Mysterious lumps on cats head

[Ejmad]

We have a 2yr old, indoor only, cat who in the past few weeks has been developing lumps and scabs on her head and we are at a loss as to what is causing them. She is under the care of the vet, but they are finding her a bit of a mystery too, and I was wondering have any other cat owners faced something similar.

It started off with what seemed to be a small cut/scab between her eye and ear area. Despite putting a buster collar on her, she managed to scratch it and caused a hotspot, so she was put in an Elizabethan Collar, given steroids and antibiotics.

A small lump formed on the same spot but the other side of her head ... it looked almost like a mosquito bite. This was given a biopsy and nothing problematic came back. Both "cut" and "spot" have since healed. However, as they were healing, bigger more aggressive lumps/scabs have been forming, both in her ears, and the back of ears/head. She has them nowhere else on her body and her sister had no signs of any problem.

We are treating her with an ointment for mites etc (just in case), steroids for the inflamation and a culture has been sent off to check for ringworm but the vet is doubtful it will be positive. She is eating and drinking well, and other than hating the cone of shame, is generally in a good mood.

Has anyone had anything similar to this happen to their cat?

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi
This certainly sounds like an allergic reaction, poor baby! I'm thinking out loud here, since I'm sure you-all and the vet talked over every possibility, but could it have been a flea bite since some cats are allergic to fleas?

 

[Ejmad]

Yes, we gave her and her sister a top-up flea treatmentjust in case. We were also thinking some allergic reaction but we have wracked our brains to see if something new has been introduced to the house and we’ve come up blank.
It would almost be less of a mystery if she was getting these everywhere and not just her head … and especially since she has had the cone on for 5 weeks or so, so it’s being somewhat protected.
She just looks so sad in her cone

 

[Furballsmom]

She just looks so sad in her cone

Would the vet allow you to apply a little storebought unflavored chamomile tea (garden grown is unsafe for cats) to help ease the itchiness?

 

[Ejmad]

Yeah I could certainly ask at her next checkup - they’re keeping an eye if they’re getting smaller or bigger so there every week now.

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[neely]

Has your vet mentioned taking her to a veterinary dermatology specialist? Rather than waiting for the lumps and scabs to subside and putting her through more procedures without having a diagnosis this might be beneficial. You could also ask your vet to consult with a dermatologist. Best of luck!

 

[Ejmad]

Has your vet mentioned taking her to a veterinary dermatology specialist? Rather than waiting for the lumps and scabs to subside and putting her through more procedures without having a diagnosis this might be beneficial. You could also ask your vet to consult with a dermatologist. Best of luck!

Last time we were there, she took a photo and said she would talk to a dermatologist friend but yeah, I think we might have to pursue that option. However I suspect there won’t be very many of them in Ireland given the simple biopsy had to be sent to the UK to be processed.
Hopefully we figure it out soon

 

[OopsyDaisy]

Poor baby. I hope you can get to the bottom of this soon.

 

[neely]

However I suspect there won’t be very many of them in Ireland given the simple biopsy had to be sent to the UK to be processed.

I'm so sorry and sincerely hope your vet can get to the bottom of this until you are able to get more help. I was able to find these specialty animal hospitals in Ireland that have a dermatology specialist on staff. Maybe one of them is within driving distance for you.
Skinvet Ireland - Pet Dermatology - Skin and Ear Clinic for pets
Veterinary Specialists Ireland – : Advanced Veterinary Care
Specialist Procedures - Gilabbey Veterinary Hospital

I hope this helps a little. Please keep us updated on your kitty.

 

[Ejmad]

I'm so sorry and sincerely hope your vet can get to the bottom of this until you are able to get more help. I was able to find these specialty animal hospitals in Ireland that have a dermatology specialist on staff. Maybe one of them is within driving distance for you.
Skinvet Ireland - Pet Dermatology - Skin and Ear Clinic for pets
Veterinary Specialists Ireland – : Advanced Veterinary Care
Specialist Procedures - Gilabbey Veterinary Hospital

I hope this helps a little. Please keep us updated on your kitty.

