Expert: Jessica - 12/8/2010

Question
What is wrong with my cat and how can I alleviate the problem

Answer
Hi Janet,

Your kitty really needs to see a vet.  It sounds like he or she probably at least has an infection that needs to be dealt with.  This would require antibiotics.  Sometimes polyps can form in the nasal cavities and complicate things.  They can be responsible for some of the nasal discharge as well as some swelling.  They may need to be removed surgically when they cause problems such as you're describing.  Sometimes the problem can even be caused by an abscess that forms in the sinus cavity or just above the upper jaw (the mouth tissues and nasal tissues are closely connected).  Sometimes the vets can surgically drain the infection, once located, and place the cat on an antibiotic to clear things up.  If it is an infection and it's located up around the eye/deep sinus area, it's extremely important to address it right away.  Bacteria can actually travel back into the brain and become deadly.

However, I recently had a cat with the same sort of symptoms that your cat seems to be presenting with, and it turned out that she had a cancerous tumor pressing on the back of her eye and one of her sinuses.  This caused her eye to bulge out as well as nasal discharge on that side.  Some tumors can be removed, and it may be curative if the surgery is performed early enough.  This often can't be determined until the cat undergoes the surgery, however.

So, best to have the vet look at her right away.

Good luck!

Jessica