Took The Cat To The Vets Today and It's Not Good News

[HereWeGoAgain]

Btw thanks for your support HereWeGoAgain since I know you really aren't a cat person lol

While I'm not a huge cat fan I understand those who Love them.
No different than my love for dogs.
My Brother had a black cat named Teaser that I swear was a dog in a past life.
I really liked that cat.
Then you had my Mothers cat who came to live with us when my mother developed dementia. That cat hated me and of course it put a huge strain on my dogs who didnt care for it either.
The cat was banned to the upstairs of our house and would sit on the railing looking down into the living room driving the dogs nuts.
To be honest it pissed me off to have a cat in my house that terrorised my Dogs.
I thought about leaving the upstairs porch door open in hopes that the little bastard would leave. Of course that would have upset my mother who was having a hard time already.
I have to admit I was glad to see the devil cat go when we eventually had to put my mother in assisted living.

 

[strollingbones]

all breeds die too young...i am sorry for this but dont give up...that is the hard part....where is that fine line...between giving up and letting go...your vet will help you with the decision...

this is clark...he was 20 when i lost him...just to old age...

now you can find me crying in the corner

 

[Road Runner]

While I'm not a huge cat fan I understand those who Love them.
No different than my love for dogs.
My Brother had a black cat named Teaser that I swear was a dog in a past life.
I really liked that cat.
Then you had my Mothers cat who came to live with us when my mother developed dementia. That cat hated me and of course it put a huge strain on my dogs who didnt care for it either.
The cat was banned to the upstairs of our house and would sit on the railing looking down into the living room driving the dogs nuts.
To be honest it pissed me off to have a cat in my house that terrorised my Dogs.
I thought about leaving the upstairs porch door open in hopes that the little bastard would leave. Of course that would have upset my mother who was having a hard time already.
I have to admit I was glad to see the devil cat go when we eventually had to put my mother in assisted living.

I love dogs too and horses and birds and rabbits etc,.. the only two animals I don't really like are rats and snakes. Not a big fan of crabs and lobsters either though I like to watch them from a distance. Spiders are alright but not my favorite. Tarantulas are cool though.



I also think that turtles, frogs, and chinchillas are cool,.. I just don't have the money and room to keep them for their supplies. I also hear that chinchillas also hide their health problems and can't overheat. So since I love the cuddly animals the most, I'm sticking with cats since you can actually cuddle them more than dogs. Btw, speaking of cats, ours has an appointment after Christmas is over. If we do wind up eventually losing her, not sure how long to wait to see if we want another one, so we'll just have to wait and see and hope and pray that it doesn't come to that.

all breeds die too young...i am sorry for this but dont give up...that is the hard part....where is that fine line...between giving up and letting go...your vet will help you with the decision...

this is clark...he was 20 when i lost him...just to old age...

View attachment 732687

now you can find me crying in the corner

Sorry to hear that.

 

[JohnDB]

Sounds like it's time for a new cat...

Sorry.

 

[Road Runner]

Sounds like it's time for a new cat...

Sorry.

Not yet but sorry I kept forgetting to message you about this. We don't know her diagnosis yet though.

 

[strollingbones]

still no word on her diagnosis? i hope its not kidney failure

a friend daughter has a chinchilla ...interesting...my friend was holding it..and it humped her hand then well...her hand got real wet...she got real mad

 

[Road Runner]

still no word on her diagnosis?

No, I said her appointment was after Christmas and since she's not in pain there's nothing that anybody can do about it right now unfortunately.

 

[BasicHumanUnit]

No, I said her appointment was after Christmas and since she's not in pain there's nothing that anybody can do about it right now unfortunately.

Just curious......
You keep saying she is not in pain...but how do you know this?
Animals hide their pain REALLY well.
It's often very easy to miss.

Do you know how to tell if a cat is in pain if they are hiding it?

 

[The Duke]

She's been having this really bad and red ear growth in her ear for a few days now with black stuff coming out of it and we finally got her an appointment today after Thanksgiving and now some tests have to be done because the vet thinks it might be cancerous. A biopsy is going to be scheduled in a few weeks because the vet says that it won't kill her within that time and she might have to get surgery done. The biggest issue though is that she has a heart murmur so I don't know how well she would be able to go underneath anesthesia. I just hope and pray that she'll be alright. She's only around nine years old after all.

How far in the ear is it? My ol' cat's pushing about 20 and ohh, she's about to swipe at a coon.
Okay, she's still there and the coon took off; That was a dumb one. She could jump on a coon's back and be biting it in the eyeball and there's nothing they could do about it.
Idk if he/she coon knew she was there or not, but they found out real quick. Pokin' around and found the wrong place to be.

 

[Road Runner]

Do you know how to tell if a cat is in pain if they are hiding it?

I think it has to do with change of or lack of appetite, hiding, and or vomiting/diarrhea and she hasn't been showing any of those symptoms if I'm correct. Except for maybe vomiting but she's always done that from eating too fast.

