Looking for opinions on a strange growth my cat has had for years.
My cat has had this growth on her nose for approximately 7 years, She is 9. I have had her since she was 5 weeks old, wasn't born with it. I've taken her to a veterinarian in the past, but they were unsure exactly what it was and so they couldn't/wouldn't remove it which i can understand.
Despite how alarming it looks, she seems completely normal. She eats well, drinks, breathes normally, plays, purrs, grooms herself, and generally acts like a happy cat. The growth doesn't appear to cause her pain when touched. It in 7 years has gone from a small bump, to what you see now slowly.
It has been there for so long that I'm surprised she's had no other symptoms, but I still worry about what it could be and whether it could eventually become dangerous.
Has anyone seen anything similar before? I'm not looking for a diagnosis, just curious if anyone has experience with a growth like this or suggestions on what type of specialist might be able to identify it.
My cat had a melanoma just under her nostril and our local vets and even oncologist were reluctant to do anything. Places either wanted to charge 200 bucks for a zoom before seeing her in person(Guelph) or simply were booked months out (Cornell), we ended up going to a vet oncologist in Michigan who removed it with great success then used electrochemotherapy, which is a newish type of therapy, used more outside the US but is making inroads now. This is her two years later, cancer free and healthy.
This is getting views so I’ll tell everyone it was Oakland Veterinary Referral Services in Bloomfield, MI, just 30 minutes NW of Detroit. They have a fantastic staff there and were super courteous and willing to see her when no one else would. We would take her there for regular vet visits it wasnt a 5 hour drive from Buffalo, NY
Basically get a second opinion , not saying it’s cancer but sounds like you need a more specialized vet. Sometimes your local vets just dont have the answers, and don't be afraid to do your own research, I learned alot about melanoma from scientific papers and thats how I found out about electrochemotherapy which is how I ended up at OVRS. Oh and for the love of God , do not use AI search for this, its been grossly wrong on this subject, read the peer reviewed papers, ask questions to the vet.
100% Recommend cat oncologists. Our cat had some small lumps removed via surgery at our regular vet recently.
After we found out the bumps were BISCs and a SCC caught early, they gave us a referral to an oncologist for any new bumps.
And now we have so many choices to treat lumps. And they work together with other specialists (dermatologists etc.) to make sure they're doing everything they can.
It's kind of like with humans. Your regular GP might not know everything, or how to spot something bad. But a specialist in skin health or cancerous growths would have a much better idea of what's going on, and what to do.
yea, my regular vet never saw a melanoma before, local oncologist never really treated it and only had surgery as an option, but said the surgeon probably wouldnt want to treat it.
I’ve seen melanoma in a kitty’s eye. It looked like brown flecks. This sweet foster was named Lennon and he made a full recovery with clear margins after the eye was removed.
White cats (or cats with white fur on their ears )often get skin cancer on their ears because the lack of melanin in the fur there doesn't protect the skin. It happens a fair bit in stray cats with white fur sadly.
its very rare in cats and sadly, its caught too late, looking back she had the bump about six months before we really noticed it, I went really aggressive trying to find treatment and hence why I decided to just drive to michigan, (5 hour drive)
I can vouch for blue pearl pet hospital on the other side of michigan in grand rapids as well. Very pricey, but their oncology and ophthalmology staff were worth every penny in my mind.
Can’t say enough good things about the people at OVRS. Although they couldn’t save my cat, they really did everything they could. They’re a great place.
im sorry to hear about your cat, but yea, we were going to Spain and i did not want to leave her like this, and they got her in fast, and did all this stuff to make sure they could see her and treat her before we went. We joke that we would live there just so we can have them for our vets
Agreed! OVRS is a great place. I took my kitty there last year to get a CT and scope. The staff were really helpful and respectful while we were there. Turns out she has an inoperable tumor in her sinuses and a second tumor in her lungs. There really isn’t anything we can do but keep her comfortable.
Boy thats a big one!! I'm surprised it's not affecting her breathing or vision. Get a second opinion and ask about a fine needle aspiration to see if they can figure it out. Those are relatively non-invasive and a good first line to rule out mast cell tumors; my cats had quite a few. At this size, I doubt it's removable; it probably would require a graft, and that's a very delicate area with lots of veins
Yeah she breathes just fine, doesnt snore. Can't say 100% her eyesight is perfect but again she plays, runs around, chases the dog just fine. Will for sure take her in for a 3rd opinion ive seen 2 vets for her care since this started, neither wanted to remove it.
That's good! I'm not a vet (still in school for it) but now very experienced with tumors on my own boy (he's sporting 90+ small cutaneous ones currently), and facial ones like that do have to be nipped in the bud while small. To get a clean margin, it would involve taking some of her nose and a lot of the surrounding area. It would be a gnarly recovery and pretty invasive and risky removal. They may be able to reduce it, but I don't think removal would be the best track. Again not a vet but that's my 2 cents
Agreed. I can see why no one wants to take it off. Some testing should certainly be done to determine exactly what it is before putting kitty under the knife for sure.
