Cat people - ear polyp

[mbcdefg]

MH noticed some yellow discharge in one of our male cat's (age 8) ears, and a small scratch. We figured he'd just scratched his ear too hard, or maybe one of our other cats was roughhousing with him and bit him. He's acting normal otherwise - playing, eating, using the bathroom, not nasty to the other cats, not walking funny, not yelping when we touch/clean the ear. 

We made a vet appointment for today and MH brought him in about 20 minutes ago. 

MH called me just now. He was only there a few minutes and they didn't get a good look at the ear because the cat's a nasty, violent jerk at the vet. But based on MH's description they said it's likely a polyp, maybe behind the eardrum. I need to bring him in early tomorrow so they can knock him out and X-ray him. If it's not too far back they can get it out and clean him up and send him on his way. But if it's further back then it may require surgery, and the vet said he doesn't like the surgery because there's a chance he could go deaf in that ear (what other option is there, then?). 

Anyone have any experience with this? Any advice?

My poor buddy

UPDATE: MH brought him in to the surgeon this morning and called me with their comments ... right now they don't know for sure what the problem is. It could be an ear polyp, but that typically happens in younger cats and he's 8 years old so the chances of that are lower. It could also be some kind of growth - either benign or malignant. They have to do the surgery and go inside to see what's wrong. (MM-related, the price is higher than we expected but we can handle it with no problem.)

Depending on what the problem is, he might end up with muffled hearing in that ear. He might require eyedrops for the rest of his life because it will affect his blinking. They might have to remove his ear canal, which will make his ear droop. If it's malignant it may come back after it's removed, or it may have already spread. They'll call once they're done and let us know. 

If you can spare a good thought for him, I'd appreciate it. 

UPDATE 2: The pre-surgery camera inspection says it's likely just a polyp and should be an easy fix. Phew! That may change once they actually get in there and look, so hopefully they're right. 

UPDATE 3: Yup, just a polyp. They got it out, and barring any complications he should be able to come home tomorrow. His eye may be a little wonky for a while (Horner Syndrome) but it should right itself within a few weeks/months tops. I'm so glad he'll be OK (heart)

[Deleted]

Poor kitten! I'm sorry I don't have any advice.

[Deleted]

One of our four had surgery to remove ear polyps (I feel like I am becoming THAT cat lady - you name the issue and one of my cats had it). Our cat's issue seems a little different though.

Our cat had chronic ear infections and black discharge that is often seen with mites (although he was tested repeatedly for mites and didn't have them). Over the years he grew large, purple polyps inside his ears. They were the size of large pimples, and were quite visible. He cried when we had to clean his ears.

They grew larger and larger over the years, and the vet said eventually the polyps would close off his ear canal and he would go deaf. We chose surgery to remove them (from a special feline dermatologist who used some special laser). It was about $1200. The healing process was gross (imagine burnt skin and lots of ointments), but he healed quickly and his ears are now miraculously smooth and clean inside.

In your case, if you do learn that the polyp can't be removed quickly, you may wish to find a feline dermatologist who can do it with the laser (although even I am rolling my eyes a bit at needing to go to that length). Or you could leave it. If he doesn't seem to be in any pain or discomfort, I might leave it.

[mbcdefg]

Thanks all. I dropped him off this morning - they're going to put him under, take a look, x-ray him if necessary, and hopefully get whatever's causing his ear issue. If not, they will refer us to a surgeon. MH will pick him up after work. 

Poor buddy was super-mad and growling - they didn't even attempt to take him out of the carrier. He's got a big "CAUTION!" written at the top of his file. Embarrassing.  

I hope he'll be OK, and hopefully it's something simple that they can fix right there in the office, quickly. (This is the kitty in my avatar pic, btw.)

[mbcdefg]

Jan 12, 2016 9:53:48 GMT -5 @rennido said:

Poor kitty!
Our sweetest cat was a terror whenever she went to the vet.

I must look like the biggest liar in the world when I bring my hissing, snarling beast into the vet. 



"I swear, he's a total sweetheart when he's at home with me!!!" 

"Yeah, OK, Crazy Lady."

[mbcdefg]

I called them for an update - it's the start of a polyp, and it's far back behind his eardrum so they need to refer us to a surgeon. 

[Deleted]

That's too bad, mbcdefg. Hopefully your little "Buddy" handles this ok, since surgery will likely involve a consult, the actual surgery, and a few follow-ups. The surgeon will be able to tell you about the procedure and the aftercare.

My Bella (my screen name namesake) is amazing at home; she thinks she's a lap dog, she loves strangers, and she's always right by my side. However at the vet she turns into a screaming, swatting banshee. Vets are used to it.

[mbcdefg]

Thanks @rennido and @bellakitty . The cost should be no big deal for us to handle. Hopefully the surgery is not too invasive - that's what I'm concerned about.

MH called me for an update before he picks up the cat in an hour. I wanted to throttle him through the phone because he kept heaving these loud, dramatic sighs after I told him that the cat will need surgery. Dude, I'm not happy about it either, but there's no need to make a big show about how upset you are.