How far in the ear is it? My ol' cat's pushing about 20 and ohh, she's about to swipe at a coon.

Can you tell by this pic? You can see her eyelid too. Her ear appears to be itchy as well.

 

[The Duke]

I think it has to do with change of or lack of appetite, hiding, and or vomiting/diarrhea and she hasn't been showing any of those symptoms if I'm correct. Except for maybe vomiting but she's always done that from eating too fast.




Can you tell by this pic?

View attachment 741550

Yes, that's more like the head. Put peroxide on it, and love your kitty.

 

[Road Runner]

Yes, that's more like the head. Put peroxide on it, and love your kitty.

Done and done but what do you think it is as it really is back in her ear and along the edge of the ear as well.

 

[The Duke]

Done and done but what do you think it is as it really is back in her ear and along the edge of the ear as well.

I was looking for a "cut half the ear off and call it good" option. That option is not to be found.
Unless there's black things in her ear..idk..

 

[Road Runner]

Unless there's black things in her ear..idk..

Why what is that? She's had that occasionally after an ear cleaning.

 

[The Duke]

Why what is that? She's had that occasionally after an ear cleaning.

Ear mites. They'd make her uncomfortable, cause her to scratch around there, or maybe even howl in pain.
They look like little black dots in the ear.

 

[Road Runner]

Ear mites. They'd make her uncomfortable, cause her to scratch around there, or maybe even howl in pain.

Well thankfully she's never howled in pain, but could they be causing the redness inside the ear? And what about the eyelid. I'd feel really bad if she was uncomfortable though. Especially since she hasn't been acting like it. She still loves being on laps and purrs up a storm.

 

[The Duke]

Well thankfully she's never howled in pain, but could they be causing the redness inside the ear? And what about the eyelid. I'd feel really bad if she was uncomfortable though. Especially since she hasn't been acting like it. She still loves being on laps and purrs up a storm.

Look for black in the ears. Dealing with a cat is harder than dealing with a dog. I did both. Ears should be nice n clean. Buncha black spots? Earmites.
It's cheap, it was $8
Don't be a dumbass like me and put it in there full strength. Yeah, I did that. Wondered what was wrong with the dog so I did it to myself. That hurts. You mix the earmite medicine with water. Derp! Like 4 drops per 8 oz water.

 

[Coyote]

Well thankfully she's never howled in pain, but could they be causing the redness inside the ear? And what about the eyelid. I'd feel really bad if she was uncomfortable though. Especially since she hasn't been acting like it. She still loves being on laps and purrs up a storm.

The additional area around her eye makes me think it may not be cancer. There is a group of autoimmune skin diseases in dogs (I had one with it) that also occurs in cats, called pemphigus. The most common is pemphigus foliaceus and it can involve skin around eyes and ears. It is a chronic condition but treatable if that is what she has. It also requires a biopsy to diagnose.

 

[BasicHumanUnit]

From the photo it looks like a sort of depression or hole where flesh has been lost.
The photo is not really clear enough to tell but the proximity to the eye could indicate it is spreading carcinoma, that originated near the ear area.
It is not at all unusual for it to spread to the nearby tissue.
I have seen cats develop gum cancer from long term tarter build up leading to gum disease and finally cancer that spread throughout the mouth, involving the tongue, jaw and finally erupting to the surface and involving the eye and tissue around the eye and side of the face. NOT good.
But the odor was quite profound.

But again, that is a WAG from a blurry photo so it could be so many other things.
Any Vet worth their diploma should be able to look at that in person and immediately make a very good determination of whether or not it is a cancer.
With a biopsy to confirm (or not).

If she has been getting an antibiotic as you said and it did not heal on it's own there is a greater chance it is a carcinoma.
Hopefully it is not cancer at all but malignant cancers spread fast and are always best caught early.
The delay is not helping.

I sincerely hope it is not cancer as I have dealt with cancer with a number of my cats over the years and it ain't fun.
Like someone else mentioned, if it is cancer it often will develop a very foul odor.
You could get some high quality colloidal silver and spray it on the wound a few times a day.

The Feline pemphigus foliaceus Coyote mentioned is a possibility but it seems to be a very rare condition.

Hoping it is not cancer.
She is a beautiful cat and I wish her the best.

 

[Road Runner]

Look for black in the ears. Dealing with a cat is harder than dealing with a dog. I did both. Ears should be nice n clean. Buncha black spots? Earmites.
It's cheap, it was $8
Don't be a dumbass like me and put it in there full strength. Yeah, I did that. Wondered what was wrong with the dog so I did it to myself. That hurts. You mix the earmite medicine with water. Derp! Like 4 drops per 8 oz water.

Understood, but why is it harder to deal with in cats than dogs.

It also requires a biopsy to diagnose.

Well that's what she'll be getting. Do you know how long results usually take. Thank you all for your support btw.