Small Red Bumps on Old Cat's Tail

I felt some small bumps on my older cat's (14 yr old) tail. It seems sensitive when I try to separate the hairs to get a good look as he keeps squirming which is unusual for him. It almost looks like scabs but he lives alone and never goes outside. I was wondering if this looks like something I should be concerned about and warrants a vet visit. I appreciate any help.

Hello- and yes.  This patient sounds to be showing signs of pain and there sounds to be something around the tail-head that I cannot see properly on these pictures, perhaps connected to parasites (indoor cats occasionally get them), or trauma (sonetimes secondary to arthritis or pancreatitis), or something else.   Is there also hair-loss, or has that been clipped to help us see, or just very well held out of the way?   Anyway, I would encourage you to let your vet take a look at this in context.   Please will you let us know how you get on?

Just got back from the vet. They said they think it is scabs from some sort of cut. They told us just to keep an eye on it. The wound seems to be linear, he isn't focused on it (ie biting it), no swelling or any other negative indicators around it. There is no hair loss, we were just holding his hair out of the way.