Are dark spots on my orange cat's nose normal or a cause for concern?

This is most likely a condition known as Lentigo, which tends to happen in young orange cats. It is merely a pigment disorder and does not cause any serious harm. It is also possible (I think much less likely) that it is melanoma, which can be a harmful cancer. The best thing you can do is have a veterinarian take a biopsy of the skin and send it to the laboratory for analysis. They will be able to what the cause of this is. Either way, I think you are far from having to consider putting Little Boy down at this time. I hope this helps and Little Boy gets the all-clear from the lab.

This appears to be just a change in color of the hair alone. No worries. THe haircoat in kittens often does change as they get older. As long as the skin itself looks good as you part the hair, there is no concern. : ) Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Take care. : )

Hi there! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is hard to know without being able to look at the lesions you describe. However, some cats can develop pigmentation or lack thereof in the nose which could be normal. This is not related to the surgery and it is unlikely to be something to be concerned about. If it does not appear to be a lesion or it does not appear to be bothering Happy, I would just have your veterinarian take a look at it next time Happy is due for an check up. Good luck!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Black pigment or Lentigo are common developments in the mouth of cats as they age. More so in orange cats. That is what I think your last picture shows. The middle picture I can't tell if it is pigment or just some drool that had food in it that dried on the fur. It isn't uncommon to have dark crust at the nose openings. Some cats can have that and not be sick or if they are recovering from an upper respiratory tract infection. If Aphrodite is acting normal and not sneezing excessively I do not think she needs veterinary care. Have a good day!

Hello, as you may now cancer can only be diagnosed by looking at the cells of the area in question. Certainly, we can get a suspicion for cancer by assessing the gross appearance of the area in question. This means that although looking at Blue's nose I don't think it looks very aggressive to be considered a cancer, we are unable to tell unless we sample that area. Cats can get pigmentation changes with age, so this may very well be a normal change associated with his age and nothing you need to be concerned with. I would recommend monitoring the area for progression of this pigmentation change or any evidence of mass, ulcer, or thickening of the nose which would be more concerning for a cancer. Hope this helps and best of luck.

If the skin appears normal and the brown color is just a color change in the fur, it may be a normal part of growing up - I see that George is only a year old. Many cats will have some color changes in their fur as they become adults. If the skin appears sore, red, or otherwise abnormal in this area, then it could be caused by an allergy problem, a bacterial or fungal skin infection, or even a tumor such as a squamous cell carcinoma, although this would be somewhat unusual in such a young cat. If you are concerned about the brown area, I would recommend having it checked by a vet when you are able to - he/she can do some simple skin tests if needed to determine if there is any problem.

From the pictures, it looks as though what you are seeing may be from trauma. Cat scratches to the face commonly occur on cats that are outdoor cats. Many times the hair will not grow back and the cat will be left with a small scar. If canto is indoor only and the nodule is raised, I would say get a vet to examine him to see for sure what it may be. It could be from a bug bite or a skin tumor of some type. If you cannot get to your vet right away, I would say just monitor for now and if it worsens get him seen sooner. It does not look infected or swollen from the picture. I would monitor for signs of infection which may include swelling, redness, painful to the touch, discharge, etc. I hope this helps! Please feel free to contact me with any further questions or concerns you may have. I am also available via consultation if needed.