Swollen Cheek

[britbrat]

Lola has a swollen, puffy cheek on her left side. She was fine this afternoon but when I got home from work tonight I noticed it. She is acting completely fine and when I touch it it feels regular (soft) she let me look in her mouth some and it seems fine although I couldn't look for long. She is eating fine so far. She is mostly in an inside cat but she did go outside last night, there is a few strays around the house but they are all males and she gets along with them fine from what I've noticed (She is fixed too btw!) She is only 3 years old and has never had a problems before she is currently NOT up-to-date with her shots but she did get them a little over a year ago..I have to work all weekend and I cannot afford an emergency vet (had to do it before!) Plus I probably cannot afford a vet at all... I don't really want to wait the weekend but then again I think I should since this just happened tonight...what should I do...any suggestions on what it could be?

I have pictures but for some reason I cannot upload them on this site so maybe I can sometime tomorrow.....:confused:

C:\Documents and Settings\HP_Owner\My Documents\My Pictures\Adobe\Digital Camera Photos\2009-04-25-0111-02\DSCI0016.JPG

[Julia423]

Are you able to get a really good look? Does she have any scratch/abrasion/cut? If another cat took a swipe at her, she could act normal for a bit until an infection sets in.

I sure know how it is to have to balance vet costs. Hmmm. I think if I couldn't get in this weekend I'd probably take a really good look, wash the area with warm water and mild soap, and apply warm compresses and then have a vet get a look on Monday.

[tiffers]

After reading your post, there are a few things that come to mind. First and foremost, I would think a snake/insect bite. Though, usually with cats these are on their paws. However, Catillac was stung by a wasp a few years ago and one side of her face swelled. You can see a picture by clicking here (http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd182/tdyannd/Feline%20Friends/l_324e55143773ba2252ab31a65adccf79.jpg). There are times when these things go away on their own, but there are also times when they only get worse. We had a dog who was bitten by a snake, the owner neglected to bring the dog in...and he formed an ENORMOUS abscess which required surgical removal.

Just because she is young at three years old, does not mean she's healthy. An abscess from a bad tooth is always something I am thinking about. She doesn't need to have bad 'looking' teeth for an abscess to occur either.

Any time their is a swelling it mean inflammation which has the potential to turn into an infection. I know that you want to try to avoid the vet, but it's really not a good idea. If the swelling gets too big, it can begin to push on her sinuses or airways and cut off her breathing.

You can give her some Benadryl that will help with the swelling if it's just a reaction to something. The dose is 1mg/1lb of an adult tablet. The usually come in 25mg so you'll need to 1/2 it and maybe even 1/4 it depending on the size of your kitty. This may completely knock her out or it may make her incredibly hyper.

If you decide to try the Benadryl, and it doesn't take the swelling down, you need to take your cat to the vet. Immediately.

[britbrat]

well surprisingly the swelling was completely gone the next day and she is still acting just fine and eating and all so I have no clue what it was hopefully it won't turn into anything else...maybe she just got bit by an ant or something

[tiffers]

I am glad the swelling has gone down. Keep a close eye on her and make sure it doesn't come back or you don't see any other changes.

[krazy4birds]

I am glad to hear things are getting back to normal but as Tiffers suggested keep an eye out for awhile to make sure it is really over!