Should my older cat's ear ulcer be surgically removed for SCC?

Oh, that looks bad on Fred's ear. Certainly it could be a malignant tumor such as a cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. This is a cancer of the skin that occurs on unpigmented (white) parts of the body like the nose and ears. Please keep in mind that I cannot say this for certain without seeing him in person, and he definitely needs to see a vet for as soon as possible. I would take him into a vet first thing in the morning. If this is a SCC, he may need to have the area surgically removed. Please take him into a vet as soon as possible.

In a senior cat, there is always a chance any lump could be cancer unfortunately. If it is cancer, the vet will likely want to do further tests to see if it's spread. There may be chance this is just a polyp, and removing it is curative. You need to be aware that any surgery carries risks due to anesthesia, but the vet wouldn't recommend the surgery if they didn't feel it was safe for him. I do recommend having the surgery done. I hope this helps!

It is difficult to diagnose without actually seeing the lesion but it could be an infection or possibly a squamous cell carcinoma which is more common in white cats. If your vet is not able to diagnose then you should find another vet in your area that can examine your cat.

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!

I'm sorry to hear that Baby Kitty's ear has been such a problem for her! Surgery is generally the treatment of choice for aural hematomas, but these issues can also develop scar tissue over a period of at least 6-8 weeks. If Baby Kitty has an ongoing ear infection, this could also exacerbate any head shaking, preventing scar tissue from forming appropriately. No surgery ever offers a definitive guarantee, but it seems that surgically addressing the hematoma would be less invasive, less painful and likely less expensive than removing the entire pinna (ear flap). The only pinna amputations that I have seen have been due to cancerous masses on the ear because the surgery can be very painful and cause a significant amount of bleeding. Consider discussing this with your vet and have her ears checked to assure that an infection is not present and causing irritation. I'm glad to see that she has an e-collar on - keep it up! Avoid using the transdermal medication on her right ear for the time being and be sure to clean her left ear prior to each application. I hope that all goes well!

Complete surgical removal of the mass and the remnant of ear tissue is probably the best and most effective way to treat it. I would recommend to discuss it with your vet as the best treatment option should consider her full clinical status (basically other problems if present).

This appears to be ceruminous cystomatosis - very common in Himalayan and Persian cats. It is a benign neoplastic condition but sometimes becomes a problem when lesions enlarge and occlude the ear canal, which disrupts normal self-cleaning. With just one cyst present I would not be overly concerned but if more start to appear and/or they get larger then you may need to have treatment done. Cryotherapy and/or laser treatment is usually the first line of treatment. It does not cure the issue then surgery to remove the entire ear canal is needed (TECA). At this stage I would just recommend monitoring it. Hope this helps. Best wishes.