this cat's cheek is huge! help!

threecatowner

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My friend's cat is a neutered male, about 3 years old. Recently he has developed some sort of infection in his jaw that responds to antibiotics, only to return when the antibiotic is finished. He is now half way thru a month-long dosage of "zenical" or "zenicare" (I'm not sure the name of the med). His jaw is not getting better, it appears bloody and the poor cat's eye is swollen halfway shut. He is under constant vet care, blood work, allergy testing, everything, but still cannot be diagnosed and cured. Has anyone out there heard of this? What can this be? He eats and uses his litter box okay, but his jaw/cheek looks horrible. Help!!
 

blast-off-girl

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My ginger cat, Holly Golightly, had a swollen cheek. However, the vet immediately diagnosed it as an abscess and had it surgically drained that day. I'm wondering if your vet should operate and take a biopsy of the mass or fluid under the cheek. I'm not trying to be paranoid but could it be a tumor? It could be a sarcoma.
 

ktlynn

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Was the med Zeniquin? That's an antibiotic.

I can't guess what could be going on with that poor kitty, but unfortunately cancer is a possibility (I truly hope I'm wrong). I think it's unlikely that cancer would respond to antibiotics.

If this were my kitty, I'd take him for a second opinion ASAP, preferably with a board-certified feline internist. It sounds like the poor cat is just being subjected to repeated bloodwork and rounds of antibiotics without good results. Your friend needs to get to the bottom of what's going on, especially since the condition isn't improving.

All good wishes to this kitty that he feels better soon.
 

blast-off-girl

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I agree with KTLynn. My other cat, Buster, had another recurring issue (blood in urine) that would respond well with antibiotics but then return within a matter of weeks. Eventually, the vet figured out that my cat suffered from cancer of the bladder. It's better to get a biopsy now and rule out cancer.
 
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