New Rescue Kitten: Deformity?

I took in this kitten today, but his nose is very different from any cat I've ever seen. He is in a quarantine cage until I can get him to the vet and combo tested.

Here is his profile:


And here is a front view, I apologize it's not in focus but it was the best I could get of his nose before my batteries died.


You can see the fur that comes down his nose leather. What may not be so clear is that in his right side nostril (on the left in the photo), he has a, eh, "hairy mole". He is able to breathe and sniff somewhat normally, it is a bit noisy but nothing I would consider an immediate health risk.

Has anyone seen anything like this before? Is it a birth defect (from where he came from, it's possible he is inbred), or an injury early on?

It looks like either a broken nose that didn't heal right, or some type of growth under the skin. Have you been able to feel it at all to sense its texture? How soon does he get to the vet?

Our Spike broke his nose as a puppy (he tripped my DH who fell on top of him). His breathing was awkward for a while and he actually had nerve damage to his nose that blocked the ducts to both his eye and nostril. Being so young when it happened, the nerves regenerated within about 4 months. If this kitten did have a break with nerve damage, chances are that he can recover from it.

I can't make an appointment until tomorrow, but I'm hoping for first thing Friday morning. It feels solid, like a bent nose, nothing squishy like an abscess under the skin or something. I have not been able to feel the mole well, as both he and it are so small, but from looking closely at it, it looks like the outside edge of the nostril formed twice. There is airway on either side of it and is attached to the top, possibly the bottom as well, of the nostril.

My Squishy just had an abscess- it was solid. Definitely an abscess, with scar tissue in there.

Could an abscess cause the extended fur growth? That is the only thing making me think his nose shape/appearance is congenital, but I'll see if the vet can try to biopsy it. We have an appointment for Friday morning.

He`s gorgeous! How did you get on at the vets?

We won't be going to the vet until Friday. I got somewhat better photos tonight.



Still blurry, but shows his third nostril a bit better:

Hmmm.... looks like some sort of growth or extra flap of skin. Be very interested to hear what the vet says.

He has nice colors and markings, does he seem OK otherwise such as behaviour and socialization?

That first close up shot just captures my heart! He's so handsome and has such an inquisitive little face!! (Don't tell my 2 girls I said that though!)

He is an awesome kitten, purrs constantly and curls up next to me. He's eating, he's been using the litter box, he plays with all the toys. He is a bit nippy, but he's still young. We estimate his age to be 13 weeks.

I was able to take today off work and get him in to the vet today. His combo test was negative which is great. The vet consulted with another vet at the office, they both believe his nose is a congenital birth defect, but they took photos of it to post to the VIN, and consult with a specialist. They also said the bump on the bridge did not feel like an abscess, it felt like bone, and the extra nostril is probably just a dermoid. We're going to open up that nostril when he's neutered, just so he can breathe easier, but for now he's just got a very unique nose.

I'm thinking of naming him Beaker.

Originally Posted by mishirish

I'm thinking of naming him Beaker.

Click to expand...

Or Pinochio!

I'm glad you are getting to the bottom of this.

Oh what a little sweetheart! I've always loved kitties with little quirks. OOOH! You could name him Quirk!

Glad to see it's nothing.... To me it also looks like a birth defect - almost like a nostril within a nostril... He is sooo very cute!

Never seen anything like it before and glad the vets figured it out. Was gonna say a birth defect anyway.

I LOVEEEEEEEEEE his coloring - very very flashy Red Classic Tabby markings. Looks a lot like the little Red Classic/White boy I almost adopted (someone else adopted him) years ago. Even had a name picked out for him - Red Hot Chili Pepper and would have shown in in the HHP classes.

What a simply DARLING kitten!!!!! I wuv him I'm glad that he's happy and healthy otherwise!! Kind of reminds me of a cleft. You might want to make sure he does not have a cleft palate? Doubtful since he is thriving though, but you never know with some extraordinary individuals. Good luck with him!