Swollen cheek, greenish coloration in mouth along the cheek

[jd333]

Noticed bad breath on my cat, indoor/outdoor cat about 4 years old. I later noticed last night his right cheek was a little swollen, it's not massive, but you can feel it when you touch it, it's definitely puffier, right where the whiskers are. I lifted his upper lip and noticed yellowish coloration in there. I'm suspecting a rodent ulcer. No vet around here will take ANY new appointments for the next 7 days so I'm stuck here wondering what's going on until next Saturday, it's ridiculous. The cat still eats, not noticing any major behavioral changes, and the cat doesn't wince in total pain when I touch it. Any opinions? Attaching photo, you will see the yellowish coloration along the cheek wall. It looks like plaque, but on his cheek, and the cheek feels hard to the touch compared to the non-swollen cheek.

 

[di and bob]

He's got some infection going on it looks like. Send that picture to your vet and see if they will give you an over- the -counter antibiotic. I put liquid antibiotics in tuna juice or lickable treats, they usually lick it up. Did you try to scrape some of that matter to see if it comes off? I know it would be hard though, maybe you could have someone hold him by the scruff to quiet him.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I agree with di and bob . Send that picture in, if they will allow it. Send a full description, as you gave us. Possibly, they will give you a prescription, phone it in for you. It has to be some kind of infection going on. The good news is that he isn't in major pain, and is still eating normally!

 

[jd333]

Thanks. I ended up just taking him into a 24hour emergency clinic we luckily have in my area. It was $700 but well worth it, they had to sedate him and clean it out, it was an ulcer, with infection. Thankfully it wasn't a tumor. Now I have to go through the 10 days of antibiotic meds into his mouth through syringe lol.
I also still think it's completely ridiculous that literally just about every vet does not take appointments sooner than one week out. Covid or whatever the excuse, the system is just not currently working out. It was never like this before. It's harder to a vet appointment within 3 days than it is to score superbowl tickets around here. It's just wrong. If I didn't have the 24/7 emergency clinic, I have no idea what I would do. Some people may not have that luxury.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Thank you for letting us know! You're right about the system, and emergency clinics are well out of budget for a good many people.