Hi, after a particularly rough car trip in her hard sided cat carrier our kiki developed an abrasion on her nose pad near her nostril and black marks on the bridge of her nose. We made an appointment with the vet, but had to wait a week to see her. During that time it appeared to be healing. We took anther car trip with her and made some changes to her carrier to make the trip easier. That worked on the way to our cabin, but on the way home she had a hard time and by the next day we could see the sores again. Fortunately, our vet appointment was the following day. Since she has a white nose the vet suspects Squamous cell cancer and scheduled a biopsy in 2 weeks. Now, the sores are healing again! I'm terribly worried and don't want to put her through the biopsy procedure if it's not necessary...but also don't want to delay if its serious. It just so coincidental that the sores have occurred after her car rides. We have just bought a soft sided carrier, but are afraid to travel yet. Has this happened to anyone else??
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injury from hard shell cat carrier
- Thread starter chamill
- Start Date
Hi Chamill,
did you notice if Kiki was fighting inside her carrier, if she was trying to escape and was banging her face/nose against the sides or door of the carrier?
I'm asking this because I use to trap feral cats with my cage trap (to have them spayed/neutered and then I release or adopt them out), and very very often these feral cats fight inside the trap and end up with injuries on the nose (nostrils and bridge), but they are much better in three days.
If you saw that the injuries on Kiki's nose healed on their own after a few days, I wouldn't send my cat for a biopsy. Cancers usually get worse and worse, they do not improve.
did you notice if Kiki was fighting inside her carrier, if she was trying to escape and was banging her face/nose against the sides or door of the carrier?
I'm asking this because I use to trap feral cats with my cage trap (to have them spayed/neutered and then I release or adopt them out), and very very often these feral cats fight inside the trap and end up with injuries on the nose (nostrils and bridge), but they are much better in three days.
If you saw that the injuries on Kiki's nose healed on their own after a few days, I wouldn't send my cat for a biopsy. Cancers usually get worse and worse, they do not improve.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
Thank you for your reply!! Yes, the trip before the first injury was particularly stressful for her. She was biting at the side openings and wired door. She hadn't been so anxious before, but on that trip she had to ride in a different place in the car (she couldn't see as well). After the second time this happened I felt the inside of the carrier and it is very rough around the openings, I felt so bad. We just bought two soft carriers and are trying to decide which one would be best for her. Her injuries seem to take a week to heal....the one on the side of her nose is a raw wound, where the one on the bridge of her nose looks like a smudge at first, then darkens and flakes off.
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I would keep an eye on those injuries for a few more days, then, if something gets worse, then you call the vet.
My experience is that she got injured during the trip in the attempt to pry the carrier open.
Did you find any traces of blood or fur around the rougher spots of the carrier? This would be the evidence of what happened.
My experience is that she got injured during the trip in the attempt to pry the carrier open.
Did you find any traces of blood or fur around the rougher spots of the carrier? This would be the evidence of what happened.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #5
OMG...I just took your advise and looked in the carrier...it does look like there's evidence in there. But, I'm not sure if it's recent or from another one of my sisters cats in the past. I didn't notice any blood on her fur, but her nose was pinker and then the brownish, black crusts formed around her nostril and then the bridge of her nose. Poor thing, I feel awful.
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You shouldn't feel awful, the carrier manufacturer should.
Well, at least you assessed the likely cause of injuries, and saved your Kiki an invasive vet visit.
Well, at least you assessed the likely cause of injuries, and saved your Kiki an invasive vet visit.
Years ago I had a cat in a hard sided carrier on the front seat of my car and was forced to make a nose down stop. He went face first into the carrier grill and had what looked like a waffle shaped indentation on his nose which did take time to heal.
I think that your evidence cuts both ways...blood on the carrier and a rough ride but also sores on the face. I would watch them for a few days and if it is an injury it will start to heal very quickly.
I think that your evidence cuts both ways...blood on the carrier and a rough ride but also sores on the face. I would watch them for a few days and if it is an injury it will start to heal very quickly.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #8
Thank you for your kind words