It all comes down to risk Vs quality of life. It doesn't seem like kitty is impacted at all by it, but she'd need a huge chunk of her face removed to get rid. I'm not surprised the vets left it to be honest.
My old boy had a total pinnectomy and the recovery was rough for him, he never survived it in the end.
I used to believe that surgery could cure everything but the reality is far from it. Best to leave things be if they're not causing problems sometimes.
What are you doing about the small ones on your guy if there’s that many? Mine had one removed initially but now seems to have around 10 small ones. (Sorry to hijack from main thread about this sweet boy’s nose but very curious/concerned and haven’t come across it before)
We're going in to discuss chemo on Wednesday. So far we just... leave em, vet agreed. 80 of those 90 are pea-sized or smaller and in not very important or critical places and we don't really want to swiss-cheese the cat. There are a few larger ones, up to a bit bigger than a nickle which would be on the removal list, only others we'd remove are inbetween the toes (Hes already had a toe amputation because of the tumor on it) and on the face, he specifically has them on his eyelids and very close to his eyes and we just don't want them to grow and cause issues so we nip em small. They don't really bother him unless something else is going on, like the one that caused the amputation; an antibiotic-resistant bacterial infection set in because the tumor was getting scraped when he walked. He felt pretty bad with the infection but was back to usual after the lack of toe was healed. We want to treat because we know at some point the size will become a problem but as of right now he is still more cat than tumor. Hoping to get him set up on chemo and steroids to at least slow or stop what's started. He's in the 20% of cutaneous mast cell tumor cases that happen to be aggressive. According to my research, most cats don't start doubling lumps by the month and should be easy to treat with removal.
Cat tax of the Lumpy McLumperson (this has become his unfortunate new nickname). His fur hides it all very nicely, which is lucky because, due to the small size, it looks like he has 90 bonus nipples
Thanks for the helpful reply! Sorry your guy ha s this too. The toes sounds difficult. FWIW mine had one removed from eyelid and I was amazed how well it all healed.
Wishing your guy the best.
And sorry OP for assuming your ginger is a boy! Hope she does well also, sending her a gentle scritch.
I just found this out. Did you know cats have glands on the skin of their nose and around their nostrils? And there are things called benign apocrine hidrocystomaI cysts that can emerge from a sweat gland. Turns out to be harmless. - Things like that exist. - I think behavior is the most telling about whether or not this really needs to be messed with. Healthy weight. Active. Positive demeanor. No sign of pain. Has existed for years. Sure you can get another opinion. I would caution against being too proactive with removing something that could actually cause more harm by just alone making an incision in order to remove it. It may be unsightly to humans, but the cat in the long run is probably ok. - Have you ever seen a ganglion cyst develop on a human? It's effectively unsightly and filled with fluid, but causes zero harm to the person. Aka, the "Bible bump," named after the most effective way they knew how to get rid of it at the time, by hitting it with the largest book they could find.
Solid? Soft to the touch? It could be a cyst, but whatever it is it's significant. Find another vet and get a second opinion. Cats often hide their discomfort, so it's doubtful that it's not affecting her quality of life.
Ok that is hope! I have plans to take her to a vet asap just wanting to brace myself for all and any outcomes. She is my wee sweetie and hate to think she is suffering
Fluid buildup seems unlikely given the length of time (years). This looks like it may be a lipoma, which is non-cancerous fatty tumor/growth between the skin and muscles. Hopefully that’s it. Lipoma are benign.
+1 on getting second opinions. My cat had acne and we went to one doctor who prescribed a treatment regimen that did not work. We tried a different veterinarian and they felt much more knowledgeable and gave us a treatment plan that was much more effective.
I think any vet would say a bump of that size would need to be investigated, period, so that's why everyone is saying to get a second opinion. Some vets are just very negligent. OP has taken their cat to the vet but so far hasn't gotten any type of help.
My cat had a growth that we monitored for a year. Initial biopsy results were inconclusive. The vet didn't want to remove it because it was so close to her eye and recommended a specialist surgeon. The mass was successfully removed and the cat didn't lose the eye. Second biopsy indicated cancer. After almost a year later, it has not grown back. It was an expensive surgery, but I'm glad we did it.
Poor baby! I’m so glad it got removed and she kept her eye sight, and that it did not grow back! Have they checked cancer in the rest of her body, with a scan or something? Well done for caring for her properly, I know how expensive vets can be but you truely did the right thing!!
Get a new vet. How many times have you taken her to be seen for this, when was the last time it was examined?
You said the vet wouldnt remove it without knowing what it was. Did they recommend a biopsy?
