Lumps Under Cat Skin

by Marty
(Porter, TX)

I was petting my 6 month old female cat's stomach and felt several large, movable lumps beneath her skin. The lumps are mostly around her teats.

She is energetic, playful and seems healthy in every other way. As far as we know she has never had a heat cycle and is not yet spayed. The cysts/nodules actually feel like a sebaceous cyst on a person. She is an indoor cat.

Editor Comment Lumps Under Cat Skin

Hi Marty,

At six months old, your cat is certainly old enough to have gone through a heat cycle. It is possible that the lumps that you are feeling are her mammary glands enlarging. This can occur if she is pregnant, but also if she is undergoing what is called a “pseudopregnancy.” This condition occurs after a cat has ovulated but has not been bred.

You should take your cat in to your veterinarian. If her mammary glands are enlarging to an unusual degree, she might be suffering from mammary hyperplasia. This condition is potentially very serious. In some cases, the glands get so large that they can drag on the ground, develop ulcers, and become infected. Mammary hyperplasia can usually be reversed by spaying a cat, but this is best done before the glands get too large.

Regards,

Jennifer Coates, DVM