Swellings In Cats

Swellings In Cats

It might be useful to start off by deciding the causes of swelling in cats.  The predominant cause of swellings in cats is bacterial infections.

Cleaned up head abscess - classic position. This is Timmy.

Bacterial infections occur around the head after a fight for example.  The cat's ears are also prone to an infection after a fight.  Abscesses on the head can result in large swellings due to a lot of pus below the skin.

A cat can acquire an abscess in the front sinuses causing swelling under the eye.  Abscesses can develop behind the eyes and around the chin as well.  An abscess behind the eye causes it to protrude.

At the other end of the cat the anal sacs can be infected with bacteria causing swelling at the site.  The swelling is initially read and then purple in colour.

Conjunctivitis (pinkeye) can be caused by a bacterial infection.  Bacterial conjunctivitis is an alternative to viral conjunctivitis.  The infection causes swelling around the eyes (see picture).

A cat can also suffer from a dental abscess.  Injuries to a cat's feet can also lead to bacterial infections and swelling.  These are often caused by the cat walking on sharp objects or jumping down onto irregular and sharp surfaces.

Another form of bacterial infection is called pyometra, which is an infection of the uterus following a disease such as cystic endometrial hyperplasia.  This infection is life-threatening and most often affects breeding cats over 5 years of age.

All these bacterial infections causing swellings can be painful.  Often they are accompanied by a fever. The treatment is to clean the wound (irrigate it) and administer antibiotics.

Allergies can also cause swelling to the head.  There maybe sudden swelling of the lips and eyelids caused by an allergic reaction.  Allergic reactions are normally caused by insect stings and allergens that are inhaled or in food, or allergens with which the cat has come into contact (contact allergies).

A cat's belly may become distended due to fluid buildup.  This may be caused by a range of illnesses such as feline infectious peritonitis, cancer and heart disease.

Obviously pregnancy causes the belly to distend.

Haematomas, a blood clot under the skin, quite naturally causes swelling at the site.

If a vaccination goes wrong it may cause cancer at the site of the injection which these days is in the hind leg in order to minimise damage should there be a need to remove the limb!

As can readily be seen bacterial infections of the greatest cause of swellings and cats.

If you know of any other swellings in cats then please leave a comment.

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