My cat is showing symptoms, but vets are booked. What can I do?

This looks like a small wound, or maybe an insect bite that is irritated. The skin around it looks clean and healthy. As long as he seems his normal self right now, he should be fine until he's seen on Wednesday. If he does feel sick or if the area gets worse try to get him seen sooner.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Simba and for providing pictures, they are very helpful. This may be a cyst, a benign growth, or even a small abscess. It should be checked out by a vet, but it's not an emergency. You can take him into the vet on Monday. The vet can diagnose what is causing it and can treat it. Best of luck.

I would get him in as soon as you can, but not necessarily as an emergency. It could probably wait until Monday. There good be an infected tooth, inflammation in the gums, a small ulcer or mass, or something else causing this behavior.

Ouch! That definitely should be seen by your vet. They will need to take a sample, generally a fine-needle aspirate, to help determine what the growth is and if it needs to be removed, drained, or treated. If your kitty doesn't like going to the vet, you can call ahead to see if they can prescribe a sedative to give at home before bringing her in which can help make things less stressful (and easier for your vet to get a sample of the growth). Some veterinarians also provide home services, so if you feel kitty would be calmer at home, a housecall vet may be a good alternative.

Good question! Given that Lucky seems ok and is hungry with a good temperament, it's fine to wait until Monday. I would gently clean the area with warm water and antiseptic soap, and put an Ecollar on him to keep him from licking at it. You can make one at home, and I will put a link below on how to do that. Keep an eye on the area, and if the discharge increases, he becomes lethargic, and/or his appetite drops, then yes take him into an ER vet. If you would feel better having him seen now instead of waiting, then certainly take him in to the ER clinic now. I'm always an advocate for going with your gut, and having the animal seen sooner rather than later to be safe. Best of luck! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ffR-LzyW1M

An infection is definitely possible with what you are describing. I also worry about lymphoma or other cancers with this sort of history, but they are not as common in younger cats. I would be more suspicious about an infection. Considering Hammy seems to be quite afflicted and there is potential for this to be something serious like FeLV, or plague, it's best to have him evaluated by a veterinarian as soon as possible. It doesn't appear to be an emergency right now, but it's best to have him seen in the next 24 hours. I hope that helps and Hammy gets better soon.

Hi there. This mass is somewhat unusual-looking from what I can see in the photo, so there's no way to know what it is without being able to take a biopsy, or remove it and send it to the lab for testing. So yes, I do recommend taking him to the vet to have this checked in person and see how your veterinarian suggests proceeding from there. If your kitty is acting normal, I would not consider this to be an emergency, so it should be fine to wait and take him tomorrow. Many veterinary clinics have implemented no-contact protocols during this time (curbside service, etc.) to minimize the risk of COVID transmission, so I would encourage you to ask your veterinarian about their current protocols for this if you're concerned.