Red, Raw Nose—scrape?

[rosegold]

Here is Chilli’s normal nose, recently

versus her nose today

I noticed her nose today and was alarmed because I thought it was bloody. I touched it with a tissue but no visible color at all came out. It seems raw and slightly damp, and of course the usual black pigmentation is gone.

Actually, now that I think about it, I remember checking her nose a day or two ago because it seemed ever so slightly different to me, though I couldn’t put my finger on it. It seemed like dried discharge. Could it have been a scab that has now fallen off? If so, how could it have been caused and do I need to be worried? I will say she is a fairly clumsy cat, especially while playing, so if it’s possible she could have banged/scraped her nose on something, I wouldn’t put it past her...

She is eating and drinking and pooping normally, but is already a bit lethargic today because of a hairball—at least I’m pretty sure it’s a hairball. It’s usual hairball symptoms that she gets like clockwork every few months. A bit of hacking this morning, low energy, and generally seems to feel not herself. I gave her some hairball medicine earlier so I expect her to either vomit or poop it out today or tomorrow. But once I saw her nose I started worrying whether her hairball-like symptoms are due to something else...

Any ideas or advice?? She is already not feeling great and I (and my bank account!) would love not to have to drag her to the vet if we don’t need to. But it is Saturday here, so if something happened tomorrow she’d need a 24hr vet.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
I'm not a vet but it could be a scrape from play.
I'm sorry I'm late here, has she gotten rid of a hairball by now?
If not, I don't know if this helps but maybe you could send that photo to your vet, if by chance they have Saturday morning clinic hours?

 

[Jem]

There was another thread about this and if I remember correctly, the picture looked similar, and it turned out to be a fungal infection.
If she is still eating and drinking and acting herself, I'm sure the vet visit could wait until you don't need to pay extra for a ER visit. But I would not wait long.

Is she acting better now? Did she pass a hairball?

 

[Jem]

I also noticed in your avatar pic that you have 2 cats, I would keep an eye on the other cat/s. As in this other thread, their other cat also started with the same raw sore on their nose as well.
Be diligent for the next while about really disinfecting shared surfaces, bowls etc...

 

[rosegold]

She did poop a normal-to-large amount, though there wasn’t as much hair in it as I would’ve expected, so I’ll continue keeping an eye on her for that. I’ve been home with her all weekend and she hasn’t hacked or coughed since getting the medicine, and even before that it was only once that I saw. Since there’s no blockage and she’s not hacking, and she is still eating, I’m hoping the hairball has already worked itself out or will continue to do so.

Her nose looks a bit different now... basically it looks as though it’s scabbed over. It’s mostly dry compared to looking like it was oozing yesterday.

This photo is the best I have right now—but in person it appears dryer/scabbier and also more brownish than this picture. But basically the lines of her nose are more defined and less red/oozing, albeit still missing the pigmentation. It’s hard to examine, let alone get an HD picture of such a tiny nose!

I have been checking the other cat constantly but so far her nose looks totally normal and her behavior is also normal. I will clean all the bowls vigilantly just in case.

I also found what MAY be the culprit, if it is a scrape—there is cheap wood-colored paper plastered on my cupboard and closet doors, and some of it is peeling and very sharp on the ends. Chilli frequently tries to nose her way into places she’s not suppose to go, so I wonder if she could’ve basically gotten a small paper-cut like scrape from nosing the doors and trying to open them. I will continue to keep an eye on her...

 

[rosegold]

Would it be safe to put a tiny amount of Neosporin on her nose? I'm assuming she will lick it off, but maybe it would be worth a try.

 

[rosegold]

Never mind - I did some research and it seems the Neosporin I have (“+ pain relief”) isn’t suitable for cats anyway.

I’m checking her nose every few hours. It’s Sunday now and I have a long, unavoidable work week coming up—so if she does have to go to the vet this week, it’ll have to be after hours at the emergency vet anyway. The most important thing is it doesn’t get infected—I guess I’d be looking for discharge, crustiness, increased redness, swelling, discomfort... anything else I should watch out for?

 

[Jem]

The most important thing is it doesn’t get infected—I guess I’d be looking for discharge, crustiness, increased redness, swelling, discomfort... anything else I should watch out for?

Also keep checking if she gets a fever, lethargy, loss of appetite. Depending on what it is causing the problem, make sure her eyes stay clear, don't start watering produce eye goobers or that her third eye lid shows. I'm just mentioning that to be cautious, who knows if whatever it is could spread to her eyes. She may squint more if her eyes bug her. If she is still acting a bit "down", like you mentioned she does when she needs to pass a hairball, it might not be a hairball but her nose that is bugging her.

I would think it would be safe to keep it clean by gently washing it with a saline solution. Because it's her nose, you could just use a cotton pad, I find they don't leave little fibers behind as much as cotton balls do, or a soft baby wash cloth. You don't want to irritate the area. Just gently dab the area. If there is no open sore then just watch it, the scab should keep out infection and you don't want remove the scab and risk introducing infection to the area.
I have also heard that chamomile tea is great for cleaning and soothing booboos. Make sure you get the german chamomile, it's the everyday stuff you get in the grocery stores (the other kind is toxic to cats) that comes in tea bags, not loose leaf. Just make a cup of tea with one tea bag, let it cool and use the cooled tea to dab her nose.

Keep in mind that if it is a fungal infection, that will require treatment/medication from the vet. They don't usually just go away on their own.

Hope she feels better soon!