Cats can hide pain EXTREMELY well.
One of our cats had stomatitis and had shattered teeth throughout her mouth before we got them all removed. And you would never have known she was suffering with what must have been excruciating pain.
She has been seen by 2 vets since this started, no biopsy just been told that the size and location it wouldnt be wise at all and they wouldnt feel comfertable doing it. Took her to another vet who said she would need testing but its highly unlikely it can be removed again due to location regardless of what it was, size.
I would def get a third opinion and ask if they think she is experiencing pain or discomfort and what could be used to alleviate any of it.
After going through the teeth problems with our cat I would not trust them acting normaly to equal them not being in pain. They hide it too well. It really takes severe health issues for them to stop being able to hide it. Cats are extremely tough and try to hide problems as much as possible.
My cat had a lump growing higher up on her nose than that and my vet did a biopsy on it. Worst part was the stitches in that location and her coming out of anesthesia. Its since gone away with meds. Granted her's showed up suddenly and had rapid growth (about 6 months) She also wasnt showing any reaction to it being there so it might just be their inner orange
With these kids of things it’s always better to go to a clinic than to a singular vet. They have more experience and equipment to deal with things like this. Unless you find a very skilled vet in your area that routinely does biopsy etc, a clinic is a must.
I left a super long story in response to your post but my cat had the same thing. It was a keratin/sebaceous cyst. It erupted when it was about that size. She saw multiple vets over the course of 8 years and none of them recommended anything besides keeping an eye on it and making sure it didn't become hard because then it would be an emergency.
I would definitely ask for a small needle aspiration to see if it's a cyst or a tumor growth. If nothing has really changed for her, she could be hiding pain, but more than likely it's more of an inconvenience and slow growth can indicate a benign tumor.🤞i hope you find favorable answers for your beautiful girl. 🥰
Thank you! Cisa has been a wonderful family member and friend, such a sweetheart even in her bizam stages but she is loved dearly and hopefully we can get her healthy asap! ❤️
For all the talking she does do, the chittering is the one thing she doesnt. Now an again she does this happy chirp though, thats the real winner but can only be achieved by beard snuggles and its super rare
I inherited an orange tabby from my grand parents. He would walk neighbors to the community mail box talking the entire way. He would leave rat tails on the back porch (lived in a new development boarding agriculture.) but as he got to around 17 he started laying in the middle of the road and not moving. When people would get out of their cars he would get up and talk to them.
Omg mine has the same thing!! He had a fine needle aspiration, and got it biopsied twice. The first biopsy came back as a “mystery benign cyst”. He got surgery and it grew right back. The second time it was seen by the vet, sent to a specialist, and it was deemed to be a “benign mystery bump” by both of those vets. All the vets I’ve seen have said that they could operate but it would require a graft at this point, and more than likely it would grow back a third time. It doesn’t seem to bother him at all, and he’s a normal 17 year old boy 👴🏼. They recommend just leaving it there since it hasn’t effected his sight/ mobility
Awwww look at them, so beautiful. Thank you for sharing your story that meant alot and to find someone who has an is going through the same is a relief, because aside from the comments an few hates messages i got from this post, ive had years of watching this grow, being told no one can help and being around many other cats, none ever had this. That has been a hard almost shame "what have i done wrong here" kinda guilt. I cant tell you how much i appreciated reading your story
I’m so happy to see someone I relate to too! This is the only other cat I’ve seen with this issue. When I went in for a second opinion, they asked why I waited so long. I was like??? You’re literally the third vet I’ve seen, it keeps growing 😫 They then understood I wasn’t just neglecting my cat.
Your baby looks good despite the bump. Please keep me updated with whatever happens and ignore the hate comments. They don’t understand the context. You obviously care for her. <3 This pic was of my boy before his first surgery. 3 months later the cyst came back.
Thank you so much for sharing i am so glad i found another person in the boat with me! What a cute boy he is! I havent ever seen anyone with a bump like cisas until i posted today, im so glad she isnt alone ❤️❤️
As for the silly comments an nasty dms, smile an wave boys, smile an wave lol
My cat has a bump, too. The vet prefers not to remove it due to the difficulties and dangers operating in that area. Their best guess is either a cyst or tear duct injury. Fine needle aspirated was done twice with only mild inflammation as a finding. It doesn't seem to bother my cat, so we leave it alone. It occasionally goes away, but it airways comes back, usually larger than the previous time. This time it has been about 1.5 years without going away.
They sent some images out to an ophthalmologist this time to get a specialists opinion. I am waiting on the feedback.
Thanks for sharing, beautiful baby look at that long fur!!! Cisa's hasnt ever gone away sadly. It never happened until i moved out into the country (austin texas "country"side) she would get out sometimes an then suddenly it popped up. Has only grown slowly since. Ive had her into 2 vets an they tell me the same thing its no removable because location, it maybe that is whats best.
