdomen region can develop balls on the cat's belly or lumps.
A lump in the cat's belly: causes
The better you know the cat's body, the faster you will identify the presence of something strange in it.
In this article, we'll focus on lumps in the cat's belly, but keep in mind that there may be lumps in any other region of the cat's body that you shouldn't ignore.
The belly of most cats, unlike dogs, is a very sensitive area that many pet owners cannot caress or touch for a long time. For this reason, it is essential to carry out check-ups regular visits to the veterinarian to control the appearance of this and other types of skin changes. Next, we'll explain the most common causes of cat belly balls:
ticks on cats
Ticks are parasites that bite and lodge in the cat's skin and can be mistaken for lumps in the skin. In addition to the associated dermatological symptoms (such as itching, redness, hair loss or seborrhea), they transmit disease during their bite.
It is very important that these parasites are carefully and totallyremoved including from the tick's mouth, which is often left under the skin, continuing to cause skin reactions and giving rise to a lump that develops into an abscess or granuloma.
Ticks can lodge in various places on the body, but generally like areas with more hair, the belly being a place with little hair, it is not very likely that they are located there.
warts on cats
The skin of animals changes over the years and when the animals are older, the skin loses elasticity and becomes thicker, and structures such as warts may appear with a possible appearance of a lump in the cat's belly.
Warts on cats (or papillomas) are also of concern to guardians. round lesions, usually multiples, which resemble a cauliflower and which are due to a papilloma virus. Baby and elderly cats are the most susceptible to this type of pellets, as they appear in animals with a weaker immune system.
They can appear all over the body, including the belly, groin, mucous membranes (such as gums), nose, lips or eyelids. Cats with this type of papilloma usually have no other clinical symptoms and are masses benign, some at the end of a few months can regress and disappear completely, barely affecting the animal's life.
Side Effects of Vaccines or Injections
this is a problem quite common at the feline clinic when it comes to lumps in the cat's belly. Cats have very sensitive and certain skin. subcutaneous injections or vaccines, like rabies and feline immunodeficiency (FelV), they cause these lumps dorsally to the neck (where they are applied).
These inoculations of drugs or vaccines can cause so-called fibrosarcomas (or inoculation sarcomas) that we'll talk about next. Although it is rare to appear in the belly of cats, it is a situation that must be quickly treated before it becomes too invasive.
It is important to emphasize that this reaction is often not related to the technique of the veterinarian or the level of asepsis of the material, because no matter how careful you are, the animal's organism can react badly to the injection or inoculation. In addition, it is normal for a small lump to appear in the region in the days following administration, the problem is when the lump persists and continues to grow.
Allergic Dermatitis in Cats
Allergic skin reactions (allergic dermatitis) can cause localized or multifocal lesions in the form of nodules or blisters in regions with a lot of hair or, conversely, in regions where hair is sparse, such as the belly.
Flea Allergic Dermatitis (DAPP) is common in cats and dogs and develops after an animal is bitten by fleas.
In addition to fleas, insects such as mosquitoes and spiders, plants, pollen, chemicals or sudden changes in the animal's diet can cause skin reactions that can be really frightening by appearance, giving rise to dermatological signs such as:
- Pimples;
- Bubbles;
- papules;
- Nodules in cats;
- Redness;
- scaly skin;
- Itching.
Lick dermatitis (neurodermatitis)
This type of dermatitis is caused by constant licking of one or more skin regions derived from a behavioral problem or associated with pain or stress. The cat can lick it over and over, even pulling out the fur and causing an ulcerated lump in the skin. It is more common in the limbs, but it can also appear in the belly or groin.
It is very important to treat and control this behavior as the wound will not heal until the cat stops licking.
enlarged lymph nodes
Lymph nodes are small structures distributed throughout various parts of the body that belong to the immune system, acting as blood filters and alarms when something is not right. In case of illness or infection, the lymph nodes are one of the first signs to increase in size and become painful to the touch. Lymph nodes that can be easily identified, if they are enlarged, are located next to the jaw, neck, armpits and groin.
Bruises
Haematomas are accumulations of blood in tissues or organs and in some cases can lead to lumps of blood under the skin. If the cat had any kind of fight or fall that might have hurt something in the belly area it could be a bruise.
abscesses in cats
Abscesses are encapsulated or unencapsulated masses, with purulent content inside. Are localized infections consequences of scratches, bites or badly healed wounds and they can be located throughout the body, with various sizes and can cause pain, fever and apathy.
