My cat has an aural hematoma - could use some advice

macatowner

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I noticed it last Wednesday, December 28 and immediately took him to an emergency center where they drained 6ml of blood.  Afterwards, he seemed to be feeling better.

On Saturday, December 31, it had filled up again.  I called my vet and they gave me some prednisone which he started taking that day.  It's now day 3 and he's showing no signs of improvement.  In addition, he's been very sluggish and just sits in one place all day long.

He has had no signs of increased thirst or appetite even though those are supposed to be side effects of the steroid.  Not only that, but his appetite has noticeably decreased.

I hate seeing him this way - not acting like his normal self.  I don't know if he's suffering or not.

Is this normal behavior when a cat has an aural hematoma?  The vet said it's common in cats and it's not anything serious or fatal and that it would go away by itself over time so maybe I'm making a mountain of a mole hill.

I'm wondering if I should just have the surgery done to get it fixed immediately rather than wait.  Would that be jumping the gun?  I was avoiding the surgery because I didn't want to put him through any discomfort unnecessarily, but if he's uncomfortable anyway, maybe I should just have the surgery done so he'll heal sooner.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
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frajude

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MOST COMMON SIDE EFFECTS The most common side effects that occur with prednisone include:

confusion

excitement

restlessness

headache

nausea

vomiting

thinning skin

or acne

trouble sleeping

weight gain   please notice it did not say increased appetite.  I looked on the Internet and found a host of information.  Did the vet find the cause of the the hematoma.  It appears that excessive shaking of the head is part of a cause but something causes that.
 
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