MH was the one who originally brought the cat to the vet yesterday and the vet was telling him that the surgery involves cutting into their head and there's a chance he may go deaf in that ear (he'll definitely go deaf if we don't do anything about it), so of course MH is assuming the worst. I don't know if the vet is just giving the worst-case scenario or what, but now MH is going to be a panicky, short-tempered mess about all this until it's done. 

I just told him to pick up the cat, talk to the vet and find out how quickly we need to act on this, and get the referral for the surgeon, and then I ended the call rather abruptly. So tired of his "woe is me" crap.

[savan]

I'm sorry. I'm not familiar with ear polyps but I do know what it's like to have a cat that's an asshole at the vet. My male cat has to be sedated for every exam. Last time they tried without sedation he peed all over his carrier and bit DH. It is embarrassing to be the owners of "that cat". I hope the surgery goes well.

[Deleted]

They told us the same thing. Basically, deafness was a possible outcome no matter what (leaving the polyps or undergoing the surgery). I think they have to warn you so you can't sue if that ends up happening.

Ultimately, the surgery was a good decision for our cat. The healing process was gross (TMI ahead). He had lots of scabs, and he had to wear a cone to keep from scratching. We had to use a few different ointments, and if the scabs got too dry then he would scratch them off and bleed, then shake his head and fling blood splatter around. This cat also loves to rub his head on things, and he left a few bloody smears on a few walls. It was nothing bleach couldn't take off, but it was still nasty and sad.

I'm guessing your cat's surgery would have a better recovery, since it's only one polyp. If you remember from my earlier post, our little guy had tons of polyps all over the inside of both ears.

[mbcdefg]

savan I didn't want to hit "like" but thanks for sharing. Mine pooped in the carrier once (after getting an enema, since the reason for the vet visit was that he wasn't pooping, so it was messy) and rolled around in it. Yeah. We haven't been back to that vet, lol.

Thanks @bellakitty , I appreciate the input. I was telling MH about your experience when he called earlier and it seemed to calm him down a bit. I'm very grateful to you.

lol @rennido

[Deleted]

Jan 12, 2016 15:23:43 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

Thanks @bellakitty , I appreciate the input. I was telling MH about your experience when he called earlier and it seemed to calm him down a bit. I'm very grateful to you.

lol @rennido

Thanks. I worried about posting all of that, but I'm glad it helped. My apologies to everyone else who's reading this post to see why the topic of feline ear polyps is getting so much action! Lol.

See if you can find a surgeon who has done this sort of thing before. We used the feline dermatologist at the veterinary university, and she apparently does this laser ear surgery often.

[mbcdefg]

OMG, he looks so high right now.

I didn't feed him this morning because of the anesthesia. MH brought him home, filled his food dish, placed him in front of it, and left the room. MH came back in 10 minutes to find Kitty just staring at the bowl.

[raangoli]

Aw poor guy

[Deleted]

He looks like my guy! Here he is at the vet, the morning of surgery:

Attachments:

[Deleted]

I tried to post a healing picture but apparently the file size is too big.

[mbcdefg]

Jan 12, 2016 21:38:12 GMT -5 @bellakitty said:

He looks like my guy! Here he is at the vet, the morning of surgery:

Handsome guy! <3

(That's the only nice thing the vets can ever say about my guy, lol.)

At least my two girls behave for the vet. They're scared out of their wits but at least they're still.

The vet tech LOVED my kitten when I brought her in to be spayed, and kept picking her up to cuddle her. She's 9 months old and hasn't even hit 5 lbs yet.

[bparkhur]

Our kitty had a polyp develop around age 2, I believe. We did pay for the surgery, and she seemed to do great. Unfortunately, as these things sometimes happen, within maybe 3 or 4 years, the polyp started growing back. We opted not to undergo another surgery, and at almost 11 years old, she is doing great and seems unaffected by the polyp. Good luck to your kitty!

[mbcdefg]

MH called me from the vet - update in OP.

[raangoli]

Aww poor kitty. I hope that it is the best case scenario for the little guy. Please keep us posted.  (hug2)

[Deleted]

He'll definitely be in my thoughts today!

I'm sure they have to tell you all the worst possible outcomes, in the slight chance they might happen. However, most of the time everything works out. Just trust that he's in the care of great veterinarians and they're looking out for him.

Let us know how it goes! Hugs, mbcdefg and "buddy" kitty!

[mbcdefg]

MH called again - they evaluated his ear with a camera and it looks like it's just a polyp in his middle ear and requires the lowest-level treatment. They have to go in through his jaw, remove it, and scrape out anything else around it. It didn't reach the ear canal so they can leave that intact, and *knock on wood* once they remove it, it shouldn't grow back. 

That could change once they actually get in there and look, but the vet says he's pretty confident that that's all it is. They're going to do the procedure now and will update MH once it's over. He'll probably stay overnight for observation. 

Fingers crossed that everything goes well and this is all it is!!! Thank you raangoli and @bellakitty for the good wishes  (heart)

[raangoli]

That's great news! Well, as great as it could have possibly been. Fingers crossed for continued good news

[Pom]

So happy for your news! Healing and good kitty vibes from the Poms and Pom kitties.

[mbcdefg]

Another update - yes, it's just a polyp and they got it all out. It shouldn't be a problem. Unless something happens, we can bring him home tomorrow  (heart)

[savan]

That's great news!

[raangoli]

Yay!