Need help with saving my elderly cat. WARNING - Graphic image

Hello all, I'm new to the forum.  

I have a question regarding cat health.  

My cat "Josh" is fifteen

years old and has been doing very well

for most of his life.

Lately though, he has developed a ball bearing

sized puss filled lump at the base of his right ear. 

It oozes white puss and constantly

discharges fluid.  It causes Josh obvious pain.

My father lanced the pussy lump which relieved a

solid mass and administered ear drops his veterinarian

had given him for his dog.

The lancing seemed to cause some improvement but,

the discharge and puss has returned.

My folks aren't willing to take the cat to

the veterinarian considering his age but,

if this is a curable alignment I'd be willing 

to take him to the veterinarian and a get a prescription

if it will cure it.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Below is the pussy lump and discharge I was previously stating

Also, there is a very strong stench very similar to garbage or decay radiating out of the ear.

I think you owe it to the cat to bring it to the vet to at least get it checked out to make the determination if it's a "quick fix" or not.  If he's in obvious pain with it, he needs to go to the vet.  Neosporin may give temporary relieve over tonight before bringing him to the vet tomorrow.  If it has a strong stench, you're likely just letting an infection fester and fester.  Sorry if that sounded harsh.  I wish him well!

Were you able to bring your cat in....I would hate to see your cat suffer if there is medication.  If you can't afford it you may be able to work something out with the vet or your local animal shelter to help pay for it.  Please keep us posted.  I understand your parents the cat is older but this looks very uncomfortable for your pet.  

If he has been exposed to other cats at all, it most likely is an abscess. There would nothing left to do now except to keep it open and draining. A warm, wet washcloth applied to the area would help drain it. Seeing a vet is definitely the best thing to do as he most likely needs a antibiotic which is given with all abscesses. If there is no way you can afford it, call a vet and get an antibiotic they can sell you cheaply over the counter, I've done this several times with ferals. If he won't swallow pills try the Pill pockets that are sold to help hide the medication. If that doesn't work there are antibiotic injections that can be given once and last 10 days but they are a little pricey. The last one I had was 50.00, but well worth the price for not traumatizing both of us trying to give pills. If he has not been exposed to other cats (and bites) then it could be cancer or something else, but only a vet would know. Good luck, I'll say a prayer for you both.

You need to take your cat to a vet now. It isn't fair for him to have to suffer with this and the stench indicates infection. Have you ever had an ear infection? They hurt. They hurt really bad. Cats don't show pain like people do so if you think it hurts your cat he is probably in agony. Just lancing it is not going to solve the problem and using the ear drops for a dog could make things allot worse as the cat can absorb things through the ear drum and cats will have toxic reactions to some dog products. The lump you are seeing could be mangled skin, a tumor, or anything for that matter. There is treatment available and your cat needs it now. I cannot imagine walking around with something like that on my head, can you? 15 is not that old in a cat. I have known many cats that live well into their very late teens.

I agree with all of the above posts. If your kitty is in obvious pain you should take him to the vet ASAP. You have been a loving pet guardian to him for 15 years, you shouldn't allow him to be in pain now! The smell you describe is more than likely infection. The longer you wait the worse it will get. Let us know what the results are.

Sorry for not respecting your forums rules about tagging graphic images.  

Taking the cat to the vet really isn't an option, I'm fourteen so, if my folks won't take him then there's really no way I can get him to one.

I'll try to convince them to call the vet and see if he'll sell an over the counter antibiotic.

He also seems to have some neurological symptoms, tilting his head and poor motor function.

I really wish there was something I could do, he seems to be in a lot of pain.  I try to give all the love I can as well as the little ear medication that remains in the bottle.

Please don't bash my folks for refusing to take him to the vet, they are really good people who love animals.  We just don't have the money to take him and he's lived a long and love filled life.  

I just wish I could help his agony and keep his suffering minimal.  He's been such a great companion.

Thank you for all your help!!

"The Cat Site" is definitely one of the most polite forums I've ever been on.

While I fully applaud you caring enough about your cat to come on here maybe you could tell your parents this. In the UK, it's actually a criminal offence to let an animal suffer and deny them veterinary care. I don't have much money but if my dog and cats need help if they are ill or in pain then it has to be done.
Please talk to your parents again because what they are doing is cruel, doesn't matter how old the cat is.

