Swollen face mystery (pics)

lokimeow

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My cat is about 8 years old now, and this has been happening since he was around 4 or 5. His face will swell in different areas, usually around the mouth and lips but sometimes it is very different and really changes his facial appearance.

I have seen the vet a few times, and switched around to different places for others opinions. The first place told me he must be a clumsy cat and just fall on his face (????? don't you think I would notice?) and ultimately we ended up settling on "allergies." We cannot pinpoint what it is, it could literally be anything. It will disappear and reappear randomly without changes in environment/diet.

It seemed like a possible diet issue, as I've changed his diet in the past to a different type and it seemed to clear up quickly and stay away for months before it pops up again. It was a dry food, and we have since had a very scary hospital stay for him with a urinary blockage. He nearly died, and we learned dry food is very very bad for cats. He's eating Natural Balance now, none of the fish kind as that is a common allergy in cats, and his face is still pretty bad.

Has anyone had this happen, or seen it before? Every time I take him to the vet they seem totally puzzled. Should I try making my own cat food?
 
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lokimeow

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Thanks for your help!! Hmm, I have not tried lysine but can give that a go. Our vet said it wouldn't be feline herpes BECAUSE the sores were around his mouth?? I just googled a bit and read that rodent ulcers are common in cats with feline leukemia, and did find a photo of what his chin has looked like a certain points. But if that were the cause- he wouldn't live this long would he? 

it has looked very very similar to this on multiple occasions.

 

stephanietx

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It's can appear on its own, with no other medical complications.  IIRC, and I may be wrong, it's an autoimmune type condition.  Read through the thread that I posted; there's a lot of good information.  You can always ask the vet for a culture to determine what's going on.
 

js124

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I Believe that picture is cat acne. But your cats doesn't look like that now.
What kind of bowls do you use?
 

js124

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Sorry I wasn't done. My cat has cat acne and it actually flared up whn I didn't give him grain free food( he wasn't eating his normal food) so it def could be an allergy.
 

detmut

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as js124 said, that pic is feline acne

antiseborrheic shampoos, such as those containing benzoyl peroxide (at a concentration of 3% or less), or benzoyl peroxide gels are used to break down the excess oils.

It may be helpful to switch food and water dishes to a stainless steel or glass variety in the event an allergic reaction may be a contributing factor (cats can be allergic to plastics and dyes). Using a very shallow dish can also be helpful. Owners should regularly clean the chins of cats who are prone to the development of feline acne and/or have poor grooming habits.
 
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jdollprincess

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From the first pics it looks like an allergic reaction. Has the vet had you try Benadryl when he has a flare up?
 
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