My cat's nose is receding and vets are stumped. What could it be?

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry that Diablo is having this issue. I agree with you that it does not appear to be an injury. My suspicion is SCC and you will need to get her to a vet for an exam. A biopsy of the tissue is needed to get a definitive diagnosis. I have not seen allergies manifest this way but of course it is possible. Autoimmune disease is also possible. Diablo will need an exam and some testing to get this figured out.

Hello. I am always concerned about an ulcerated nasal planum in a relatively young cat. This could be bacterial, autoimmune, fungal, or cancer ( less likely due to his relatively young age ). You really need to see your veterinarian for a minimum of a culture & to start antibiotics. If the antibiotics do not seem to be helping, than a biopsy will be necessary. Hopefully, he just picked up an odd infection & he will be back to his beautiful self soon. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! While I agree with your veterinarian that this can be due to an infection. However, I think a fungal infection like cryptococcus seems more likely and that would only respond to anti-fungal therapy. Another possibility is cancer such as squamous cell carcinoma. I recommend you consider having him reevaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. May be a biopsy could be done at this time since it has not improved. Good luck and have a great day!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is likely a malignant tumor unfortunately. Cats are very well known for having a mouth tumor called squamous cell carcinoma which carries a poor prognosis. However, it could still be something else and this is quite inside of the mouth unless there is also tumor on the inside. The only way to know is by doing some sampling via fine needle aspiration or possibly a biopsy. If squamous cell carcinoma is confirmed, it is not likely at all to respond to steroids or antibiotics much other than mild decrease in inflammation. Treatment for squamous cell carcinoma is limited by how aggressive this tumor is though sometimes surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy are options. Sorry for the sad news. Let's hope it is more on the benign side. Good luck and have a great day!

There really is no way to know what the mass is without a surgical biopsy. I understand the hesitation going forward with surgery, but if it's growing you need to determine what it is, and biopsy is the best option to do so. This mass May just be inflammation or eosinophilia granuloma or it could be a cancerous mass. There are even cases of fungal disease causing nasal masses. If it is growing I would strongly recommend addressing it as soon as possible as surgery may become more difficult as it gets larger. Best of luck to Pol and I hope it is something easily treatable. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello, sorry to hear about your cat. It looks like it may have a sinus infection or nasal and sinus infection that's creating an abscess. Common infections in that area are associated with fungal (Cryptococcus neoformans or Aspergillus) or bacterial. Cancer can also cause this in older cats. A sample of his nose, bloodwork, and urine sampling would aid to differentiate between these diseases. I would recommend consulting with your primary care veterinarian about further diagnosing your cat. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Without images it is very difficult to assess what may be going on. It would be worthwhile getting a second opinion but a tumour in the mouth or sinuses may well be affecting the drainage from her eyes or nose and may be contributing to the signs you can see, an the smell you describe is likely related to an infection or damaged tissue. A sedated oral exam and xrays or CT scan would help to investigate everything that may be happening, including tear production and drainage which may be contributing to the crusts and blood shot eyes