Lumps/Bumps around cats eyes

Question
First off I just wanted to say how much I and I'm sure others are grateful for the work you do here.

I have a quick question regarding my 8 month old kitten, he's a white and black sealpoint w/blue eyes. Within the last 2 or so weeks I have noticed lumps around the cat's eyes and they seem to be spreading around both eyes. At first it was just one bump but now its on both eyes, kinda hard to notice at first but with a little closer attention you can definitely see the bumps, poor cat! I'm not sure if its due to playing with his brother cat, same age, or what. I have called the vat for info but with no avail and don't want to spend the 100.00 to take him to the vet. I was hoping you would be able to tell me if this is a life threating thing or something that will just pass.

Thank you so much,
Kris

Answer
Hi Kris, First off... thank you for the thank you ! :)
You probably realize we are all volunteers and it is people like yourself that make the "job" worthwhile :)
Now, I am assuming that you are talking about the skin around your cat's eyes.. not the eyeball itself. If there are small lumps, with hair loss,  and they are spreading then I think it may well warrant a vet checkup. Have you noticed anything on the other cat?? Ringworm will often start around the eyes and cheeks but it is very contagious so you should notice either some suspicious red ringed marks on yourself or some hair starting to fall out on your other cat. ALSO Mange is  another skin problem that will start around the eyes.. also contagious but not quite so easily spread... although it is harder to cure! You could probably do a google search for images and ask about cat skin conditions and see if these spots look the same as ringworm or mange pictures that you can find online. Otherwise it is pretty hard to tell you too much without seeing the cat. And of course make sure your cats have no fleas... as they can cause skin conditions also.. there are so many things !
Teresa