Usually treatment for this lump in the cat's belly involves draining and disinfecting it with an antibacterial cleaning solution and antibiotic treatment may be needed. Before they can be drained, abscesses may rupture and leak their contents through drainage points and have a very characteristic appearance and odor.
Cysts in cats
The cysts are liquid-filled structures or other material that I didn't put. They are semi-rigid or rigid masses, generally smooth, rounded and hairless, which appear under the skin of dogs and cats and, unlike abscesses, are not caused by an infection, however they can become infected.
They can be due to the blockage of the sebaceous glands (glands in the skin that produce an oily substance that lubricates the skin and hair), taking the designation of sebaceous cysts. If one appears in the cat's belly, it could be a cyst.
This condition is generally benign and does not cause discomfort to the animal, so the owner chooses whether he prefers to remove these masses through surgery or whether he prefers to keep them. Some of these masses can break and release its contents.
granulomas
The granulomas come from chronic infections and/or inflammation and are solid masses in the skin composed of inflammatory cells, connecting tissue and irrigated by blood vessels. Cats are predisposed to a specific type of granuloma: eosinophilic granuloma complex, related to allergic processes, bacterial infections or genetics.
Lipomas
This type of lump in the cat's belly is healthy localized fat accumulations. There is a higher prevalence in neutered cats with a tendency to put on weight and obese cats and usually accumulate in the belly in the form of hard balls. Note that adult cats with ideal weight can also have lipomas.
Tumors in cats
Unlike dogs, benign skin tumors are not common in cats and the presence of any bumps should be carefully evaluated. Malignant skin tumors can appear suddenly and evolve very quickly. look like bruises that never heal or with pimples that increase in size, shape and color.
In all the other causes mentioned above, early diagnosis is very important, but skin tumors are even more important. The sooner it is discovered, the sooner it is diagnosed and treatment begins, so you can increase the chances of cure.
The main skin tumors in cats are:
- fibrosarcoma (or inoculation sarcoma): it is a malignant tumor of the skin and tissue under the skin (subcutaneous), which begins with a soft or firm nodule in the interscapular region (neck), which grows very fast, is very invasive and can kill the animal in a short time. It can be derived from feline leukemia virus (FelV), feline sarcoma, trauma, administration of vaccine or injectable medication. Its ability to metastasize (spread to other tissues and organs) is low. The best treatment is surgical removal.
- basal cell tumor: appears more in older cats, usually benign and are firm masses found in the head and neck.
- Squamous cell carcinoma: skin cell tumors commonly found in regions of the body without pigment or hair, such as eyelids, lips, nose and ears and look like scab wounds that never heal. Many of these tumors are due to solar radiation exposure and if left untreated it can deform the animal and cause a lot of pain. Metastases are not common in this type of tumor. white cats and dogs they are the most susceptible to sunburn, so it is essential that you use your pet's own sunscreen, especially in areas with little hair, such as the ears.
- Melanomas: are more common in dogs than cats and usually appear in oral cavity and eyeball, but they can be anywhere on the body. They appear in the form of darkly pigmented spots, plaques or lumps.
- breast cancer (breast cancer), common in unneutered cats, although the castrated ones can also have it and the males too. Nodules appear in single or multiple cats or hardened areas near the mammary gland. They can spread to lymph nodes, lungs and other organs. This is one of the most common examples of cat belly lump. In these cases, the mass must be removed, be it benign or malignant, to prevent metastases.
A lump in the belly of a cat: diagnosis
For the veterinarian to make an accurate diagnosis, it is important to inform:
- How many nodules are and when they appeared;
- Are they fast growing or slow?
- Size and color changes;
- Any episode of vaccine injection or previous injectable medication?
- Pain or itching;
- Changes in behavior or appetite.
After all these questions, the doctor will perform a complete physical examination and use additional tests to determine what type of lump it is:
• Aspiration cytology (aspiration of the kernel contents with a needle and microscopic observation);
• Print (a microscopic slide is placed against the lump if it is ulcerated or leaking fluid and is observed);
• Biopsy (collecting a small tissue sample or removing the entire mass);
• X-ray and/or ultrasound;
• Computed tomography (TAC) or magnetic resonance (RM).
Once the diagnosis is made, it is necessary to start the treatment, if applicable, so that the animal can heal as quickly as possible and have quality of life.
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.
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