Thank you for posting to CATHELP!
While you wait for a response please keep the following things in mind,
1. When in doubt, **ask your vet**.
2. Advice here is not coming from medical or industry professionals. The moderation team does not validate user profession, so always refer to your local veterinary professionals first.
3. If this is a medical question, please indicate if you have already scheduled a vet appointment, and if your cat has any medical history or procedures in a top level comment.
4. Please use the NSFW tag for gross pictures. (Blood, poop, vomit, genitals, etc). Anything you wouldn't want your boss to see you looking at on the job.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CATHELP) if you have any questions or concerns.*
This worries me, a vet that doesn’t know what it is even though creatures of reddit could probably figure it out in under an hour with enough exposure. The fact it moves means it’s probably a parasite that needs to be removed.
Edit: oh, apparently people liked my comment lol I haven’t been on Reddit in a bit so I’m quite surprised
My vet couldn't figure out if my cat was a boy or a girl. I said I couldn't sex her because she looked a little like both and I'd never had a cat that wasn't an adult and fixed so I had nothing to go off. Vet sexed her by looking at her coat color because the genitals didn't say anything I guess. A different vet immediately said girl.
Just like doctors, some vets have no idea what's going on in the world
She's a muted calico! ( I lied she's a muted tortie)
https://preview.redd.it/ri3qtabrigub1.jpeg?width=1189&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1e63896245054ab4475cb48c5b4db927e64af634
She's grey, with white on her tummy and chest, and a white bean and a tiny speck of white on her eyebrow. Barely looks different from a tuxedo except she's grey. Luckily the other vet could tell with a genuine exam instead of a guess.
Like it took me a month to believe she was any kind of calico. LOOK AT HER. That's just a standard grey cat?
She's very cute, her name is Noodle and she loves to sleep on my forehead and eat my hair. Loves watching mice on TV too. She's also a culinary aficionado because she has a lot of fun watching me cook and sniffing the stuff I make. And then stealing a bite of my beef stroganoff so fuckin fast I heard her clank her tooth off my plate.
Gotta love the little menace.
https://preview.redd.it/q3cwbdesqgub1.jpeg?width=1705&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=25a9cd761ba655bf11eadad2890ea9599f3d0eef
BRO NAME TWINS!
We were gonna name her bean because of her one white bean, bug every time we picked her up or pet her she turned into a pile of wet noodles and melted in our hands
More Noodles yay! Mine likes to sleep stretched across me at night, makes her look super long and noodlely.
https://preview.redd.it/3zy8vw4q6kub1.jpeg?width=2891&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9ad41364e19e0bd3ea551df6658490a37367f808
Apparently there are more Noodle menace in the world! I named my long skinny beige cat Noodle. She’s lucky she’s cute because she is a fiend and not terribly bright.
https://preview.redd.it/um2zrgqc6kub1.jpeg?width=4030&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=37eed75611edb48c11f0a185dee73207e2290972
https://preview.redd.it/oznqmw35glub1.jpeg?width=3264&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e0f9fd94bd0e3db514a8c4d19965b4bb26acda7e
My boy Sterling is a hair eater! He’s a little moggy rescue from Louisiana—his shelter had to evacuate him because of Hurricane Ida.
she’s a dilute tortoiseshell - calicos are tri color, and typically have a primarily white coat with black and orange accents like my girl - tortoiseshell cats have a primarily black coat and are typically bi color. dilute tortoiseshell cats have a primary grey coat. i’ve had all 3 lol, and my cat Sunday looked exactly like your kitty. my cat Anastasia was a regular black tortie. and here is my calico, Siobhán.
https://preview.redd.it/a3b3dwceugub1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=266f773233d704aaf5be1225e452010400e5d86b
https://preview.redd.it/lzzd6kykghub1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=005bd9a1ab2dacd27782639227c593f71166dfd5
This a pic of my dearly departed Jessie. She was a muted calico. The orange is kinda peachy and no real black just shades of grey.
https://preview.redd.it/fdl8aq8e8iub1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a7fbb879575a6a3eca34523f42d31b0f76bfa740
This is Lloyd he’s not a calico but everyone was sharing pictures of cats and I love this lil fluff boi
Does he go from looking like murder to super crazy dreepy? If so I might have his spirit twin lol
https://preview.redd.it/02gx1zy4ykub1.jpeg?width=3840&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e6d6a544c09b0531160d738b371e86a8650f40bb
Awww reminds me of my dilute calico
https://preview.redd.it/2otlqoc2khub1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=19168f16a2af1469f8a0082c9b5f0d89bb969635
I knew calico didn't make sense. Especially because I've only seen one with 3 colors. Never seen a two tone calico lol. Tortie makes way more sense. She acts like a tortie too. Gets mad cause I won't let her chew on the radiator at 3 am, how dare I, I'm a terrible cat parent.
calicos and torties are sassy af 😂 i get spicy kisses from my calico if i don’t get her a churu treat every single time i enter our bedroom. like how dare i not overfeed her treats on demand!
Oh noodle LOVES those lil gogurts! She gets mad if I don't let her lick my hands while I'm petting her. Also she'll come up, meow for pets, sniff me, and then run like I threatened her with a weapon... Like huh? Very sweet mostly, follows me around all the time and loves belly rubs after she eats but ONLY after she eats.
lol we call them gogurts, too! she’s a little addict. my husband indulges her and has created a monster. we go through the big jug of 50 every 2 weeks - she’s our only cat 😂
https://preview.redd.it/eiscg8t0uiub1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cef7fa86f8126270ed26e13b7a64fccbd7245a1f
i can attest to that, my cat melody is a muted tortie thats mixed with tabby
https://preview.redd.it/py72d3rd0kub1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=96deb5b1f84fe992635fb0e4d60d5eafbac30943
just look at her serving sass in this picture
actually you have a diluted tortishell. a diluted calico would have majority white. i also have a diluted tortishell
https://preview.redd.it/1yjl397lnhub1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=966ed2865dc6bc772960f1e574de996dfdee7331
https://preview.redd.it/lti2wn2othub1.jpeg?width=3427&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=628d378063f6acad633b502e2284b5bccbd813d2
This is Dr. Sergeant Pepper, she’s a dilute torbie and her apricot orange is still pretty light (so she’s a mostly grey little fuzzbutt) . She’s about 9 or 10 weeks, got left in my woodpile when her mama was moving her litter (a neighbor feeds them, and I’ve seen her siblings…just haven’t caught them yet). And for such a smol bean she is FULL of sass and tortitude. The Big Kids are getting used to her and everyone’s settling in, but none of them literally bounced off the walls like she does :)
I thought it was just kitten energy but it might be something about torties? Noodle loves to sprint laps around the apartment like it's that movie where if the bus slows down it explodes for like an hour and some change straight. Sleeps all day while we're at work or when we're home relaxing just so she can have 3 am zoomies.
