The condition of your pet's skin for instance, says a great deal about her general state of health.
True, your cat can't tell you what's ailing her, but that doesn't mean there are no ways for you to tell. A healthy animal has smooth, pliable skin. Her skin will have no excessive scaling, scabs, foul-smelling secretions, or parasites. Depending on the breed—or mix of breeds—of your cats, her skin will range from pale pink to medium brown to black. She may even have spotted skin.
Once a week, take a thorough look at your cat's skin, also known as epidermis. If you discover any unexplained changes, including sores, flakiness, abraded spots, or any type of growth, call your vet. Many skin problems are easily explainable: Maybe your cat was scratched by another cat or tore a bit of skin trying to clear a fence. Other conditions can be caused by anything from a bacterial infection to a change of diet or environment to parasites. Some conditions can even be an external reflection of an internal disease.
Ball-Like Lump On or Under the Skin: One or more of these masses may be present,most likely located on the head, neck, or back. A single growth can range from pea-sized to bigger than a golf ball, and it can be moved with the skin. Your cat might have one of several types of skin or sebaceous gland enlargements or tumors. Skin growths are usually above the skin, whereas sebaceous and fatty growths, i.e. lipomas, are under the skin. All these growths are quite common among adult cats and are usually benign, but not always.
Skin Tumors Treatment: Because you have no way of knowing what type of tumor your cat has or whether it's benign or malignant, your pet must be taken to the vet, who may lance, aspirate, or remove the mass and analyze its content by sending the growth to a pathologist. If it is a cyst or a tumor, the slides will reveal whether it is malignant or benign. If the lump turns out to be a sebaceous cyst, it is usually lanced, cleaned, and chemically cauterized rather than surgically removed. Antibiotics are infused at the time of lancing, and generally are not required as part of follow up care. Home care includes cleaning the incision twice a day, then returning to the vet in 10 days to have the stitches removed.
Prevention of Skin Tumors: You can keep the tumors from growing worse. See a vet upon discovering one, and do not squeeze or try to "pop" the lump (it isn't a pimple): Local pressure can irritate and inflame the skin.