lump on cats throat

Question
"My cat has a large lump on the left side of his throat. It has only been there for acouple of days, because i stroke him on the throat all the time, and I just noticed it yesterday. It is spongy and kind of moves if you press on it. It doesn't seem to bother him. I don't think it is an abcess. What could it be?";

Answer
Hi Rosanna.  It could be a swollen gland, which likely indicates an infection somewhere.  There are other things like sebaceous cysts and fatty tumors.  

Sebaceous cysts are pockets under the skin that are filled with sebum, a mixture of oil and fats from glands.  But these cysts are usually pretty small when detected, and they grow rather slowly.  I wouldn't suspect this when a large lump suddenly appears.

Same with fatty tumors.  These are benign collections of fat under the skin, but they are slow-growing, too.

You also may be looking at a problem such as pemphigus.  This is a condition caused by the immune system, and it results in large blisters on the skin.  A steroid injection is usually the treatment.

The only other things I can think of that would cause such a sudden large growth are an abscess, like you mentioned, or possibly a warble.  That's a lump caused by a bot fly larva, which burrows into the skin and grows inside, resulting in a large lump.  But it's really off-season for them.

I would have to say to get your kitty to the vet.  If there's a lump, there's a medical reason for it, and it probably needs treatment.