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Ask the Veterinarian/strange growth on cat

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Expert: - 2/7/2010


Question
Hello
A few months back I found a stray cat outside. I tried to find his home, however I have been unable to do so and so he stayed with my family. He has a growth over his right eye. It is right on his eyebrow area. It is pink in color and about the size of his eyeball (maybe a little smaller). He has had it ever since I found him and it is increasing in size. He also had a similar growth on his neck, but he scratched it or something and it "popped". There was no bleeding and he did not seem to be in pain. The growth over his eye does not seem to cause him much pain or discomfort...he eats and drinks a lot, but he does not seem to gain weight..he is very skinny. He goes to the bathroom regularly and normally. Do you have any ideas of what the growths could be? I know I should take him to the vet but I could barely convince my family to not throw this poor cat out in the cold...
Thank you and have a good day

Answer
There is no way for me to know what this is since I cannot see it. It could be a tumor, it could be a slow growing cyst. It is hard to say. It could even be a parasite inside there growing- a grub. It could be that what was on his neck too. If it is a grub in there it will eventually emerge and that will be that.

The flies that these grubs come from lay eggs on the fur and then they crawl into the skin and make a little cave to grow in.

It is called a cutebra grub.
http://userpages.bright.net/~bryanvet/cuterebra/larvaInSitu.jpg
that's a grub in a cat's neck.

But that might not be what it is. You really should have a vet look at him. He should be wormed for round and tapeworms also since he is so thin. Eating lizards makes them thin as well.  

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

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Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

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Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

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Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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