Wound on nose that won't heal

[Lotski]

Hey there! Some of you remember me from the Penny topics. She got a feeding tube at the end of May, it got removed in June, and in July she had bladder surgery where they removed a large oxalate stone. Since her bladder stone got removed, she's been doing SO well. She's on a special diet now, and luckily she ate the food immediately (the reason she got the tube was because she refused to eat her new food). Penny's also been more active, plays a lot more, is even cuddlier than before,... Since she was doing well and we had a lot on our mind, I haven't been here for months.

And yet, here I am again. We hoped she'd be healthy for a long time and we only had to go to the vet for her shots, but nope... First of all, we've been to the vet clinic three weeks ago and are going back this Friday. I was just wondering if I would find people here who had a cat with the same issue.

I'll start from the beginning: Penny has been licking her belly obsessively since the beginning of 2018. Our vet always told us it was stress, so we tried a lot of stuff like Feliway and medicine to reduce stress. She kept licking though, and her belly was almost completely bald a month or two after she started licking. When she had lipidosis, the vet from the clinic discovered the bladder stone. Excessive belly licking could also be a symptom of a bladder stone, so we kinda thought the stone was the culprit. She wore a full medical suit for a month (since she couldn't stop licking her wound). Ofcourse, the hair on her belly started growing back since she couldn't lick it. We were both kinda relieved, like 'okay, her belly will probably be normal again now this stone's out'. We removed the body suit when the wound was healed up.

Maybe it was naive of us, but she started licking her belly again (second half of August). Early August we discovered I'm pregnant, so our first thought was that she maybe experienced some sort of stress because of the pregnancy and my change of smell or something like that. The first weeks, she followed me around A LOT, which was a clear sign she knew something was on. Normally she only follows my boyfriend. After a few weeks, her belly kept getting more bald again. Back to her old habit. We were planning on calling the vet from the clinic if she kept licking, but then we noticed something new: almost four weeks ago, I saw she had a little wound on her nose. At first we thought she hit something, because she had been playing like a mad man with some new bouncy balls we bought for her. It didn't heal. Instead, it started bleeding a little after a few days. She also had a little black spot next to the wound. We called the vet clinic, and got an appointment a few days later.

The vet that examined Penny is specialised in dermatology. She doesn't think the licking is stress related. To be honest, Penny is chill at home too. But our previous vet kept talking about stress, so I think it started to lead its own life in our heads, and made us believe we truly had a stressy cat. The vet saw Penny when she was in the clinic with her tube and she operated her. She told us she was one of the calmest cats in the clinic. Not that she was comfortable, but there were nog signs of real distress. Then she examined the wound on her nose, and she got a little worried. She told us it was something we should really keep an eye on. My boyfriend and I asked if she was thinking about skin cancer, and she admitted that it could be skin cancer, but immediately told us it would be quite unlikely. She's young, has a dark fur, doesn't go outside and isn't much exposed to sunlight. But to be sure, she took a sample of the wound and she put it under the microscope. Lucky for us, there was no sign of cancer cells. But yeah, the wound was still there. The black spot next to it didn't worry her. We asked if it could be some kind of allergy. It is a possibility, but it isn't easy to find out what exactly she could be allergic for. She's on the new diet for two months now, so maybe that's the culprit? Or something else, since she has a wound on her nose and keeps licking her belly? She sent us home with something to disinfect her wound every day, and we gave her medicine against worms/fleas/parasites, because it was possible she had something like that. We promised to take a photo after a week and send it to her.

That has been three weeks ago. She kept licking her belly. A week after the visit, we took a picture. The vet told us it looked better and we had to take a photo after two weeks again. We also kept disinfecting her wound every day. Thing is, the wound doesn't get better. On the contrary: it seems to get worse sometimes. A scab will form over the wound, then it will fall off (maybe she scratches it off, but we never caught her doing it), it will bleed again and it looks a little bigger everytime. We both ended up worried again, since the vet told us it should heal. We decided to take some new pictures earlier, and on the same day we noticed that the little black spot next to her wound, started turning into a little wound too. We sent some pictures to the vet (last Wednesday), who confirmed it should look a lot better by that time. We made a new appointment for this Friday so she could check her again.

My boyfriend is getting really worried. He's afraid it could still be skin cancer. It would be in an early stage though, but yeah... It ain't fun ofcourse. I don't think it's skin cancer, but I must admit I'm a bit worried too. Especially after all she's been through this year, we are a LOT more alert about her health. Since we have no friends with cats that had the same problem, I was wondering if some people here have been through the same with their cat. I know we're going to the vet on Friday, but I notice I'm getting nervous.

Thanks for reading.

 

[MissClouseau]

I read the whole post. Cats don’t just lick their belly when there’s a parasite like fleas but like you probably witnessed with the stones, when they have pain. Apparently sometimes it’s to “rub” where it hurts but also sometimes just because grooming feels calming. In my experience with only my own cat, if the licking is very specific to the tummy it’s because their tummy hurts. Constipation, gas, hairball, too much acid... something. These could be triggered by a food allergy as well.

But also sometimes one thing leads to the other. I believe this is happening with my cat as well these days. She has pain (dental), that leads to overgrooming in general, overgrooming AND shedding season increase hair swallowed and especially without malt paste she gets also tummy ache from hairball. I suggest brushing and if the vet approves malt paste daily. I like GimCat Extra Soft malt paste.

Do you see any digestive issues? Gas? Cramping after meals like maybe getting in loaf position with a more hunched back for a while? Salivating?

Also smaller meals throughout the day is better for digestion.

