Outside cat with a lump under eye

hurtingheart

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I noticed today one of my ferals has a small lump/swelling under his eye. It is not huge but is noticeable. The eye itself does not look affected. No redness or discharge that I could see. What could it be? I haven't managed to get him in for neutering yet.
 
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hurtingheart

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I will try to get one. It looks like his eye is affected now. He squints and there is some pus looking stuff in the corner.
 

FeebysOwner

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If you do get a pic, given it seems to be getting worse, I would share it with a vet on the hope they would cooperate with you and give you something you could treat it with. I presume since you seem to work with ferals you have a vet that has accommodated you before in treating them? If not, you probably need to trap him and take him in to have a vet look at it - if this is affecting his eye, it could get bad enough that it could cost him his eye - and a whole lot more money on your part to help him.
 
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hurtingheart

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Hello, I take them to the clinic that does spay/neuter. They have a wellness clinic. I would need to trap him to bring him in for treatment, as he doesn't let me touch him.
 

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fionasmom

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I was hoping that this might have been an external issue like an insect bite that would resolve itself but with the squinting and pus you are on a slippery slope. For one thing, if this guy is a true feral who has to live by his wits to some extent, as mine do, he is at a disadvantage with a sore eye. I would say trap him and get him in. If he is not going to allow this initially, start baiting with KFC.
 

Elphaba09

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Poor fella! At first, I was going to say it might be a lipoma, but since it is now bothering his eye, I would say that it could be an infected scratch that you cannot see that has abscessed or possibly a tumor. (A tumor near a cat's eye can cause discharge.) Do you plan on trapping him soon? Depending on where you live, it could be a burrowing insect like a cuterebra.
 

Jcatbird

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Yep. The very best thing for him is a vet visit. The problem with eye infections is that they can cause loss of vision and really penetrate the eye. Maybe you could work out with the vet to treat the eye, keep him isolated until he is better and then get the neutering done. One time trapping is so much easier. I actually used opportunities like that to socialize the cat for adoption too. Not all will become lap cats but 98% of the ones I socialized did become grateful and adoring house kitties. He sure is sweet looking.
 
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hurtingheart

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Didn't get him yet but got close enough to look. His eye is looking better this morning. I'm thinking it's the l-lysine I put in the food. 500mg a day. So it could be feline herpes?
 

fionasmom

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It is probably a possibility, but I would still try to get him to the vet to resolve it.
 
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