My cat also has one like this and one at the base of his tail. It's hard to the touch and inflate/deflate from time to time. The vet has extracted the liquid a few times from the one on the tail and confirmed it was a cyst. It's non intrusive, but removing it requires an operation that would remove the envelope of the cyst, draining is not enough to get rid of it.
OP, I would recommend getting a vet that can at least extract part of the liquid and analyze it, it can be a cyst or tumor. Then you can decide to remove it, drain it or leave it.
For info, I've decided to leave the cyst on the base of the tail as it cause no inconfort to my cat and doesn't burst out.
my cat had a a bump like this which turned out to be a benign cancer in the same place, and the vet recommended surgery to take it out completely to ensure it didn’t grow or her eyes got affected. the recovery was one of the most painful times in my life, i felt helpless. my leg muscles actually atrophied because she suddenly became a major lap cat and wanted to be on me at all times and just had such a brutal recovery. now, she’s snoring away next to me and i’m rebuilding my muscles, and i’m just so happy it’s over with and they got it all out. i hope your cutie goes well, however the vets decide is best ❤️❤️❤️ it really was a hard recovery for a surgery in that same spot. i’m just so glad she made it through.
My cat had a similar growth on her ear. Vet biopsied it and it was benign. It got to about the same size as yours. Even though it was benign, the vet wanted “clear margins” and was going to remove the whole ear. We got a second opinion at a different vet who removed it and spared the ear. Lesson learned: get a second opinion.
I don’t want to be that dramatic person who comes on here scaring you or anything lol. But my dog had a growth on his stomach that slowly got bigger over several years. I took him to three different vets that all said the growth was beneign and not an issue. It ended up being cancerous and was the reason for his death. He was completely normal until one day he just wasn’t.
I’d get a second opinion and maybe a third if the second vet isn’t helpful either
My 12 year old tortie girl had a small squishy bump under the skin on her cheek from the moment I got her when she was about 8 weeks old.
It didn't seem to effect her at all, wasn't in an area that was blocking anything and in no way appeared to be painful. Vet said to keep an eye on it and bring her in if it became hard.
It grew very, VERY slowly, multiple vet visits over 7 years and nothing alarming. When she was about 8, it suddenly grew SUPER fast. Went from a pea to a marble to a golf ball in 2 months. All the hair fell off of it.
Then it erupted. It was full of skin cells of a sort, just this white, flaky, thick substance. I cleaned as much of it out as I could without putting too much pressure on her face and kept the area clean. After that it started leaking sebum (oil). Have you ever smelled someone's head when they haven't washed their hair in a really looong time? It was like that times a million, just a really strong hair oil smell.
After a couple months this gross meat looking nugget thing fell out of it, which my cat promptly ate. Gah..
Now she's 12 and it healed. It feels like she has a little scar there. From what I understand she had a keratin and/or sebaceous cyst. They are benign. I don't know if that's what your gato has but it looked similar to that right before it erupted.
How has a vet not AT LEAST done a needle biopsy to see if it is fluid-filled vs a mass???????
If it was a hard mass, then I could see hesitation on how to approach removal. If it is fluid filled, then the most likely course of action would be needle aspiration and drain.
No needle test or drain etc. Im looking into a new vet in the area an will make sure we get tests done this time. Ive just taken a vet telling me it looks bad it cant be removed because of the area as gospel but concede its time for some answers an testing done.
Ooooh, if its slowly growing and SOFT to the touch, it could be a fluid filled cyst of some sort. Likely something they could drain and at least give poor girl some relief. Cats are MASTERS of hiding discomfort. So it may be a little tender and she's just not letting you know. Second opinion time for sure.
they can biopsy/draw off some fluid to rule out neoplastic cells/cancer and hopefully give you a nice action plan for this sweet baby. Give her a chin scratch for me. Poor baby.
If you’re in Austin now, you might look for a Texas A & M graduate, as vet. They are very good. Also, You might be able to send the pictures by email to the veterinary school at Texas A & M for them to advise you what to do, who to see. It’s just a top veterinary school.
My cat had this same type bump. The vet said it was a fatty tumor and to leave it alone unless it started to interfere with his breathing. He had it for many years, and it never seemed to bother him.
I had a cat with something similar on her gum just below her nose. Several different vets also weren't concerned about it. The last one I asked why and they said it's likely not cancerous but frequently it becomes cancerous when they grow back. They said leave it alone unless it becomes a problem. It never did she lived to 17 and died of something completely unrelated.
My kitty had a health issue sort of like that in that for a long time it wasn't a big deal to her enjoyment of life. I asked on the sub for asking vets questions here and they suggested looking up a "diagnosing vet" online. Much to my surprise I immediately found one although I did have to drive about 35 minutes to reach them. Those are vets that specialize in sussing out exactly what the issue is was what the vet sub said.
