My old cat has a head cyst. Can I avoid surgery or just leave it?

I would recommend having a geriatric blood panel done first before deciding to sedate Sebastiancat to have the cyst removed. That will give you an idea of the anesthetic risk of sedating him, letting you know if it is dangerous or not to have it removed. You can also have it drained by the vet, but it may return. I would discuss these options with your vet.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would agree with your veterinarian that surgery is likely the best option at this point. Another option is to continue draining it on an as needed basis but that may get uncomfortable with time if you have to do it consistently. Anesthesia can be very safe if done appropriately. Unfortunately there is rarely any medical therapy for cysts. Good luck and have a good night!

That's a good size growth on Mowe's face. No, she may not be too old for surgery. There are plenty of cats who are older who successfully have surgery. She does need to see a vet to discuss having this removed, and the vet can do a physical exam, geriatric blood panel, and urinalysis to assess her anesthetic risk for surgery. Those tests will let you know if it's ok or not to proceed with surgery. Give her vet a call now to make her an appointment. I hope this helps!

You are right, there is always some risk with surgery. However, you may want to visit with your veterinarian about the anesthesia monitoring they do. It may surprise you how low the risk is and how much effort is put into safety. As far as the mass goes, I do get concerned anytime a mass is changing. I do recommend surgical removal any time there is a big change to an existing mass. However, there is always the possibility that it could remain quiet and never cause a problem. I would recommend visiting more with your veterinarian and making that decision together. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. In the photos you provided this appears to be what looks like a cyst to me. Many times these cysts are the nine and occur with age. If you do not want to put him through any major testing you could still have him examined by a veterinarian and the vet you have a look at him can stick a small needle into the cyst and drain the contents. This does not generally require any sedation and is typically well- tolerated by cats. Most likely the cyst will fill back up, but I have several patients that are older where the owners do not want to put them through any major testing or surgery and elect to bring the animal in every so often to have the cyst drained. I would discuss this with your veterinarian and see if this is something that he or she would do. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please feel free to contact me if you have any further concerns.

HI there. If the cyst isn't bothering Fi, I would recommend just leaving it alone. Attempting to drain it yourself at home may be painful for her, and could introduce infection and create a problem where there isn't one right now. If it starts to bother her, I would suggest taking her back to the vet to have it rechecked, and see what he/she recommends.

Cysts can be painful, and I would take Cry Baby into the vet first thing in the morning to have the cyst drained sterilely. It may need to be removed to prevent it from growing again, but it should definitely be drained to prevent it from rupturing. Please do not dry to open it yourself, as that can introduce infection into the area.