What is wrong with my kitty’s nose? It’s suddenly crusty

[TubbyBubby]

Today I noticed my kitty Lavender has what appears to be a crusty scab on her nose. This has quite literally came out of nowhere, her nose wasn’t like this the day prior. I have been able to gently tap the area without complaint from her. What is this?
I have already contacted her vet and sent them this picture and they only told me to continue to monitor her for changes in appetite in behavior but to see if it gets any better tomorrow before worrying too much (very hard not to). She is turning 3 years old this January and has had her FVCRP vaccines, so not sure if it is possible this is feline herpes or not. She is a former feral cat and I got her from a rescue earlier this year. I’m concerned because I don’t know what this is, could it be auto immune? Would skin cancer show up this rapidly? Is my other cat at risk? I’ve got them separated since I saw her nose’s state. If it gets worse at all, or doesn’t show signs of improvement in a few days I’m absolutely taking her in to her vet.
She was sleeping a lot more than usual today.

 

[TubbyBubby]

She is indoors only since she has been living with me the last 8ish months. Also, the small black spot on the right side of her nose in the picture is just part of her nose’s surface, it has always been there. However, the left, very crusty side is what is problematic… normally that side is very smooth and pink.

 

[Jcatbird]

That is the only symptom? Could she have rubbed her nose on something? Although cats do get colds and other types of viruses, it’s kind of early to detect anything if her only symptom is the crusty nose. Cats can have allergies too. Anything new in the house like cleaning products, foods, litters, fabrics etc. that she may not have been exposed to before? Your vet will know best and separating her for the time being is a good idea. Hopefully she just irritated her nose by rubbing it on something and it will quickly clear up.
Beautiful kitty!

 

[TubbyBubby]

That is the only symptom? Could she have rubbed her nose on something? Although cats do get colds and other types of viruses, it’s kind of early to detect anything if her only symptom is the crusty nose. Cats can have allergies too. Anything new in the house like cleaning products, foods, litters, fabrics etc. that she may not have been exposed to before? Your vet will know best and separating her for the time being is a good idea. Hopefully she just irritated her nose by rubbing it on something and it will quickly clear up.
Beautiful kitty!

thanks for your reply. I hope it’s just irritation too, but will have to see how she looks in the morning. As of Wednesday her only symptom after the appearance of the crust was excessive sleepiness, but she still woke up to cuddle with me and eat. There’s nothing new in my house, I’m frankly stumped what she could have rubbed her face into if this is indeed just irritation and not some sort of infection. in terms of potential allergies, she does have a bed made out of wool, and she eats dry food… she’s been on a new brand of Fromm Gold for 1.5 months without issue. perhaps those could have aggravated her?

 

[Jcatbird]

Since I am not a vet I really don’t know but anything seems possible. Perhaps it is related or perhaps she just rubbed it and is feeling more snuggly and sleepy. She may be sleeping because she managed to fight off a little irritation or small cold. Will can be sort of rough texture but if this is not new to her then I would not really expect that to be a problem unless the other kitty was playing and rubbed her face into it. Kitties do get into things. Lol Just keep watching her for other symptoms and if the excessive sleeping or continued crust, other symptoms or anything that worries you comes up , a vet visit is always a good idea and can, at least, relieve our worries. Please keep updating to let us know how she is doing.

 

[TubbyBubby]

Since I am not a vet I really don’t know but anything seems possible. Perhaps it is related or perhaps she just rubbed it and is feeling more snuggly and sleepy. She may be sleeping because she managed to fight off a little irritation or small cold. Will can be sort of rough texture but if this is not new to her then I would not really expect that to be a problem unless the other kitty was playing and rubbed her face into it. Kitties do get into things. Lol Just keep watching her for other symptoms and if the excessive sleeping or continued crust, other symptoms or anything that worries you comes up , a vet visit is always a good idea and can, at least, relieve our worries. Please keep updating to let us know how she is doing.

Well her nose is not worse today, and the scab part that was on her muzzle seems to have receded a bit… she’s still acting cuddly and eating

 

[Jcatbird]

Awww! So very happy she is doing better! This is great news! Thank you for the update!

 

[platty]

My stray cat came back with similar mark on his nose it turned out he had burnt it on a cars exhuast we took him to the vets and he was given some antibiotics and was fine but boy did it look nasty poor things

 

[TubbyBubby]

Update - the scab on her nose shrank day by day and today the scab just fell off! It’s still a mystery to me what she got into; but glad she is okay.

I’m sorry to hear about your kitty’s nose, platty.