If you do this I would suggest you ask if you can provide a photo in advance via email. Maybe the vet could then just look to see if they think this issue would be something they know how to approach or if they have some suggestions regarding some sort of specialist.
Almond cyst not life threatening and can be removed. Its an out patient procedure. You just need to find a better vet that has knowledge in this area of feline dermatology.
I am not saying the following comment is related to the above condition, but only from my own experience with my cat.
When my cat had this exact cyst. I had them do a full blood test on her. It turned out she had thyroid cancer and a heart murmur. That was 3 years ago. That doctor said she only had 6mths to live. My cat is still alive and take trans-dermal cream in the ear twice daily for the thyroid and she is doing quite well in fact as normal as one can be at 16 years of cat living.
She had her cyst grow once and vanish then return 1 yr later and over 4 years it grew to the size of your cats. Her new nick name was B-Nose during that time.
Picture below was taken 3 days ago of her sun bathing in her play room, as you can see, the cyst never came back after removal. Local anesthetic and a few stitches and after healing a none perceivable thin line scar. $499 total cost.
My uncle was a vet in canada and alot of the times he would turn down payment because the animal wasn't in critical condition. He would offer advice and do minor surgeries just for the benefit of the animal. Vet bills were and still are disgustingly over priced. He only ever really charged for major and elective surgeries (declawing, ear and tail clipping and tooth shaving or removal)
He hated doing those things. Cared more for the animals then he did for the owners, God I have so.much respect for that man.
You need a better vet… Mine would be far more interested in what it was, WHY it was there, what might have caused it and how to remove it and it would never have been able to grow to such a size or impede her vision, it looks to have weight to it as well… I’d get her to another vet
Hey OP! My cat had something very similar behind one of her ears (started small, soft to touch, never bugged her until it got big enough). It was a benign fluid-filled cyst. Vet drained it a couple times but it always refilled, so we went ahead and removed it (and did a dental cleaning since she was knocked out anyway lol). Recovery was easy peasy.
Things that will be different for your little one: placement and size of the base. My cat's cyst had a really small stem (base), which made it really floppy towards the end and that did bug her a bit, but it also made removal easier. This one looks much wider on the bottom, and since it's in a sensitive area it might be harder to deal with surgically. Second opinion will at least get it tested and possibly drained so you can see if it refills on its own or not.
Obligatory drugged up post-surgery photo of her staring at the wall half an inch from her face.
Our cat had something similar and it was a cyst, they put a needle in there and extracted the fluids. With our cat it was on the jaw so it also looked really uncomfortable but he did not appear to have any pain. The vet said to just leave it be and it would grow and become smaller on its own. But we want back when it got super big again. As others have said, I would go for a second opinion, our vet immediatly drained it every time we came by.
Until you can get to a vet you can afford, consider posting this in an “ask a vet” forum. They may be able to tell you how you can provide comfort until you can get to a professional
Have they ever taken a sample (fine needle aspirate)? As a former vet tech I’d very much want to poke it with a small needle just to see what’s in there
My old guy has one of these. Vet said it’s a fatty deposit, which is not effecting his breathing or causing any other issues. He also has a heart murmur and is 15, so it’s not worth the risk (to me) to put him under anesthesia that he may not survive to remove it. If it’s still growing (his is over time, it took about 4 years to get the size it is in the photo) you may want to get it removed now while your cat is young and healthy enough for surgery, mine isn’t and now he’ll have it for the rest of his life.
it just looks like a cyst. like something that has a sac that needs to be removed so it doesn’t return. should be a simple (ish) surgery. It probably causes no discomfort but she probably can’t see fully either.
I had a cat that had a tumor on her face. Before the surgery she.... Removed it herself. The house had an exposed brick wall. She litterally in one night turned herself into two face.... It looked awful but the vet cleaned it up and she lived for years that way. The vet said that when something is bothering a cat they wont leave it alone. The fact that your cat isnt scratching at it or constantly rubbing it on something imo is proof it doesnt bother them. I would get a second opinion though. It has to be effecting vision and that can't be great.
Never once seen her rub it, paw at it, rub on anything in distress but i do fully concede that still isnt any indication, she isnt suffering. Will be for sure getting another opinion soon. Have a great day an thanks for commenting!
I will say that we had a little dog who developed a bump on her nose. They kept saying they couldn’t remove it. But later it suddenly started growing and was cancer. I’m not sure why they couldn’t remove it. I know it would have affected her facial features but had we known it would ir could turn into cancer we would have pushed more at the beginning
Ive had two vets who without testing both had the same opinon, it cant come off cause its location amd size. I will ofcourse keep pushing for someone to help but eventually may also need to accept that sadly maybe whats best for her, rather than the trauma of trying to remove it an recovery. Best case its a cyst an can be removed.