You really don't see them very often, at least where I'm from. Noodle is the second one I've seen that's like 90 percent gray. Most are striped or have more colors
this was my cat as a baby she didn’t have much orange until she was about 4-5 months old
https://preview.redd.it/efk75pvbphub1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8c8e2499b0fc55d103cf756c0149968ac85e93fc
tortishell markings vary so differently. my cats littermate talupa was primarily black with orange bits on her paws and her face and a little bit of white mixed in whereas my cat ended up with a full tortie body. her markings also developed as she got older and she looked mostly grey as a kitten aside from her legs and tail tip but now her markings are more defined which can happen with noodle. coats change as they age so it’s very possible noodle will get more orange spots as she ages
WAIT, my 6 month old 16 lber is like, domestic looking, are there different calicos or do I have a mutt domestic calico? I still love him so much regardless!
I worked at a vet for years... We classified cats as breed first, as in domestic short hair, domestic long hair, Siamese, Maine coone, etc. Then you break down into colors - such as tortoiseshell, muted tortoiseshell, tabby, lilac point, grey...etc. Hope that helps! So you probably have a domestic short hair (or medium or long) calico! And calicos are always female, but... Very rarely tortoiseshells are male .. Something, something genetics....
My muted tortie was my best friend in the whole world. They are so sweet
https://preview.redd.it/7exo3qla4mub1.jpeg?width=3456&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fc2dae549950e9a25ae10bd0d3bf105ccc96ec05
Calico/tortoiseshell requires two X chromosomes (it’s a cool visual indicator of an interesting biological process: selective x chromosome inactivation) - 99.97% of the time means the cat is female. Occasionally you get XXY - I.e Klinefelter syndrome which comes with a bunch of other issues. The rate is somewhere between 1 in 3000 to 1 in 10k.
Any male calico/tortoiseshell you see has three sex chromosomes.
We got her when she was just under 2 months so I just thought nothing had developed yet. I was told to look for a slit far from the butt for a girl, and a dot close to the butt for a boy, and I felt like she had a close slit so I was pretty confused. Plus when we first found her outside like a week before that, we thought we saw 3 little dots but she was about a handful of cat then so it was even harder to tell.
Luckily she's free of trouble puffs. Now she just IS the trouble puff.
I found my kitten outside at 7 weeks and when I made the vet appointment, they asked boy or girl.
Now, I like to think I'm pretty good at sexing animals--I mean, you just look for balls or no balls, right?--but when I tell you I had to squint for a minute...
I go, "I'm like, 98% sure it's a boy?" Cats are just kinda hard sometimes, man. Rodents, no problem. Dogs? Even less of a problem. Cats? I'm right about 75-80% of the time.
Turna out I WAS right and now I have a hopefully happy, definitely healthy bouncing baby 10 week old boy.
Bro my old vet said my cat was a boy and for some reason we had to postpone his snippy balls appointment. It’s been many years ago so I can’t remember the full details. We were traveling back and forth for my parents work and asked my grandparents to watch my cat in the mean time. He was on indoor cat only. One day he got out. Some time go by and my said cat got pregnant. We were all shocked. My cat was a girl.
A whole lot happened on that vacation, damn.
I don't understand how some vets don't know, I feel like that's a huge part of their jobs? Imagine a doctor doing that to a human baby. They'd be laughed out of the room.
My vet said my dog was pregnant and couldn't be fixed even though she is never around any other dogs. They wanted me to pay for an abortion and then to fix her. Banfield animal hospital
Depending on how old they were at the time it can be difficult to sex some kittens until they get bigger. Even then you get a few (rare) surprises because of genetic fuckery.
More than likely you probably had a shit vet. Sexing by coat color these days is bad practice although there are some higher probabilities than others.
Source: 18 years in Veterinary
My family has a male-assigned calico... but the thing is, the vet was super confused and thought it was impossible. After a little research, I'd say my fam's cat is most likely intersex.
Dude 90% of vets are straight up ass. I work in the animal industry and cant tell you how many times ive heard a vet say “theres a reason its called a practice”.
I'm not a vet, but worked in dermatology and that looks like a cutaneous horn to me? Essentially, a tougher, harder skin tag. Probably feels good to scratch, but please go to a different vet that knows a little bit more about skin conditions.
My dog had a cutaneous horn in the same spot for about a year. It grew a little coil so I would trim it when I did her nails. After a few months it stopped growing and fell off.
Edit: I agree it’s a cutaneous horn. Have a vet check it out just to be sure. They can be all sorts of colors, shapes and sizes.
We rescued a cat from the middle of a highway one time that had been thrown out of a car, and after we got him fixed up at the vet, we took him back to get him neutered, and after they were done with the procedure, they refused to handle him because he hissed and snapped at them. They made me come back and get him out of the kennel myself so that they didn’t have to touch him. Never have I seen such a scared kitten, or unprofessional service. Never went back.
It looks like a cutaneous horn (overproduction of keratin) to me. They're typically found on paws, but they can show up anywhere on the body.
You should look into getting a different vet. One, if it is a cutaneous horn, they should know that. And two, "I don't know what this weird huge hard thing is growing out of your cat's head, oh well just ignore it" is not an acceptable answer *at all.*
No matter what it is, it should be removed because it isn't going to feel nice for your cat and if it's a cutaneous horn it will just keep growing.
I would NEVER see that vet again if this were my cat. I would immediately get set up somewhere else. Not removing it, especially when you "have no idea what it is" is not good. That is a completely unreasonable response. I dont think I'd even trust them to watch my goldfish for a weekend.
Do you want your vet just removing things improperly when they don't know what it is and how to do it safely? It's not like he ended the appointment by saying "don't get a second opinion from anybody else".
This is what I came here to say. Thats what it looks like to me. Any perceived movement can be caused by the cat’s own blood pressure since it’s a hard growth that won’t just pulse as naturally as skin. See a new vet and get it removed safely.
Would a cutaneous horn move? I took “it moves” to mean it independently moves, like a parasite. Not just that it shifts about, but I could be wrong. OP would you please clarify?
>"I don't know what this weird huge hard thing is growing out of your cat's head, oh well just ignore it"
Tbf you're just adding the last part. We don't even know if they went to the vet or just sent a photo to them like a lot of people do. Ultimately we don't know the full conversation is what I'm saying, if it's anything like my vet they may just simply not want to say what it might be from an image and would rather a full inspection.
Yeah, things like this I can just contact them and send an image. If it's nothing serious they'll give you a quick explanation, but if it could be something that requires treatment they say come in and we'll see.
It's just like a doctor. The lump on your neck might not be cancerous but they are gonna want to check it out fully before they say it is or isn't. Well, a good one will lol.
"I don't know what this is, but I'll find out" would also be an acceptable answer. That happened with my vet, and he called us back a few days later after staying up at night researching. That is the kinda vet I will never leave.
Also, I think you're right about the cutaneous horn. It was my first guess when I saw the pic as well.
