Is it safe to asperate a cyst at home?

[that guy]

I have a 19 year old male cat who has a cyst on the side of his face that I would like to drain. It is right on the side of his jaw right where it meets the skull and has roughly 2.2ml of fluid in it. I have had this checked and the fluid tested a number of times but we are not sure why. He has IBD, renal failure, pancreatitis , and a few other things so we are not sure of the source. The vet said at this time it was okay to leave as it is because the tests have shown no change in the liquid that was drained out.

Whenever I take him to the vet I have this drained and every 3rd or 4th time have I have it tested for changes. He gets stressed out when he goes to the vet but I would still like to drain the cyst more often. Do you see any issues with doing this at home? He gets a daily sub-q and B12 injections so doing the aspiration should not be a problem but could there be an issue? Does he need to be cleaned up with a some kind of cleaner? Is there a chance of injection? What size needle would I use (20 gauge, 25 gauge)?

He doesn't seem to mind it though. He doesn't scratch at it and he still eats normally and when I massage the skin around it he shows no signs of pain or avoiding it. It can't be comfortable and I have it drained every month or so at the vet but if I could do it every second week it wouldn't be so big. It takes about two weeks to fill up and then another week to expand to its max size.

Thanks for any input on this subject, I searched but didn't find anything helpful or I missed it.

 

[angelinacat]

As long as you observe reasonable care and cleanliness, you should be okay.  I have had several cats that have developed cysts--really abscesses for various reasons-- that I have treated and flooded with a lukewarm saline solution.  That depends on how your cat will tolerate it.  Mine have known they had troubles, and came to me for help.

If you can lance it with an exacto knife (very sharp) to open the place, that would help.  I am surprised that your vet hasn't lanced the place before now.  Even just flooding the open spot with good clean water will do much to help--once it is fully open that is.  You might want to try to shave the area and see if there is a large pore that you can express or lance.

Again, I stress cleanliness.  Drop any tools you intend to use for at least five minutes in clean boiling water.  Then go from there.  I hope you have someone to help you.  Make sure that you have clean cloths or towels to sop up the goo.

The next question is why this keeps occurring?  Why is he continuing to have this problem?  Good wishes to you and your buddy! 

I keep thinking of things to add, that's why the 'edited by' statements.

 

[that guy]

Thanks for the reply with good feed-back, it really helps. This cyst fills up over a span of a week or two and whenever Scratchy goes to the vet I have them drain it. He goes to the vet every 4 - 6 weeks which means this thing is full for 2 - 4 weeks or more at a time. When the vet has drained it they use a syringe and just suck the liquid out. I have had it tested a number of times and at first it was just liquid and over time it ended up with dead something or another in it. I have the test results but we have looked and can't find out what it causing it. He has a lot of issues but he has had x-rays and ultra sounds and there was nothing out of place other than the issues he has. We are trying to stabilize him so he can go more than a few days without throwing up lots of water and cat food.

From what I have seen is a simple matter of taking a needle and sticking it in his cheek and pulling the accumulated fluid out. Going by what I have read & seen I need to insert the needle close to his cheek and then slip it in half way and gently pull the fluid out. What size of a needle would I need to use for this? The last few times he had about 2.2ml of fluid in there so I was going to buy some 10ml needles to pull it out. I have 20g needles and 25g needles, do you think any of these would be good? I don't want to hurt him and there would be two people plus he is a calm and trusting cat so he would just sit through. All of the equipment would be fresh out of the original packaging so it would be fresh.

We do have to find the reason this cyst is filling though, that is a for sure. My vet is setting up an appointment with a feline specialist who will hopefully have some incite to the cyst and all of th throwing up and stomach issues.

 

[DeniseD72]

Thank you for this information. I have a cat I adore who is coping with exactly this situation. This site has provided me with great research information about options. I have awesome vets, however I don't want to be too invasive (sedation on an older cat in addition to having a cat that is literally afraid of being outdoors - a rescue as all of my cats have chosen me, then trained me - I'm sure many cat owners on this site would agree.) Though this may be a topic controversial to some, it's still up to the owner's discretion and consideration.

 

[silkenpaw]

To drain the cyst, clean it with 70% isopropyl alcohol and use a sterile needle. Use the largest needle you have. The 20 gauge is probably OK, I would prefer 18 or 16. Try the 20 and see how it goes.

I don’t think I would go opening a cyst up with a blade. If it’s really a cyst (as opposed to an abscess), it has a tough wall, which will heal and the cyst will fill up with fluid again. All you will have done is increased the risk of infection. The signs of infection are redness, tenderness, warmth, induration and cloudy fluid inside the cyst. Blood inside the cyst doesn’t necessarily signify an infection.

A true cyst has to be removed by excision (you have to remove all of the enclosing membrane), which I think would involve local anaesthesia and sedation for even the mellowest cat. You have to decide whether it’s worth it in your particular case.