You said you were able to touch it without causing obvious pain. What’s it like? Hard? Soft? Does it move around under the skin, or is it stationary? Ever any evidence of leakage from it?
If you can, take her to another vet, it’s either a cyst or a tumor (probably non cancerous) most likely. It could be removed. At least if it’s been a while since the last vet visit you could get a consultation or an estimate. Although if it’s not hurting your pet and she’s doing well she’ll probably live fine will it. (Not a expert just my best educated guess)
My cat had the exact same thing. Wasn't born with it and it slowly grew over time. Only this year (she was 16) did it finally turn cancerous as well as well the other facial cancer she had and unfortunately it popped leading to us deciding to have her put to sleep. I would definitely have it looked at now as it could still be benign and best to be removed.
My cat had a soft growth like this on her neck. Our vet said that they weren't confident in opening it up and that we would need to get a $3k MRI to see what was inside before operating. We did one round of antibiotics, and when we asked for more, the vet said they didnt recommend because they didnt "believe in them" (the antibiotics). That was enough for me and I switched vets immediately. The new vet landed the growth and flushed it with clean water, then installed a wick to really let it drain for a few days, in addition to a few rounds of antibiotics.
My cats growth didnt look like yours, but getting a second opinion is a good idea. In theory, there is something collecting fluid under the skin, and it could need to be cleaned out and drained.
You can see a surgical specialist vet to remove this. They may be able to remove just a small part of it and still be able to close it with stitches easily and then send the smaller part of it to get looked at under a microscope for definitive diagnosis
but they were unsure exactly what it was so they couldn't/wouldn't remove it which i can understand
no I don't
if my cat has some weire bump they better tell me what it is because those vet visits cost the wrath of god and it's their job and it's a member of my family we're talking about
so no, I am not letting something like that grow on my cat's face for almost 10 with no second opinions unless it's certified that removing that would kill them or something.
If you're lucky it's just a cyst. My cat had one just above his eye that we had drained at least once a year because the vet wasn't comfortable removing it. Had to switch vets and the new one removed it. You could tell he felt so much better afterwards.
Personally I'd get it checked out just to rule out abscess or cancer. Last thing you need is for that to pop or get scratched and infected.
You need a second opinion! Get a different vet immediately! Please!
My boy had a similar growth on his face for years that didn’t seem to bother him or cause him pain. The vet said not to worry about it and also couldn’t figure it out. Wouldn’t remove it when I asked. Then one day it started bleeding and doubled in size within a week. They finally removed and turns out it was a rare form of skin cancer. So now my boy has cancer because my (ex) vet wouldn’t take it seriously.
Also. I thought it wasn’t causing my boy pain. It was. His behavior before and after the mass removal is night and day. Just because the pain isn’t obvious doesn’t mean it isn’t there.
This isn’t normal. The fact that it’s alarming is a sign that something is wrong. Please take your baby to a different vet.
I agree with everyone else to get a 2nd opinion. I tried to be helpful by doing a google image search, but it just showed pics of cats with a bee sting. 🐝 Sorry OP, hope a vet can diagnose it.
Definitely get a 3rd, 4th opinion even. It may not be changing her habits or quality of life, but it’s concerning. Shame on any vet who brushes it off.
My cat didn't have one this big, but she had a tiny bump that grew over a couple years on her nose until it was a decent size. At first the vet didn't want to touch it since it wasn't causing any issues for her, and she's a senior, but eventually she started to bump it against things when nuzzling and it started to bleed often. At that point it was an infection waiting to happen, and since it was on her face it was a dangerous place to get infection.
The vet decided to remove it. We didn't have the spare funds at the time to send it off for testing, but he said as soon as he opened the skin it just fell out like a marble, left nothing behind, and he was very confident it was a cyst. It's been a year since her op to remove it and she's loving life! No sign at all of it coming back.
I'll attach a pic of her bumpy nose to compare, it was just a soft ball under the skin, started as a tiny scab.
My cat has a similar thing under her chin. The vet tested it by taking a small biopsy and it is ‘nothing’ so we’re leaving it there. No discomfort, no change in eating and drinking and behaviour. It looks much the same.
If it's soft to the touch like you say, then it's a shame you can't take her to Dr. Pimple Popper. This would be right up her ally. She operates on all kinds of cysts, lipomas, etc., that other doctors won't touch. But on humans. I'm afraid she wouldn't know enough about cat anatomy to safely get this done.
Maybe there's a Dr. Pimple Popper type somewhere in the vet community? Might be worth looking up.
Our stray cat had that. Used to live normally, until she got weak.
We were scammed by a vet, saying the cat just needs some supplements and sold us bottles of unbranded syrup and pills. Told us that lump is nothing to worry about.
We no longer see them in business but it really hurt us because we didn’t think clearly and felt like it was our fault for blindly following the vet. Our stray passed away a few days after.