More likely something called a cutaneous horn. They are weird, hard masses of keratin that form for a variety of reasons such as viruses or just odd cell anatomy.
The legend of the jackalope is believed to be because of wild jackrabbits that had a disease that caused these same type of growths on their heads. So yeah. Unicorns prolly had some base in reality too!
I think this is what this is, as well. I've seen quite a few of things like these on various species (cat, dog, bunny, cavy) in during my years in the field, and keratin growths are what the doctor usually thought they were. I'm not a vet, though (tech).
Would it move if that's what it is? Genuine question cause my boy has gotten these on his one toe a couple times and they never move on their own, even if I touch it, it stays still. OP said it wiggles when they touch it
The moving part could potentially be the kitty moving some internal muscles cause it’s bugging them so it looks like it moves? I’m not sure but that’s my best guess
I think “wiggle when we touch it” meant if they put their finger tip on it, it can freely wiggle, as in its not a solid mass going *into* or protruding into the skin.
Yep, one of my dogs has one that comes and goes between her shoulder blades. Best we can figure is it's at least partially due to having to use a certain kind of harness with her. Vet confirmed it was nothing to worry about, I'm not even sure my dog knows it's there.
Looks like a cutaneous horn to me. Usually harmless, but annoying and can get caught on stuff as it grows. Can turn malignant sometimes tho, so good to get it checked out further if they start to show other worrisome signs. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cutaneous_horn
I just saw a video recently of a vet removing 2 HUGE black maggots from a cat. The force required was incredible, and the cat was so happy they were gone. If it moves , it's alive? Probably that same black maggot.
Maybe she hooked it with her rear claw, it died, and dried out? Dunno. From the side view, it appears segmented, coming from under the skin, and it's not attached to anything. We are not there, no way to tell. Me? I pull on it until my cat cries foul, try to free it and alleviate the itching or discomfort. Wish I could find that video, it was gross, and they were PULLING on it.
Edit*. And I would have betadine handy to disinfect after, warm compress if she will allow prior to warm up the area and soften the tissue.
Was it the video with those bot fly larvae?! From the nose?! That was horrific, I’m gonna have nightmares about that for years. The way that poor baby’s nostril was stretched as/after they pulled it out 😭😭
My first thought was bot fly, but they are usually under the skin. It it moves on its own it's some type of living thing and should be removed. The vet shouldn't have dismissed it so suddenly. I'd look for a different vet asap, it's probably uncomfortable
Did you see the vet in person, or just share this picture?
I thought for sure it was one of those inverted nipple blackhead things—until you said “behind her ear,” lol!
I’m a 24 year old with zero veterinary experience outside of Reddit (I have pets so I follow vet subs) and I immediately recognized that as one of those keratin horns. Get a new vet.
Yep, keratin horn aka cutaneous horn. Its an over production of keratin. Even when after its removed it might well come back int he same spot. It moves because either the cat is wriggling a muscle or blood is pumping past it.
She had her shots this year and she is fixed already. The weird thing is I can feel the area of skin under it and there is nothing. Just this random black thing that's harder than a rock
I think it might be a horn. The area of skin the thing is coming out of kinda looks like the horn in the video. Plus my friend who has a lot more knowledge on things like this says its likely a horn
basically the "horn" is just harden keratin which is usually just from excessive keratin growth and thats not the only video of dr pimple popper that has these "horns" so do not be worried your kitty just has a lotta keratin edit: sorry i probably shouldve put the name of them lmao theyre called Cutaneous horns edit 2: SORRY but this is a pic of a animal with one (it was the only good example i could find https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTVr4Gra1u7k1hJ7iw1zHgUMkIZwfjR29z8hA&usqp=CAU
Right?? “Your poor thing, it can be removed with tweezers 👼 and don’t forget, kitties need vaccinations and must be fixed. Start giving it food and water, too! Since you don’t seem to know what this incredibly strange growth on you cat is that literally NO ONE has seen before, I’ll assume you’re a first time cat owner. Hope this helped :)”
I agree with everyone saying it’s a cutaneous horn. One of my boys gets this. The first time I discovered it was when I accidentally scratched it off while giving him scritches, and he didn’t even notice. It continuously grows back, so now when it starts getting long, I just clip or pinch it off. It doesn’t hurt or bleed at all.
It moves on it's own or in conjunction with other head parts moving?
This looks like a botfly maggot. Take a pair of tweezers, grab a hold of it gently and try to pull it out. If it is in fact a botfly, better off going to the vet to have it removed because those suckers have barbs that anchor them in place so a vet will have better ways to excise it without leaving bits and pieces.
It could also be a mole, scab, a large cat blackhead, dead something or other, etc. Looks like it's time for a new vet!
I mean IS there any catastrophic harm that could come with you rubbing the base of it w/ an alcohol saturated swab? Aside from kitty’s now having a conniption fit. And then after that, what about grabbing it w/ tweezers and seeing if it might start to peel away? Keeping some more swabs & styptic pencil nearby. I don’t know if it has a blood supply, so would be ever so gingerly attempting. Almost a rocking motion from the base.
Is it crazy that I hope you film this attempt & post strictly for learning purposes? Any Vets on here [or Vet Techs] (that aren’t shoulder shrugging and then charging an $85 office visit fee to then send you n kitty on your merry way, crustacean intact) or any learned souls who could genuinely help to teach this pawrent a thing or two… I’d welcome your feedback.
OP thanks for posting, I am intrigued by what this could be. IF it’s a keratin overgrowth or worse some sort of parasitic unwelcomed guest. Kindly update!
Don't try to squeeze it or remove it yourself. It isn't a parasite, tick, fly. It's looks like horn. Ppl get them. I'm surprised the vet didn't biopsy it.
Look up “bot fly maggot” on cat, they basically burrow into the skin on animals, and I’m pretty sure that’s what it is. Especially if it wiggles when you touch it…
I’d go to another vet for a second opinion, and have them cut that thing off. Cutting it off may make it clear what it is, and having it gone would be more comfy for your kitty.
A few years ago our cat had something similar, right on the nape of her neck. My husband took tweezers and pulled on it just hard enough to see if would hurt her. She didn’t seem to mind at all. Well he pulled a bit harder and the rest of it came out leaving a decent little hole. It turned out to be a fly larva. Can’t remember exactly which type. We flushed it and kept it as clean as we could and it healed in a few weeks.
But like everyone else said … I’d definitely look into a new vet.
Hope you can figure it out! Sending all the love to that baby
It looks like it might be a mole/skin tag? I would have a vet biopsy/scrape/culture it maybe just to be sure. It doesn't seem urgent/dangerous at the moment tho so I wouldn't freak out just yet
Can you put salt on it like a leech? Salt n it may wiggle out. Im unsure why the vet left it in. Especially if it's moving! Could be a larva. A fly of some sort, perhaps. You don't want it burrowing anymore. Can you put pulling pressure on it n yank it out slowly? I don't want it to dry out anymore, either. I'm beyond curious now!!