I don’t have much knowledge about skin cancer in cats. But this nose wound looks like the wound on my cat’s belly and that didn’t heal for couple months because she licked it couple times a day. I don’t know a cat who DOESN’T lick and/or scratch their wound if they can reach. Three weeks don’t really sound like a long time with that in mind.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

One thing you can do that may or may not help, but certainly won't hurt is to wash the wound with chamomile tea. It's very soothing, and it has antibiotic and anti fungal properties. Brew a cup of the tea, chill it in the fridge, and apply to the wound several times a day with a soft cloth or cotton ball.

I will caution you to use the commerically prepared tea bags from the grocery store, as these are ALL prepared with German chamomile. German chamomile is medically active, and safe for cats. The English variety, that often grows in gardens, is useless medicinally, and is actually toxic to cats.

 

[LTS3]

Could it be a food sensitivity? Common culprits are chicken and junk fillers. Even "special diets" can contain ingredients that may trigger a reaction such as constantly licking until the skin is bald. A dermatologist could do food allergy testing but it's probably cheaper and easier to just start with a hypoallergenic novel protein diet first. Stick with the diet for at least 13 weeks and don't feed anything else. You don't need prescription food like Hills Z/D. I'm not sure what commercially available hypoallergenic / limited ingredient type brands are available in Europe. Maybe try looking on Zoopplus. A canned food would also help with the bladder stone issue.

Skin Conditions In Cats - An Essential Guide - TheCatSite

"Skin conditions in cats" is a crucial topic every cat owner should understand. Recognizing that a cat's skin, like ours, is their largest organ underpins its significance in their overall health. The role of a cat's skin stretches beyond its furry appeal. It acts as a protective barrier against...

thecatsite.com

 

[Lotski]

Thanks for all your reactions, people!

I read the whole post. Cats don’t just lick their belly when there’s a parasite like fleas but like you probably witnessed with the stones, when they have pain. Apparently sometimes it’s to “rub” where it hurts but also sometimes just because grooming feels calming. In my experience with only my own cat, if the licking is very specific to the tummy it’s because their tummy hurts. Constipation, gas, hairball, too much acid... something. These could be triggered by a food allergy as well.

But also sometimes one thing leads to the other. I believe this is happening with my cat as well these days. She has pain (dental), that leads to overgrooming in general, overgrooming AND shedding season increase hair swallowed and especially without malt paste she gets also tummy ache from hairball. I suggest brushing and if the vet approves malt paste daily. I like GimCat Extra Soft malt paste.

Do you see any digestive issues? Gas? Cramping after meals like maybe getting in loaf position with a more hunched back for a while? Salivating?

Also smaller meals throughout the day is better for digestion.

I don’t have much knowledge about skin cancer in cats. But this nose wound looks like the wound on my cat’s belly and that didn’t heal for couple months because she licked it couple times a day. I don’t know a cat who DOESN’T lick and/or scratch their wound if they can reach. Three weeks don’t really sound like a long time with that in mind.

We've been thinking about food sensitivity/allergy since she keeps licking her belly too. She gets fed 5 smaller portions a day when we're at home (when we have to work, we give her 2 or 3 of the portions at once, depending on how long we're gone). She doesn't seem to experience any discomfort after eating, although she lies in the loaf position a lot. But she does since the first day we got her. That is 3 years ago. Great tip, though. I'm gonna monitor her behaviour a little more. One thing I noticed: I think she farts sometimes since a week or four. Two or three times I thought she had a little accident on the litter box, but when I checked her, there was no poop to be seen. So I think they were farts. Made me really think it's something food related.

One thing you can do that may or may not help, but certainly won't hurt is to wash the wound with chamomile tea. It's very soothing, and it has antibiotic and anti fungal properties. Brew a cup of the tea, chill it in the fridge, and apply to the wound several times a day with a soft cloth or cotton ball.

I will caution you to use the commerically prepared tea bags from the grocery store, as these are ALL prepared with German chamomile. German chamomile is medically active, and safe for cats. The English variety, that often grows in gardens, is useless medicinally, and is actually toxic to cats.

Thanks for the tip! We got a non-harmful (as in: wouldn't irritate her eyes or it doesn't matter when she licks it up) disinfectant from the vet clinic. We could try that to soothe the wound throughout the day, if possible.

Could it be a food sensitivity? Common culprits are chicken and junk fillers. Even "special diets" can contain ingredients that may trigger a reaction such as constantly licking until the skin is bald. A dermatologist could do food allergy testing but it's probably cheaper and easier to just start with a hypoallergenic novel protein diet first. Stick with the diet for at least 13 weeks and don't feed anything else. You don't need prescription food like Hills Z/D. I'm not sure what commercially available hypoallergenic / limited ingredient type brands are available in Europe. Maybe try looking on Zoopplus. A canned food would also help with the bladder stone issue.

Skin Conditions In Cats - An Essential Guide - TheCatSite

"Skin conditions in cats" is a crucial topic every cat owner should understand. Recognizing that a cat's skin, like ours, is their largest organ underpins its significance in their overall health. The role of a cat's skin stretches beyond its furry appeal. It acts as a protective barrier against...

thecatsite.com

That's what I've been thinking! The special diet she has now is with chicken, and the treats are with chicken too. That's one of the foods she really likes. That may be the culprit. Thing is that we're not keen on changing her diet to something that doesn't handle calcium oxalate bladder stones. She is very sensitive to them, and there's a great chance she will develop a new oxalate stone in the future. In contrast to struvite bladder stones, they can't be dissolved with special food or medication. Because of that, she's on a strict diet. We're gonna talk about it with the vet. Since she got extremely stick after refusing to eat the food she needed, we're very cautious with changing it.