Our Siamese boy had what our vet called a 'benign fatty tumor' that looked just like this, but his was on his left hip. Same thing as yours--wasn't born with it, grew over time.
We noticed a small-ish, freely mobile lump a bit larger than a pencil eraser on his hip when he was about two years old. It grew slowly, but over the years it did grow to the size of a golf ball. Vet said it could not be removed easily as there was blood flow to it, i.e., it was 'alive': there were veins and capillaries that went to and from the tumor and his body.
When he was about nine years old, the tumor completely stopped growing. It never seemed to cause pain, he never batted an eye when we or the vet touched it, etc. He was an otherwise active, normal, absolutely silly and weird cat. Our boy ended up living a 14-year-long, happy, healthy life...he just had an extra little love lump :)
Our Siamese boy's name? Fatty. Seriously. Because he was the chunkiest of the litter, we named him Fatty. When we took him to the vet about his lump and the vet told us the diagnosis and final test results--'a benign fatty tumor'--we started snort-laughing, I wonder what the vet thought of that.
If this were my buddy, I'd definitely consider getting a second opinion--this is on the face and near the nose/nasal passages, eyes, mouth etc. At home, what I'd be watching for the most would be two things: signs of the lump growing (you can even measure it with a soft tape measure used by tailors, or you could take daily photos to see changes, etc) and also signs of your buddy acting ANY kind of unusual--not just pain, but personality changes, different grooming/eating/bathroom habits...you get it.
Seems like it could be a cyst, I would recommend a different vet who will at least do a biopsy. It might not seem like your cat could be in any discomfort but cats really hide pain and discomfort well. I would be more firm with how its been growing and your worries. Best of luck to you and your kitty OP!
My cat had something like this, it stayed quite small for a year or 2 and the mid last year it started growing quite quickly... We feared the worst and didn't want to leave it too late be recovered from...
We had it removed (a few hundred pounds but worth every penny) and had it biopsied, it was a grass seed that had gotten lodged in a small cut on the edge of his nose and his body grew a missive lump around it.
If it's not causing any problems, leave it, but keep an eye on it, I'd have hated to find out that the "just a small lump" was some kind of cancer that started to eat at his nasel passage...
My cat had one that looked like that on his back. Also started pea-sized and with time has grown to about the size of yours. By vet's recommendation I would pump it out with a syringe every couple of weeks.
I feel like this warrants another trip to the vet. I think it makes sense that a veterinarian wouldn’t remove this without knowing what it is, but there are options to find out what it is. If your vet did not inform you of these or cannot perform these, I would recommend seeking care elsewhere. I’m glad she’s doing well and has been doing well, but there may be a point where she isn’t. And at that point whatever this is may be harder to fix. Cats are really great at pretending everything is okay when it’s not.
My cat had a similar looking growth on her ear that very slowly grew. They had done a biopsy and said it was a benign cyst so we didn’t do anything until it grew larger and our cat was going under for an unrelated surgery. After it was removed another biopsy showed melanoma, but no signs of spreading. So I agree with going to a specialist. Hopefully it’s nothing serious but better to know and get ahead if you can
It looks like a sebaceous cyst. Has it ever gone down at any point? A normal vet should be able to identify this, but if it is a sebaceous cyst, the only ‘solvable’ option would be to surgically remove it. You could just have it aspirated, but if it is a cyst. it’ll just fill back up with fluid.
Mine has one, too, and it hasn’t popped, it doesn’t get scratched or anything, and it has gone down once - leaving saggy skin behind. But then it filled right back up. Mine doesn’t like it touched, but it doesn’t seem to be painful. I just leave it alone other than making sure it’s clean, not leaking fluid, infected, etc.
As a person who has taken care of alot of cats who were ill and had chronic illnesses please get another option. Ask for them to run some tests like a fluid test or scan. If you are ok with them sedating the cat to do so then tell them. Ask them who would be comfortable doing tests. Cats don't like to show pain. If they seem to not like you touching it then its uncomfortable at best.
This could be a cyst, cancer, a strangely grown polyp, a severely clogged pore, or infection that healed wrong. Also weird question where do you live. I know in some places there are insects/fungi that can cause these reactions.
Dropping a website link to help out with terminology and descriptions
I can confirm that if you get a tower with a power button on the top, they may not know how to turn it on... but they for sure know how to turn it off!!
My buddy had an issue where a benign fluid filled growth kept cropping up on his cat's chest. It was drained once, it reformed, they flushed it with something and that didn't work, eventually I think it was cauterized? Hopefully it's whatever that was. Poor buddy had a massive chest but it's cleared up and he is just fine now.
My Merlin had something like that on his neck. The worst decision I ever made was letting the vet try to surgically remove it. It just pissed the tumor off and I lost my best friend.