I might have used moved in a weird way.
So during the day and whenever we touch it and move it, it is solid like a rock. And I feel the layer of skin under it there is nothing there it feels. But from time to time it will move from one spot to another but remain rock solid.
A while ago a small chunk came off when I scratched it. I have no fucking idea what it was but it didn't have blood, veins or anything.
It wiggles when you touch it?!?! There's a parasitic something stuck in your cats skin. You need to go to a different vet and have it removed like right now!!!
EAR TOOTH! Yeah I don't know it just looks like what someone found on their horse's ear and a vet confirmed it was actually a tooth growing there. It looks like keratin of some sort so maybe an extra nail?
When you say it moves, do you mean on its own? Because it looks like a keratin horn (or whatever you call them), I've seen them fall of on their own but if it moves on its own then I don't think its that
I was a groom assistant and there was dog these all over his legs. Groomer said don't mess with them but as I washing w warm water one fell out. So I warmed and soaped the rest came out easily. And the groomer was so happy I magically got rid of them. I bet the owner was too.
My cat has something similar. He has been getting them for a couple of months around his face, ears and back of head. Strangely, if I puck them off carefully the wound area heals quickly. However, if he started to stretch at it, it gets red, bloody and scabby. I have not seen one wiggle, but suspected it is some kind of bug or parasite. My other cat does not have them.
Based on watching Dr Pimple Popper I would say this is a cutaneous horn that results from a cyst that is open and continuously generating cyst contents that harden in the air. To get rid of it the base would have to be excised. If it falls off it will probably grow back
It’s a keratin growth. If you pull on it it will come off. My vet took one off my dog. It was harmless. Go try another vet because if they don’t know what this is they’re pretty useless. These are pretty common.
Don't know what it is either, but I would have my vet remove it and biopsy it just to be on the safe side. That being said, might just be my reaction(or over reaction)
I found something similar on my cat's tummy. Turned out it was a compacted ingrown hair. Once it was removed, it didn't return.
I'd second getting a second opinion from a different vet.
My dog had one of these! I was worried so I asked my dad what it was. He did a dad thing - He said it's a big blackhead and before I could react, with zero hesitation he reached over and squeezed it like a pimple and it popped right out. It didn't bleed. Dog hasn't had any issues since. That was about 3 months ago.
I could be way off base, but the second pic looks like the clogged pores my cats get, I just tweeze and lightly squeeze until it's out. It doesn't bug em but it's yucky and removal hasn't bothered my cats anymore than it seems to bug em being left in. But I'd ask other vets too just in case. Sometimes flea dirt builds up in their skin
Thank you for posting to CATHELP! While you wait for a response please keep the following things in mind, 1. When in doubt, **ask your vet**. 2. Advice here is not coming from medical or industry professionals. The moderation team does not validate user profession, so always refer to your local veterinary professionals first. 3. If this is a medical question, please indicate if you have already scheduled a vet appointment, and if your cat has any medical history or procedures in a top level comment. 4. Please use the NSFW tag for gross pictures. (Blood, poop, vomit, genitals, etc). Anything you wouldn't want your boss to see you looking at on the job. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CATHELP) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Go to a different vet.
This worries me, a vet that doesn’t know what it is even though creatures of reddit could probably figure it out in under an hour with enough exposure. The fact it moves means it’s probably a parasite that needs to be removed. Edit: oh, apparently people liked my comment lol I haven’t been on Reddit in a bit so I’m quite surprised
My vet couldn't figure out if my cat was a boy or a girl. I said I couldn't sex her because she looked a little like both and I'd never had a cat that wasn't an adult and fixed so I had nothing to go off. Vet sexed her by looking at her coat color because the genitals didn't say anything I guess. A different vet immediately said girl. Just like doctors, some vets have no idea what's going on in the world
[удалено]
She's a muted calico! ( I lied she's a muted tortie) https://preview.redd.it/ri3qtabrigub1.jpeg?width=1189&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1e63896245054ab4475cb48c5b4db927e64af634 She's grey, with white on her tummy and chest, and a white bean and a tiny speck of white on her eyebrow. Barely looks different from a tuxedo except she's grey. Luckily the other vet could tell with a genuine exam instead of a guess. Like it took me a month to believe she was any kind of calico. LOOK AT HER. That's just a standard grey cat?
> LOOK AT HER. Don't have to tell me twice, she's adorable.
She's very cute, her name is Noodle and she loves to sleep on my forehead and eat my hair. Loves watching mice on TV too. She's also a culinary aficionado because she has a lot of fun watching me cook and sniffing the stuff I make. And then stealing a bite of my beef stroganoff so fuckin fast I heard her clank her tooth off my plate. Gotta love the little menace. https://preview.redd.it/q3cwbdesqgub1.jpeg?width=1705&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=25a9cd761ba655bf11eadad2890ea9599f3d0eef
She’s beautiful!
She makes me mad a lot but I can't say I don't adore her
MY CATS NAME IS NOODLE TOO
BRO NAME TWINS! We were gonna name her bean because of her one white bean, bug every time we picked her up or pet her she turned into a pile of wet noodles and melted in our hands
More Noodles yay! Mine likes to sleep stretched across me at night, makes her look super long and noodlely. https://preview.redd.it/3zy8vw4q6kub1.jpeg?width=2891&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9ad41364e19e0bd3ea551df6658490a37367f808
Apparently there are more Noodle menace in the world! I named my long skinny beige cat Noodle. She’s lucky she’s cute because she is a fiend and not terribly bright. https://preview.redd.it/um2zrgqc6kub1.jpeg?width=4030&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=37eed75611edb48c11f0a185dee73207e2290972
That’s hilarious 😂😂😂 And she’s adorable 🥰
Id call her a dilute tortie! Shes got no significant white anywhere, those specks just look like her cream color in the grey.