 

[rosegold]

Also keep checking if she gets a fever, lethargy, loss of appetite. Depending on what it is causing the problem, make sure her eyes stay clear, don't start watering produce eye goobers or that her third eye lid shows. I'm just mentioning that to be cautious, who knows if whatever it is could spread to her eyes. She may squint more if her eyes bug her. If she is still acting a bit "down", like you mentioned she does when she needs to pass a hairball, it might not be a hairball but her nose that is bugging her.

I would think it would be safe to keep it clean by gently washing it with a saline solution. Because it's her nose, you could just use a cotton pad, I find they don't leave little fibers behind as much as cotton balls do, or a soft baby wash cloth. You don't want to irritate the area. Just gently dab the area. If there is no open sore then just watch it, the scab should keep out infection and you don't want remove the scab and risk introducing infection to the area.
I have also heard that chamomile tea is great for cleaning and soothing booboos. Make sure you get the german chamomile, it's the everyday stuff you get in the grocery stores (the other kind is toxic to cats) that comes in tea bags, not loose leaf. Just make a cup of tea with one tea bag, let it cool and use the cooled tea to dab her nose.

Keep in mind that if it is a fungal infection, that will require treatment/medication from the vet. They don't usually just go away on their own.

Hope she feels better soon!

This is super helpful advice, thank you so much!!

 

[rosegold]

In case anyone reading this later is curious, Chilli’s nose has already healed up 99% as a normal scratch would and is completely back to normal, except for the black pigment not being quite as dark as before. I didn’t have to do anything other than keep an eye on it. I was lucky with it not being something more serious!

 

[Jem]

That's great news! I'm sure as the skin continues to heal the pigment should start to come back.

 

[Sparkysunshine]

Here is Chilli’s normal nose, recently
View attachment 262544

versus her nose today
View attachment 262545

I noticed her nose today and was alarmed because I thought it was bloody. I touched it with a tissue but no visible color at all came out. It seems raw and slightly damp, and of course the usual black pigmentation is gone.

Actually, now that I think about it, I remember checking her nose a day or two ago because it seemed ever so slightly different to me, though I couldn’t put my finger on it. It seemed like dried discharge. Could it have been a scab that has now fallen off? If so, how could it have been caused and do I need to be worried? I will say she is a fairly clumsy cat, especially while playing, so if it’s possible she could have banged/scraped her nose on something, I wouldn’t put it past her...

She is eating and drinking and pooping normally, but is already a bit lethargic today because of a hairball—at least I’m pretty sure it’s a hairball. It’s usual hairball symptoms that she gets like clockwork every few months. A bit of hacking this morning, low energy, and generally seems to feel not herself. I gave her some hairball medicine earlier so I expect her to either vomit or poop it out today or tomorrow. But once I saw her nose I started worrying whether her hairball-like symptoms are due to something else...

Any ideas or advice?? She is already not feeling great and I (and my bank account!) would love not to have to drag her to the vet if we don’t need to. But it is Saturday here, so if something happened tomorrow she’d need a 24hr vet.

Hi. The same thing has happened to two of my cats this week. Four days ago my cat's nose was a healthy pink in the morning and by the evening it was red from the lip and up the central line of the nose. He sneezed a few times and rubbed his nose with his paw vigorously as though something was irritating him. Still eating. By Sunday there appeared to be a scab on his nose and still is. Seemed ok in himself apart from the odd sneeze. Eyes clear, no nasal discharge. It looks sore. Then Saturday another of my cats started with it and now a third. I have four. None have stopped eating altogether but not feeling 100%. There are no chemicals or injuries that have caused this and I feel it's viral. Not taken to vets as all three are terrified of the vets and on reading up on similar cases, NONE of the vets know what this is and give a shot of antibiotics and steroids as a general cover. If viral these won't help so I'd rather not put them through the stress nurse them at home. I've been putting manuka honey on the worst nose (softened in a little warm water) I've had cats for 30 years and fostered hundreds for a cat charity so have seen almost all the viruses and infections they can suffer from but never seen this before!

 

[rosegold]

Sparkysunshine Wow, I'm sorry to hear you are going through this! I guess it must be contagious if your other cats are getting it. Let us know if you and your vet get to the bottom of it. Chilli's nose is fine now but I'm pretty sure hers was just a scrape rather than anything viral. Good luck!

 

[Thecatlovee]

Hi. The same thing has happened to two of my cats this week. Four days ago my cat's nose was a healthy pink in the morning and by the evening it was red from the lip and up the central line of the nose. He sneezed a few times and rubbed his nose with his paw vigorously as though something was irritating him. Still eating. By Sunday there appeared to be a scab on his nose and still is. Seemed ok in himself apart from the odd sneeze. Eyes clear, no nasal discharge. It looks sore. Then Saturday another of my cats started with it and now a third. I have four. None have stopped eating altogether but not feeling 100%. There are no chemicals or injuries that have caused this and I feel it's viral. Not taken to vets as all three are terrified of the vets and on reading up on similar cases, NONE of the vets know what this is and give a shot of antibiotics and steroids as a general cover. If viral these won't help so I'd rather not put them through the stress nurse them at home. I've been putting manuka honey on the worst nose (softened in a little warm water) I've had cats for 30 years and fostered hundreds for a cat charity so have seen almost all the viruses and infections they can suffer from but never seen this before!

Hi! Did you ever figure out what this was? My cat has this exact issue and the doctor keeps giving her antibiotics and it just comes right back. My other cat is on the clear for the past few months. I’m struggling