The Nose Knows

I've learned a lot about cat noses over the years.

1. Cat air passages are very, very small.

2. If a cat's nose is clogged, they will not breathe through their mouths.

3. Cat's can snooze violent snot and aim it like a weapon on clean clothes, walls, furniture and occasionally my face. (It's not good to look close up when a cat's getting ready to sneeze.)

Several years ago my cat Murphy would sneeze so violently, her whole body would shake, and cat boogers were literally caking my walls. Who knew one cat could create so much gook? After several years, and a couple different vet visits, Dr. Parks discovered poor Murphy had been shot and had a pellet lodged in her nasal cavity! I took her to a specialist in Colorado to have it removed. After that, she had a lovely little scar down her entire nose, but she could breathe again, and the quality of life improved one hundred percent. She lived out the rest of her years breathing freely without that pesky obstruction in her tiny nose.

Fast forward about 10 years, and Bridgette arrives. Her nose is perfect, her only little imperfection is her one club foot. But a couple years ago, she starts sneezing, oozing cat snot, and literally gasping for air. Is it a cat cold? A sinus infection? After trying several different antibiotics, Dr. Parks suggests we x-ray her because you never know what you'll find. She said, "Knowing Murphy's her cat-sister, who knows if the same bizarre situation could happen twice."

It was both good and bad that we didn't find a pellet - it meant she hadn't been shot, but we still didn't know what was wrong. I took her down to Peak Veterinary Specialists in Windsor and after numerous tests, Dr. Prauss told me that Bridgette has a form of chronic rhinitis (or something like that.) It means the membranes in her nose get so inflamed it clogs her nasal passage. Her nose had gotten so bad, I'd get up in the middle of the night to scrape the gunk off her nose in order to help her breathe.

Unfortunately, there is no easy treatment like removing a bb shot. So, they flushed her nasal cavity and we are now treating her with steroids and different combinations of antibiotics. The good news, is Bridgette is feeling so much better, she's now emerging from her bedroom cocoon and actually hangs out with the other cats in the living room and has even ventured back outside. I didn't realize how reclusive she had become. The down side is she has gained a lot of weight. And there are potentially long term health concerns with her on steroids, but I made the decision that the quality of her life right now is my top concern.

So, imagine my concern when Anna pointed out that Tuukka had a big bump in the center of his nose. NO MORE NOSE ISSUES! But, she was right. I had noticed it, but didn't think it was very noticeable. It was. I make an appointment with my new vet, Dr. Novack. She agrees that it's not normal and decide the best course of action is another x-ray. The biggest difference between Tuukka's nose issue and Bridgette & Murphy's is that there's no snot, no sneezing no wheezing. He actually looks like he might have broken his nose.

The good news is right now, it's just a lump! It's not in his nasal cavity. It doesn't appear to be cancerous. I'm hoping that this is the last I'll have to worry about Tuukka's nose.

I felt like I may be a little over protective, but the who knows what's going on with a nose?? I just don't take chances!!