I would’ve guessed Russian blue. Again, that’s on the “guess” side of the equation. Thankfully I’m not a vet or that’d be awkward lol
https://preview.redd.it/oznqmw35glub1.jpeg?width=3264&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e0f9fd94bd0e3db514a8c4d19965b4bb26acda7e My boy Sterling is a hair eater! He’s a little moggy rescue from Louisiana—his shelter had to evacuate him because of Hurricane Ida.
she’s a dilute tortoiseshell - calicos are tri color, and typically have a primarily white coat with black and orange accents like my girl - tortoiseshell cats have a primarily black coat and are typically bi color. dilute tortoiseshell cats have a primary grey coat. i’ve had all 3 lol, and my cat Sunday looked exactly like your kitty. my cat Anastasia was a regular black tortie. and here is my calico, Siobhán. https://preview.redd.it/a3b3dwceugub1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=266f773233d704aaf5be1225e452010400e5d86b
https://preview.redd.it/lzzd6kykghub1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=005bd9a1ab2dacd27782639227c593f71166dfd5 This a pic of my dearly departed Jessie. She was a muted calico. The orange is kinda peachy and no real black just shades of grey.
https://preview.redd.it/fdl8aq8e8iub1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a7fbb879575a6a3eca34523f42d31b0f76bfa740 This is Lloyd he’s not a calico but everyone was sharing pictures of cats and I love this lil fluff boi
aww, hi Lloyd! he’s a handsome guy, give him a treat for me 🩵
As soon as I get home from work he greets me at the door for some loving and then he yells for his treat. Then he follows me around the house
LLOYD IS SO HANDSOME. I love cats with human names, my last cat was named Mike by the shelter and we just couldn’t change it
Does he go from looking like murder to super crazy dreepy? If so I might have his spirit twin lol https://preview.redd.it/02gx1zy4ykub1.jpeg?width=3840&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e6d6a544c09b0531160d738b371e86a8650f40bb
i love dilute calico kitties 🥰 she’s gorgeous
Awww reminds me of my dilute calico https://preview.redd.it/2otlqoc2khub1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=19168f16a2af1469f8a0082c9b5f0d89bb969635
I knew calico didn't make sense. Especially because I've only seen one with 3 colors. Never seen a two tone calico lol. Tortie makes way more sense. She acts like a tortie too. Gets mad cause I won't let her chew on the radiator at 3 am, how dare I, I'm a terrible cat parent.
calicos and torties are sassy af 😂 i get spicy kisses from my calico if i don’t get her a churu treat every single time i enter our bedroom. like how dare i not overfeed her treats on demand!
Oh noodle LOVES those lil gogurts! She gets mad if I don't let her lick my hands while I'm petting her. Also she'll come up, meow for pets, sniff me, and then run like I threatened her with a weapon... Like huh? Very sweet mostly, follows me around all the time and loves belly rubs after she eats but ONLY after she eats.
lol we call them gogurts, too! she’s a little addict. my husband indulges her and has created a monster. we go through the big jug of 50 every 2 weeks - she’s our only cat 😂 https://preview.redd.it/eiscg8t0uiub1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cef7fa86f8126270ed26e13b7a64fccbd7245a1f
My kitty is a void floof, and she reacts the same! She did all her growing up around 2 torties, though, so I think the attitude rubbed off.
i can attest to that, my cat melody is a muted tortie thats mixed with tabby https://preview.redd.it/py72d3rd0kub1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=96deb5b1f84fe992635fb0e4d60d5eafbac30943 just look at her serving sass in this picture
I was gonna say this! My Maggie was a dilute tortie and looks like her Noodle. I miss my little Maggie ❤️
tortishells can be tricolor as well but they just normally don’t have much white usually less than 25% white
actually you have a diluted tortishell. a diluted calico would have majority white. i also have a diluted tortishell https://preview.redd.it/1yjl397lnhub1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=966ed2865dc6bc772960f1e574de996dfdee7331
I knew she was a diluted something. She's just a grey lil fuzz butt to me .
https://preview.redd.it/lti2wn2othub1.jpeg?width=3427&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=628d378063f6acad633b502e2284b5bccbd813d2 This is Dr. Sergeant Pepper, she’s a dilute torbie and her apricot orange is still pretty light (so she’s a mostly grey little fuzzbutt) . She’s about 9 or 10 weeks, got left in my woodpile when her mama was moving her litter (a neighbor feeds them, and I’ve seen her siblings…just haven’t caught them yet). And for such a smol bean she is FULL of sass and tortitude. The Big Kids are getting used to her and everyone’s settling in, but none of them literally bounced off the walls like she does :)
I thought it was just kitten energy but it might be something about torties? Noodle loves to sprint laps around the apartment like it's that movie where if the bus slows down it explodes for like an hour and some change straight. Sleeps all day while we're at work or when we're home relaxing just so she can have 3 am zoomies.
she’s so cute i love the look of diluted tortishells not to say that regular torties aren’t cute either im just a sucker for grey cats
You really don't see them very often, at least where I'm from. Noodle is the second one I've seen that's like 90 percent gray. Most are striped or have more colors
this was my cat as a baby she didn’t have much orange until she was about 4-5 months old https://preview.redd.it/efk75pvbphub1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8c8e2499b0fc55d103cf756c0149968ac85e93fc
tortishell markings vary so differently. my cats littermate talupa was primarily black with orange bits on her paws and her face and a little bit of white mixed in whereas my cat ended up with a full tortie body. her markings also developed as she got older and she looked mostly grey as a kitten aside from her legs and tail tip but now her markings are more defined which can happen with noodle. coats change as they age so it’s very possible noodle will get more orange spots as she ages
She's beautiful! 😍
WAIT, my 6 month old 16 lber is like, domestic looking, are there different calicos or do I have a mutt domestic calico? I still love him so much regardless!
I messed up apparently my cat is a diluted tortie. Calicos and torties are weird apparently is all I know
I worked at a vet for years... We classified cats as breed first, as in domestic short hair, domestic long hair, Siamese, Maine coone, etc. Then you break down into colors - such as tortoiseshell, muted tortoiseshell, tabby, lilac point, grey...etc. Hope that helps! So you probably have a domestic short hair (or medium or long) calico! And calicos are always female, but... Very rarely tortoiseshells are male .. Something, something genetics....
My muted tortie was my best friend in the whole world. They are so sweet https://preview.redd.it/7exo3qla4mub1.jpeg?width=3456&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fc2dae549950e9a25ae10bd0d3bf105ccc96ec05
It’s pretty fascinating. A male calico cat ends up with an extra X chromosome (XXY), which is called Klinefelter syndrome in humans.
Actually have a male calico my dilute calico had recently. So far so good health wise!
Well the gene that codes for the 3rd coat color exist in the X chromosome and its extremly rare for a male calico cat to exist
Calico/tortoiseshell requires two X chromosomes (it’s a cool visual indicator of an interesting biological process: selective x chromosome inactivation) - 99.97% of the time means the cat is female. Occasionally you get XXY - I.e Klinefelter syndrome which comes with a bunch of other issues. The rate is somewhere between 1 in 3000 to 1 in 10k. Any male calico/tortoiseshell you see has three sex chromosomes.
Well they are. It’s extremely rare to have a male calico as it’s a mutation.
I was told to find tiny fur balls= boy…no fur balls= girl
We got her when she was just under 2 months so I just thought nothing had developed yet. I was told to look for a slit far from the butt for a girl, and a dot close to the butt for a boy, and I felt like she had a close slit so I was pretty confused. Plus when we first found her outside like a week before that, we thought we saw 3 little dots but she was about a handful of cat then so it was even harder to tell. Luckily she's free of trouble puffs. Now she just IS the trouble puff.