That is so kind of you, thank you so much. I will definitely look into them

 

[Ejmad]

So a slight update on this, in case any others encounter a similar issue.

We sat down and analysed the dates of everything that happened, if we made ANY changes, if she does anything different to her sister etc etc. We think that the initial cut and spot on the front of her head were unfortunately a red herring to what is happening to the back of her head and ears. Those lumps only started appearing after she was put into the Elizabethan Collar.

So, we have switched the Elizabethan Cone back to the Buster Collar, and while its early days, there is a vast improvement with the bumps on her ears, and the lumps on her head are reducing!! We think that she was either allergic to the plastic cone; or she could have been causing undue pressure to herself, as she was being very dramatic everytime she walked in the cone, by severely pinning her ears back - could be a combo of both?!

Either way, we are hopeful that the lumps continue to improve and this will all be a distant memory for her soon

 

[RexinMinn2]

We have a 2yr old, indoor only, cat who in the past few weeks has been developing lumps and scabs on her head and we are at a loss as to what is causing them. She is under the care of the vet, but they are finding her a bit of a mystery too, and I was wondering have any other cat owners faced something similar.

It started off with what seemed to be a small cut/scab between her eye and ear area. Despite putting a buster collar on her, she managed to scratch it and caused a hotspot, so she was put in an Elizabethan Collar, given steroids and antibiotics.

A small lump formed on the same spot but the other side of her head ... it looked almost like a mosquito bite. This was given a biopsy and nothing problematic came back. Both "cut" and "spot" have since healed. However, as they were healing, bigger more aggressive lumps/scabs have been forming, both in her ears, and the back of ears/head. She has them nowhere else on her body and her sister had no signs of any problem.

We are treating her with an ointment for mites etc (just in case), steroids for the inflamation and a culture has been sent off to check for ringworm but the vet is doubtful it will be positive. She is eating and drinking well, and other than hating the cone of shame, is generally in a good mood.

Has anyone had anything similar to this happen to their cat?

No, but I wonder if it might be diet related. If you're feeding her any dry food I'd stop that right away. Could also be a reaction to the iodine in certain foods, but you'd have to check with your vet on that; unf. many vets aren't well-versed in dietary approaches to this kind of thing. Do you have a holistic vet anywhere. near where you live? I'm assuming all bedding and places where she goes to sleep have been cleaned meticulously. If this is a fungal situation there may be drugs to combat that, but it doesn't sound like it to me, just a remote thought on my part. Good luck, poor little thing!

 

[neely]

So, we have switched the Elizabethan Cone back to the Buster Collar, and while its early days, there is a vast improvement with the bumps on her ears, and the lumps on her head are reducing!!

Best news ever! I hope she improves and you don't have to look into a veterinary dermatology specialist after all. Please keep us posted on her progress.

 

[RexinMinn2]

I wonder if warm compresses would help those bumps too. When Peanut had feline acne along with her sister Punkin, we did the warm/hot compresses a few times a day and it helped enormously! I doubt they would have recovered from that without anti-biotics which will totally mess up the gut and that is not what you want if you can help it. Your cat will fight you a little at first, but you'll navigate a path forward. Something to try, anyway, and it doesn't cost anything. Besides, it might feel good to the cat.

 

[Ejmad]

Best news ever! I hope she improves and you don't have to look into a veterinary dermatology specialist after all. Please keep us posted on her progress.

Yes, we’re absolutely delighted with the improvement, and she is in a much better mood since we switched collar types too, so double the happiness.
I will definitely post back with the final results, in case it could help anyone else

 

[Ejmad]

I wonder if warm compresses would help those bumps too. When Peanut had feline acne along with her sister Punkin, we did the warm/hot compresses a few times a day and it helped enormously! I doubt they would have recovered from that without anti-biotics which will totally mess up the gut and that is not what you want if you can help it. Your cat will fight you a little at first, but you'll navigate a path forward. Something to try, anyway, and it doesn't cost anything. Besides, it might feel good to the cat.

Oh interesting, might give that a go alright. To be fair, she has been surprisingly accepting of us cleaning the area and putting ointment etc on, and if the warm compress feels anything like a little scratch, she’ll be delighted. Thanks for the suggestion