What could cause one side of our cat's face to swell?

Question

Charley was fine in the morning. After going outside he came back with one side of his face slightly swollen. Doesn't seem to be causing any discomfort or pain..... Garden snake bite?
Squirll ? He is not in pain and has all his shots. Any ideas?
Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

bee sting or insect bite? possibly allergy. I'd get him checked out by the vet just in case

Answer 2

Do you live in a warm climate? Maybe your cat got stung by a bee or bitten by a spider. I hate to even mention this, but those symptoms are also indicative of acetaminophen toxicity. Acetaminophen (the active ingredient in Tylenol and other pain killers) is highly toxic to cats and dogs. Cats are very susceptible because they love to play "hockey" with pill bottles, which can open up. That kind of swelling could also be from some kind of allergic reaction. Did you change his food recently? Did you feed him something different from the table? Other kinds of poisoning could be from house plants. Have you made sure the plants in your home are non-toxic to cats? Poinsettias (popular Christmas plant) and lilies are highly toxic to cats as well. I hope your kitty recovers. If you doubt your vet, you can always get a 2nd opinion. Make sure they do a blood work-up. The toxins will be present in the blood stream if poisoning is suspected.

Answer 3

It's either an allergic reaction to something, or an abscess that began about 5 days ago and is only just now big enough for you to see. If you want to try some antihistamines, give him 10-15 mg of diphenhydramine (Benedryl) to see if the swelling goes down. If not, or if the swelling returns after a few hours, better have him checked out.

Were it my cat, I'd take him to the vet before doing anything, sometimes it's not what it appears and time is of the essence. Only your vet can diagnose for you.

Answer 4

You never give a cat human meds unless it is your vet personally administering them to the cat or (s)he wrote out a script for the cat.

I know a lady who used Visine on her cats "pink eye" it got worse and kitty ended up needing a long course of treatment that costed over 300$. At the beginning of it, it would of costed less than 100$ had she listened to people that told her to stop using Visine.

Pick up Prince Charles and examine his face close, open his mouth and look inside for as long as he allows you to, watch him till tomorrow, document all signs and symptoms, document food and water intake, energy level, sleeping patterns, bathroom behavior, etc..

Then take this info to your vet (over the phone) to see if you need to come in, in person with Charlie in tow.

Answer 5

Wasp sting. If he lets you,look at it closely to be sure it is not infected from an earlier injury. But it sounds like a sting from a wasp or bee.

Answer 6

Take him to the vet immediatly. Especially since you don't know what caused it. It could have been a poisonous bite. But please take him to the vet. Swelling is not normal for any animal. Good luck.

Answer 7

Please get him to the vet right away. Any kind of swelling on an animal is not normal and needs medical attention. He needs to be checked out so he can get proper treatment. I hope he is okay.

Answer 8

This happened to my cat. We took her to the emergency vet, thinking our other cat scratched her eye (they do that a lot), but he said she was fine and gave us an antibiotic and said it was a kitty cold!

Answer 9

it could be a mouth ulcer which will give pain in the near future i would take him to the vet for a check up,,,,good luck,,,,,,,,,,

Answer 10

Something that needs vetrinary attention , soonest--make an appointment *now*.