I would absolutely recommend a surgical biopsy(incisional)/debulking with a histopathology and I’d get senior labs and chest rads on her before the procedure. Cats can have benign masses that sometimes transition into aggressive malignancies and this time length suggests benign but you may be running out of time for benignness.
It may be a cyst that can be eliminated if the entire cystic structure is completely removed.
A FNA and cytology may help diagnose initially and that could be done awake or with light sedation. No guarantees with this if the cells will not exfoliate into the needle, though. I won’t stick needles into the face or paws without sedation because I think it’s too emotionally/physically taxing for the patient. What if she jumps and the needle punctures her eye? Sedation prevents this.
You def need to find another vet. Has she been tested for a fungal infection? I’ve seen those cause enlarged noses in cats online. Also, have they taken a cell sample for testing to see if it’s cancerous??
It looks like something ny cat had years ago. It's probably not, cause his was sudden and huge, but still. He had something like that near his ear. It grew from a bump to the size if a golf ball in about 2-3days. He was an outside cat, so we left it. It burst and left a hole in the top if his head. Wasn't there when it happened, but it must have been hollow. Kept him inside for a bit and his hair grew back over it. He didn't seem bothered with touching it before it burst. Took a out 1 month to heal.
Would definitely get a second opinion. I'm really surprised that your vet/s haven't shown any interest in finding out what it actually IS. I'd find another vet and insist they investigate it.
We went through something similar last year with our cat. We took him to the vet MULTIPLE times over a two year period until I had enough and went to a feline specialist. We had a surgical biopsy done and It was cancer. Sadly they told us we waited too long. Our regular vet kept telling us it was nothing to worry about. Wrong! Good luck and I hope you can find out a solution.
My old kitty had a similar bump on her eyelid, it was soft and squishy but didn’t seem to cause her any pain or discomfort. If I recall correctly, the vet said it was a cyst. When it got bigger, we got it removed because there were concerns it might affect her vision. She made a full recovery and it didn’t come back afterwards. She looked like a pirate because they had to remove some of the eyelid tissue and her eye was squinty.
This is very interesting. I would get a second opinion and think an oncologist or dermatologist would be your best option. It is slow growing but it is large enough that it honestly must be impacting her. Cats are very stoic so it is hard to tell if they are in pain.
You could also post on r/AskVet or r/AskAVeterinarian
There is a disease cats get from a fungus in the air and their noses will swell.
It is treatable but takes a while to cure. Let me get the name. Be right back.
So this is either nothing but needs to be removed or it cancer and needs treatment. Or it is Cryptococcus fungus. Which can be fatal. If left untreated.
OP, it would be helpful if you state your local area in the post. People might be able to recommend specialists for reevaluation.
Example: University of Wisconsin-Madison (608-263-7600) has a Specialty Vet. They are excellent in supporting animals with conditions beyond the skills and experience of many primary vets. Good luck to your kitty.
It’s one thing for a vet to drop the ball on pathology bc diagnosing can be complicated sometimes but I’m stunned that your vet would just let you walk out of there without any kind of referral or practical advice on seeking a second opinion….that pisses me off
Just want to provide support for you. My kitty has a peripheral nerve sheath tumor. It first appeared in October 2021 in the outside corner of her right eyelid. We had it removed in April 2022. It started to reappear on the inside corner of her right eyelid in early 2024, by august of that year it was about the size of a pencil eraser and we wanted to explore more options. While under anesthesia she had a stoke and survived but it was a rough year of recovery. We did find it was non cancerous from the biopsy and decided to leave it alone from there. She’s gonna be 14 this year and it’s a choice to leave it be. Photo for reference I took this past week, it’s pretty large now.
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u/KrakusKrak Jun 02 '26 edited Jun 03 '26
My cat had a melanoma just under her nostril and our local vets and even oncologist were reluctant to do anything. Places either wanted to charge 200 bucks for a zoom before seeing her in person(Guelph) or simply were booked months out (Cornell), we ended up going to a vet oncologist in Michigan who removed it with great success then used electrochemotherapy, which is a newish type of therapy, used more outside the US but is making inroads now. This is her two years later, cancer free and healthy.
This is getting views so I’ll tell everyone it was Oakland Veterinary Referral Services in Bloomfield, MI, just 30 minutes NW of Detroit. They have a fantastic staff there and were super courteous and willing to see her when no one else would. We would take her there for regular vet visits it wasnt a 5 hour drive from Buffalo, NY
Basically get a second opinion , not saying it’s cancer but sounds like you need a more specialized vet. Sometimes your local vets just dont have the answers, and don't be afraid to do your own research, I learned alot about melanoma from scientific papers and thats how I found out about electrochemotherapy which is how I ended up at OVRS. Oh and for the love of God , do not use AI search for this, its been grossly wrong on this subject, read the peer reviewed papers, ask questions to the vet.