It is fantastic to see a younger person wanting to relieve the pain of an older family pet out of pure love of the animal ! So let's start with keeping it clean . Because it's causing him some pain he may not want you to help him clean his wound but it's very important to get the area clean. Wrap him in a towel and gentle use a warm wash cloth the get most the outside gunk off. From the pictures he looks as if he might have an ear mite issue going on and could have injured himself by scratching the area . Once you have the area clean apply neosporin or generic triple antibiotic ointment to the wound. Keep doing this until you see some improvement. If you are around younger kids , liquid amoxicillan is a common antibiotic also used to treat cats by vets and is worth a try. If you see him really scratching away at it, devise one of those cones around his head to deter him from scratching at it. I hope some of this may help you. Sorry your cats sick sweetie! Keep us posted!

Hi.

I am sorry if you felt that your parents were being bashed. I am sure nobody here wanted anything to come across like that. I know as does allot of people what it is like to not have any extra money. It is hard if you can barely get food on the table to spend anything extra. And there might just not be anything to spend. As in my case lately.

I have to say that honestly I don't think you should be messing with this ear. You can try doing a warm compress if it isn't to painful for him. Just take a warm wash cloth and hold it against the area. But if this is that painful please don't wrap him in a towel and torture him because that is what it would be.

How long has this been this way? How many times has your Dad lanced it? What is the full name of the ear drops you are using? I know they are for the dog, but what is the chemical name of it? Is he still eating? When you said your Dad lanced it there was a lump or something inside, can you describe what you saw? How long ago did your Dad lance it? Is there ever fresh red blood around it? How is the other ear? What does it look like? Can you post a picture of the entire cat's head? From the front and then from the side? Final question, What country are you in?

Please answer the above and I will try to help you as much as I can. There is something I am thinking it might be but I need more information.

The neuro signs you are seeing are do to the equilibrium being off due to either the drops, the infection, or something pushing on the inner ear area, or I am not sure so please answer the above if you can. \

Thank you.

To answer you questions, "Quiet".

(in the order they were asked)

• It's been about five weeks, the discharge started about three weeks ago.  The discharge seems to be coming more from in his ear than the mass.  It's not very viscous, more or less it's a white/clear fluid

• My father lanced it only one time, I wasn't present when he did this but, I know he used sterile instruments.  The lanced area revealed that the lump was a solid mass which yielded very little if any fluids.

• I'm out of drops and have already discarded the bottle sorry, no help there.

• Josh is still eating but not much, chewing seems to be very painful for him.  He has lost a lot of weight.

• I wasn't present for the lancing but, he described the lump as solid.  There was no puss or fluid inside.

• He lanced it about ten days ago.

• I don't think I've seen any bleeding around the ear.  Even when my father lanced the mass he said there was very little blood.

• The other ear seems to be fine.

• I'm in the U.S.

I'll try to get a few pictures momentarily.  I'm waiting for the camera to charge.

I really appreciate the help "Quiet"!

Can you ask another family member for help?  An aunt, uncle, grandparents?

Infections like this can go bad very fast.  It's closer to the brain than the paws, tail, etc. 

Check out the links on here under cant afford a vet section. Also try mom.org. try Alva vet care sites for financial assistance

My cat is 17 and has just had a mastectomy - in cats, that means one entire row of nipples has been removed. The vet took her age (and kidney problems) into consideration when administering anesthesia and even gave her extra fluids. She seems to have got past the surgery quite well, thought it's early days yet. While chatting with my doctor (for humans!), he mentioned his pet cat, who at 19 had his eye removed because of a tumour (who recovered well from the surgery). These are examples you might mention to your parents, because really, for a cat, 14 is not that old. 

I am not trying to scare anyone, but statistics will tell you that 85% (and some even say 100%) of lumps on cats are cancerous. With a lump like you're describing, and the fact that you say it smells bad, and your father says it was solid, makes it even more certain that it's cancerous. Unless your father is a veterinary surgeon, what is being done to the cat is useless. Your cat needs surgery, and fast - with some types of cancer, removing the tumour removes the cancer. 

I'm sorry you're in a situation where you feel powerless - please try and follow Quiet's advice about veterinary help for those who can't afford it. Your cat is relying on you to do the right thing - don't let him down.