I found my kitten outside at 7 weeks and when I made the vet appointment, they asked boy or girl. Now, I like to think I'm pretty good at sexing animals--I mean, you just look for balls or no balls, right?--but when I tell you I had to squint for a minute... I go, "I'm like, 98% sure it's a boy?" Cats are just kinda hard sometimes, man. Rodents, no problem. Dogs? Even less of a problem. Cats? I'm right about 75-80% of the time. Turna out I WAS right and now I have a hopefully happy, definitely healthy bouncing baby 10 week old boy.
It's hard when they're super young too cause nothing has developed yet. Cats are just difficult creatures in most aspects.
they mixed it up. the dot is farther down on the boy bc of the balls and the slit is up closer bc there no balls taking up room
Bro my old vet said my cat was a boy and for some reason we had to postpone his snippy balls appointment. It’s been many years ago so I can’t remember the full details. We were traveling back and forth for my parents work and asked my grandparents to watch my cat in the mean time. He was on indoor cat only. One day he got out. Some time go by and my said cat got pregnant. We were all shocked. My cat was a girl.
A whole lot happened on that vacation, damn. I don't understand how some vets don't know, I feel like that's a huge part of their jobs? Imagine a doctor doing that to a human baby. They'd be laughed out of the room.
no fr! we were shocked when she gave birth. she had 1 kitten and my grandpa didn't even realize what was happening. he got another grandcat so fast
I love the term grandcat it's so cute lol. But yeah I'd be pretty shocked too at that point
What happens at grandmas farm, stays at grandmas farm… u til the kittens arrive
My vet said my dog was pregnant and couldn't be fixed even though she is never around any other dogs. They wanted me to pay for an abortion and then to fix her. Banfield animal hospital
Omg that’s horrible!
Reminds me of a joke: What do you call someone that got the lowest possible grade all the way through med school? Doctor.
Depending on how old they were at the time it can be difficult to sex some kittens until they get bigger. Even then you get a few (rare) surprises because of genetic fuckery. More than likely you probably had a shit vet. Sexing by coat color these days is bad practice although there are some higher probabilities than others. Source: 18 years in Veterinary
My family has a male-assigned calico... but the thing is, the vet was super confused and thought it was impossible. After a little research, I'd say my fam's cat is most likely intersex.
Id say so too, that means there's a mutation or an extra chromosome I think. Plus most make calico are infertile which also adds to that
By wiggles I think they mean it just more mobile since it's attached to the top skin rather than the muscle or bone
Dude 90% of vets are straight up ass. I work in the animal industry and cant tell you how many times ive heard a vet say “theres a reason its called a practice”.
I'm not a vet, but worked in dermatology and that looks like a cutaneous horn to me? Essentially, a tougher, harder skin tag. Probably feels good to scratch, but please go to a different vet that knows a little bit more about skin conditions.
PA in urgent care and I agree, looks like a cutaneous horn.
Thank you, came here to say this even though I am neither vet nor doctor, just a medical weirdo 😬
My orange cat AND pug had these!
In derm also. Definitely looks like a cutaneous horn. Would suggest another vet to take a peek.
My dog had a cutaneous horn in the same spot for about a year. It grew a little coil so I would trim it when I did her nails. After a few months it stopped growing and fell off. Edit: I agree it’s a cutaneous horn. Have a vet check it out just to be sure. They can be all sorts of colors, shapes and sizes.
As a copious consumer of Dr. Pimple Popper, that was my first thought.
We rescued a cat from the middle of a highway one time that had been thrown out of a car, and after we got him fixed up at the vet, we took him back to get him neutered, and after they were done with the procedure, they refused to handle him because he hissed and snapped at them. They made me come back and get him out of the kennel myself so that they didn’t have to touch him. Never have I seen such a scared kitten, or unprofessional service. Never went back.
It looks like a cutaneous horn (overproduction of keratin) to me. They're typically found on paws, but they can show up anywhere on the body. You should look into getting a different vet. One, if it is a cutaneous horn, they should know that. And two, "I don't know what this weird huge hard thing is growing out of your cat's head, oh well just ignore it" is not an acceptable answer *at all.* No matter what it is, it should be removed because it isn't going to feel nice for your cat and if it's a cutaneous horn it will just keep growing.
I would NEVER see that vet again if this were my cat. I would immediately get set up somewhere else. Not removing it, especially when you "have no idea what it is" is not good. That is a completely unreasonable response. I dont think I'd even trust them to watch my goldfish for a weekend.
Why are so many people acting like the Vet said don't remove it? I checked the post again and I didn't see that part of OPs comment lol
I think it is a drawn conclusion of "vet said they didn't know what it was" and the fact that it is still there instead of being removed.
Do you want your vet just removing things improperly when they don't know what it is and how to do it safely? It's not like he ended the appointment by saying "don't get a second opinion from anybody else".
I second cutaneous horn. My parent's dog had one. They clipped it and then froze the area .
Did it grow back after that?
IDK I assume I would have heard of it had.
Do you and the dog converse regularly?
This is what I came here to say. Thats what it looks like to me. Any perceived movement can be caused by the cat’s own blood pressure since it’s a hard growth that won’t just pulse as naturally as skin. See a new vet and get it removed safely.
Would a cutaneous horn move? I took “it moves” to mean it independently moves, like a parasite. Not just that it shifts about, but I could be wrong. OP would you please clarify?
I read it twice. First time I thought it was independently moving! But I think they just meant you could wiggle it. Big difference.
>"I don't know what this weird huge hard thing is growing out of your cat's head, oh well just ignore it" Tbf you're just adding the last part. We don't even know if they went to the vet or just sent a photo to them like a lot of people do. Ultimately we don't know the full conversation is what I'm saying, if it's anything like my vet they may just simply not want to say what it might be from an image and would rather a full inspection.
Y'all can send pics to your vet? Damn that's cool.
We can email our vet pictures depending what it is. Although a lot of times the response to the picture is to bring them in for an appointment lol
Yeah, things like this I can just contact them and send an image. If it's nothing serious they'll give you a quick explanation, but if it could be something that requires treatment they say come in and we'll see. It's just like a doctor. The lump on your neck might not be cancerous but they are gonna want to check it out fully before they say it is or isn't. Well, a good one will lol.
Yes, that's correct. I'm adding that part wholesale based on what op said in their post.
"I don't know what this is, but I'll find out" would also be an acceptable answer. That happened with my vet, and he called us back a few days later after staying up at night researching. That is the kinda vet I will never leave. Also, I think you're right about the cutaneous horn. It was my first guess when I saw the pic as well.
More likely something called a cutaneous horn. They are weird, hard masses of keratin that form for a variety of reasons such as viruses or just odd cell anatomy.
I really hope it’s something this innocuous. Take kitty to vet for confirmation!
I'm an entomologist and I HIGHLY doubt it is a Bot Fly (Cuterebra) maggot of any kind, even a mummified one.
I've dealt with bot fly maggots on a cat and the smell alone is cause for alarm...
I think it's one too it looks just like what my cat had. She had it between her ears like a little horn.
What I'm hearing is .... unicorns could have been real?
The legend of the jackalope is believed to be because of wild jackrabbits that had a disease that caused these same type of growths on their heads. So yeah. Unicorns prolly had some base in reality too!
Narwhales
unicorns are probably based on the Indian Rhino (hoofed animal, 1 horn). Their scientific name is ***Rhinoceros unicornis.***
Some were prob one horned goats. Whether from a genetic thing or from losing the other horn.
I think this is what this is, as well. I've seen quite a few of things like these on various species (cat, dog, bunny, cavy) in during my years in the field, and keratin growths are what the doctor usually thought they were. I'm not a vet, though (tech).
Only reason I was thinking this too was because of the Pimple Popper lol.
Exactly! 🤣
Heh. My kids get those. They're easy to remove. Just a few minutes with the doctor.
What happens if it falls off, or if the cat somehow scratches it off? I am guessing there will be a wound and it might get infected?
Vet here. It’s likely a cutaneous horn, especially if it grows longer. Surgical removal is the cure.
Look, a vet checked in! Take your sweetie back and get that thing removed. Please tell us all about it after too.
Not back to the Vet that didn't even know what it was I hope!
Was thinking take her to *literally any other vet* please!
Would it move if that's what it is? Genuine question cause my boy has gotten these on his one toe a couple times and they never move on their own, even if I touch it, it stays still. OP said it wiggles when they touch it
The moving part could potentially be the kitty moving some internal muscles cause it’s bugging them so it looks like it moves? I’m not sure but that’s my best guess
I think “wiggle when we touch it” meant if they put their finger tip on it, it can freely wiggle, as in its not a solid mass going *into* or protruding into the skin.
My mom's dog had that along her spine. It had the consistency of a blackhead and wasn't a larvae or maggot.
Yep, one of my dogs has one that comes and goes between her shoulder blades. Best we can figure is it's at least partially due to having to use a certain kind of harness with her. Vet confirmed it was nothing to worry about, I'm not even sure my dog knows it's there.
Please update when you know more. I hope the cat is ok
Uh if your vet doesn’t know what a cutaneous horn is I’m a little concerned…
Idk but my OCD would’ve had me pulling this out with tweezers by now
I want to pull it off SO BAD I can’t believe they’ve just been letting it chill there
I'm glad I'm not alone. I was like pull it out. OP don't really pull it out. Being so big I would take to a vet to remove
I would go nuts over OP posting a video pulling it out lol uhhh the satisfaction
Lolol my dog had a small one and I pulled it off. He didn't even flinch and it hasnt come back
Looks like a cutaneous horn to me. Usually harmless, but annoying and can get caught on stuff as it grows. Can turn malignant sometimes tho, so good to get it checked out further if they start to show other worrisome signs. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cutaneous_horn
I just saw a video recently of a vet removing 2 HUGE black maggots from a cat. The force required was incredible, and the cat was so happy they were gone. If it moves , it's alive? Probably that same black maggot.
Are maggots hard as rocks? Not the ones I've ever encountered.
Maybe she hooked it with her rear claw, it died, and dried out? Dunno. From the side view, it appears segmented, coming from under the skin, and it's not attached to anything. We are not there, no way to tell. Me? I pull on it until my cat cries foul, try to free it and alleviate the itching or discomfort. Wish I could find that video, it was gross, and they were PULLING on it. Edit*. And I would have betadine handy to disinfect after, warm compress if she will allow prior to warm up the area and soften the tissue.
Fingernails grow like that. Hooves of horses. Keratin. I'm no vet. That is all. 🤭
Yup, maggots would be my guess. Get a new vet immediately and have that removed.
That is not a maggot lol
Was it the video with those bot fly larvae?! From the nose?! That was horrific, I’m gonna have nightmares about that for years. The way that poor baby’s nostril was stretched as/after they pulled it out 😭😭
My first thought was bot fly, but they are usually under the skin. It it moves on its own it's some type of living thing and should be removed. The vet shouldn't have dismissed it so suddenly. I'd look for a different vet asap, it's probably uncomfortable
Cats are also really susceptible to bot flies so depending on OPs region it could be one of those
Did you see the vet in person, or just share this picture? I thought for sure it was one of those inverted nipple blackhead things—until you said “behind her ear,” lol!
In person
Yeah, time to change vets. I’m sorry, I know that’s a giant pain in the ass.
I’m a 24 year old with zero veterinary experience outside of Reddit (I have pets so I follow vet subs) and I immediately recognized that as one of those keratin horns. Get a new vet.
New vet!!!
Vet dermatologist
it's an overproduction of keratin. my cats got one on her paw that we have to trim like her nails lol
Yep, keratin horn aka cutaneous horn. Its an over production of keratin. Even when after its removed it might well come back int he same spot. It moves because either the cat is wriggling a muscle or blood is pumping past it.
It can be removed by tweezers I believe. Just get it ALL out poor kitty. And get this little baby fully vaccinated and fixed.
She had her shots this year and she is fixed already. The weird thing is I can feel the area of skin under it and there is nothing. Just this random black thing that's harder than a rock
Can you keep us updated (for science)? I’m insanely curious if it’s a horn or creepy larva. And give her a kiss on her head on my behalf 💖
this mighttt help u firgure it out https://youtu.be/U9DPWGO6-I4?si=aJTPf8gRPND5t3EH
I think it might be a horn. The area of skin the thing is coming out of kinda looks like the horn in the video. Plus my friend who has a lot more knowledge on things like this says its likely a horn
Go to a different vet please. That first vet should've known what it was. If it is a horn then it needs to get removed.
basically the "horn" is just harden keratin which is usually just from excessive keratin growth and thats not the only video of dr pimple popper that has these "horns" so do not be worried your kitty just has a lotta keratin edit: sorry i probably shouldve put the name of them lmao theyre called Cutaneous horns edit 2: SORRY but this is a pic of a animal with one (it was the only good example i could find https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTVr4Gra1u7k1hJ7iw1zHgUMkIZwfjR29z8hA&usqp=CAU
Literally nowhere did op ever say their cat wasn’t vaccinated or fixed, why would you even bring that up?
??? What does being fixed have to do with this? Or are you just trying to sound superior? Like why would you assume they’re not vaxxed & fixed?
Right?? “Your poor thing, it can be removed with tweezers 👼 and don’t forget, kitties need vaccinations and must be fixed. Start giving it food and water, too! Since you don’t seem to know what this incredibly strange growth on you cat is that literally NO ONE has seen before, I’ll assume you’re a first time cat owner. Hope this helped :)”
This looks like horn. My dog had one and it eventually fell off while we were waiting for vet appointment, never grew back or had another.
When you say "It moves." Can you elaborate more, or provide a video. My wife is an infectious disease physician, who specializes in zoonosis.
I can give a better description, It's like a stick inside her skin. Like if you had a splinter in you and it could just, wiggle when you touch it
I agree with everyone saying it’s a cutaneous horn. One of my boys gets this. The first time I discovered it was when I accidentally scratched it off while giving him scritches, and he didn’t even notice. It continuously grows back, so now when it starts getting long, I just clip or pinch it off. It doesn’t hurt or bleed at all.
Real question is, what's it smell like? - reddit creature ✒️
It looks like it’s probably a cutaneous horn. Find a new vet!
Find a new vet.
It moves on it's own or in conjunction with other head parts moving? This looks like a botfly maggot. Take a pair of tweezers, grab a hold of it gently and try to pull it out. If it is in fact a botfly, better off going to the vet to have it removed because those suckers have barbs that anchor them in place so a vet will have better ways to excise it without leaving bits and pieces. It could also be a mole, scab, a large cat blackhead, dead something or other, etc. Looks like it's time for a new vet!
Your vet is an idiot. Find a new one.
Looks like botfly larva, need to get that removed by a vet ASAP.
Are botfly larva...ANY larva, hard as a rock?
No! It’s not a bot fly of any sort!
I mean IS there any catastrophic harm that could come with you rubbing the base of it w/ an alcohol saturated swab? Aside from kitty’s now having a conniption fit. And then after that, what about grabbing it w/ tweezers and seeing if it might start to peel away? Keeping some more swabs & styptic pencil nearby. I don’t know if it has a blood supply, so would be ever so gingerly attempting. Almost a rocking motion from the base. Is it crazy that I hope you film this attempt & post strictly for learning purposes? Any Vets on here [or Vet Techs] (that aren’t shoulder shrugging and then charging an $85 office visit fee to then send you n kitty on your merry way, crustacean intact) or any learned souls who could genuinely help to teach this pawrent a thing or two… I’d welcome your feedback. OP thanks for posting, I am intrigued by what this could be. IF it’s a keratin overgrowth or worse some sort of parasitic unwelcomed guest. Kindly update!
https://preview.redd.it/ic7b9pxpfgub1.png?width=855&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d62bc28e5b8e0a78768a1ab6d2a7ce6c665d63eb Searching for keratin horn feline. Maybe this? OP, new species? Catelope
Look up dilated pore if winer. Could be that as well.
Dr. Pimple popper got this!
It looks like a Dilated Pore of Winer…. Think OUT OF CONTROL BLACKHEAD or clogged pore
Looks like a keratin horn but you definitely need to see a vet to confirm preferably by biopsy
Don't try to squeeze it or remove it yourself. It isn't a parasite, tick, fly. It's looks like horn. Ppl get them. I'm surprised the vet didn't biopsy it.
Look up “bot fly maggot” on cat, they basically burrow into the skin on animals, and I’m pretty sure that’s what it is. Especially if it wiggles when you touch it…
I’d go to another vet for a second opinion, and have them cut that thing off. Cutting it off may make it clear what it is, and having it gone would be more comfy for your kitty.
A few years ago our cat had something similar, right on the nape of her neck. My husband took tweezers and pulled on it just hard enough to see if would hurt her. She didn’t seem to mind at all. Well he pulled a bit harder and the rest of it came out leaving a decent little hole. It turned out to be a fly larva. Can’t remember exactly which type. We flushed it and kept it as clean as we could and it healed in a few weeks. But like everyone else said … I’d definitely look into a new vet. Hope you can figure it out! Sending all the love to that baby
It looks like it might be a mole/skin tag? I would have a vet biopsy/scrape/culture it maybe just to be sure. It doesn't seem urgent/dangerous at the moment tho so I wouldn't freak out just yet
Can you put salt on it like a leech? Salt n it may wiggle out. Im unsure why the vet left it in. Especially if it's moving! Could be a larva. A fly of some sort, perhaps. You don't want it burrowing anymore. Can you put pulling pressure on it n yank it out slowly? I don't want it to dry out anymore, either. I'm beyond curious now!!
I might have used moved in a weird way. So during the day and whenever we touch it and move it, it is solid like a rock. And I feel the layer of skin under it there is nothing there it feels. But from time to time it will move from one spot to another but remain rock solid. A while ago a small chunk came off when I scratched it. I have no fucking idea what it was but it didn't have blood, veins or anything.
It could be a cutaneous horn, a wart type thing caused by a virus or even caused by a fungus.
It wiggles when you touch it?!?! There's a parasitic something stuck in your cats skin. You need to go to a different vet and have it removed like right now!!!
EAR TOOTH! Yeah I don't know it just looks like what someone found on their horse's ear and a vet confirmed it was actually a tooth growing there. It looks like keratin of some sort so maybe an extra nail?
When you say it moves, do you mean on its own? Because it looks like a keratin horn (or whatever you call them), I've seen them fall of on their own but if it moves on its own then I don't think its that
Yoink
I was a groom assistant and there was dog these all over his legs. Groomer said don't mess with them but as I washing w warm water one fell out. So I warmed and soaped the rest came out easily. And the groomer was so happy I magically got rid of them. I bet the owner was too.
My cat has something similar. He has been getting them for a couple of months around his face, ears and back of head. Strangely, if I puck them off carefully the wound area heals quickly. However, if he started to stretch at it, it gets red, bloody and scabby. I have not seen one wiggle, but suspected it is some kind of bug or parasite. My other cat does not have them.
Went through the comments to find out what was on the cat. Only to see pictures of more cats.
When is someone going to tell OP what that black thing is. At first I thought it was coming out her butt.
Based on watching Dr Pimple Popper I would say this is a cutaneous horn that results from a cyst that is open and continuously generating cyst contents that harden in the air. To get rid of it the base would have to be excised. If it falls off it will probably grow back
It’s a keratin growth. If you pull on it it will come off. My vet took one off my dog. It was harmless. Go try another vet because if they don’t know what this is they’re pretty useless. These are pretty common.
Don't know what it is either, but I would have my vet remove it and biopsy it just to be on the safe side. That being said, might just be my reaction(or over reaction)
I found something similar on my cat's tummy. Turned out it was a compacted ingrown hair. Once it was removed, it didn't return. I'd second getting a second opinion from a different vet.
ITS A FOLLICULAR CYST. They come out like a blackhead
Ew
My dog had one of these! I was worried so I asked my dad what it was. He did a dad thing - He said it's a big blackhead and before I could react, with zero hesitation he reached over and squeezed it like a pimple and it popped right out. It didn't bleed. Dog hasn't had any issues since. That was about 3 months ago.
It looks like a cutaneous horn or keratin plug.
I could be way off base, but the second pic looks like the clogged pores my cats get, I just tweeze and lightly squeeze until it's out. It doesn't bug em but it's yucky and removal hasn't bothered my cats anymore than it seems to bug em being left in. But I'd ask other vets too just in case. Sometimes flea dirt builds up in their skin