Horn-like growths on cat's belly

Tonight I noticed that one of my cats, Sabrina, a 13 1/2 year old female, has some horn-like growths on her belly. She's not a cuddly type of cat and doesn't like being picked up, but she will come to me to be petted and at night I go over to the chair where she is sleeping and pet her a bit before I go to bed. Since I don't pick her up and handle her a lot like I do with the other three cats, I hadn't noticed these growths on her before. When I found the first one, I thought it was a tick but she never goes outside and I haven't found any ticks on the dogs at all this winter. Plus, all the cats and dogs in the house have been treated with Frontline Plus. After feeling it, it was almost like she was growing a toenail out of her belly. I felt around a bit more and found another one in what would be the armpit area of one of her front paws. I was only able to feel around for a little bit and then I got a warning from her - she raised one of her front paws at me and growled.

I have a vet appointment on Tuesday for two of the dogs and I'm going to call Monday to see if they can squeeze Sabrina in too. In the meantime I wanted to check here and see if anyone has ever found similar growths on their cats.

Thanks!!!

 

Teats? Here's a picture http://image58.webshots.com/158/4/20/83/2279420830073695872HEBXOG_fs.jpg. (Ignore the one in the red box; it's an extra one.)

If they are, I've no idea if your cat's teats are abnormally hard or not; can you check the others?

 

Thanks, JJ, but it's not teats because one is in the armpit area of one of her front legs.

For some reason I can't open the picture - it says Forbidden.

 

Could it be a thick scab? If there's a lesion it would explain the growling.

 

No, not a scab. When I looked at one of them and felt it - it was almost like a toenail.

Sabrina always growls if you mess with her too much. She doesn't like to be handled or pinned down. She can be affectionate, but always on her own terms. I've never tried to force her to be anything other that who she is and always pet her and give affection when she asks for it.

 

can you get a pic of it and show us?

 

Not sure how well this is going to show up. I tried to sharpen the picture so you could see the growth.

 

Still not convinced it's not a teat. Try here for teat locations http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2279420830073695872HEBXOG, or go here and select the first image (the one with the cat stretched out out it's back) http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&source=hp&q=cat teats&gbv=2&aq=f&oq=&aqi=; note the top pair are kinda near the armpit. And here's a picture of a cat teat (yours may be more swollen if you've been examining it) http://www.flickr.com/photos/sovica/3563785048/.

 

If you were talking about toes, I'd say you were looking at cutaneous horns or hyperkeratosis. However, given the location and the picture you've shown, I know exactly what they are ... (drum roll please):



Inverted nipple crud. If you can, squeeze underneath like for a pimple. It will project a little more and you can just pull it out. Weird, right? Once you pull one out, that will confirm it's just impacted crud and you can pull the others off if you want to. They aren't harmful. Personally, I always take them off because I'm a "picker" and the thought of impacted dirt bothers me. I see a lot of these from positioning cats for x-ray on their back, and when you shave them for surgery you can see them quite well. Usually only happens in the first two sets of nipples.

As for it seeming to be under the armpit, that is just because of the amt of loose skin they have. The foremost nipples (closest to the head) usually seem higher up than you'd expect.

Let me know what happens! I'm sure that's what they are. I have no idea how they get to be so hard, BTW. Years of impacted dirt and dead skin cells, maybe.

 

I'm a bit hesitant about trying to squeeze or pull them off because I know she'll get ticked off. I do plan to try and get her into the vet Tuesday with the dogs and oddly enough, she's more docile and tolerant when she's at the vet. Maybe I'll just let him do it. :mrgreen:

 

Just to clarify, it's not like a scab or something adhesive so there is no pain when they are removed. They just slip off when you pull. You can pull without squeezing if it's jutting out enough already.

Let me know what the vet says though

 

Ewwww. I'm sorry but it made MY nipples pucker to hear that.

 

> Inverted nipple crud.
[...]
> Just to clarify, it's not like a scab or something adhesive so there
> is no pain when they are removed. They just slip off when you pull.

To put it in human terms, think of it as compacted belly button lint -- it gets stuck in there, but it doesn't hurt to pull it out.

 

Man, I learn so much here.

 

Gee, when I took Maggie to the vet once with this, she didn't call it that! But she did just picked it off.

 

Ha I don't know what I'd call it if I had to put a name to it in front of a client. All I can think of are even-funnier names ...

 

Oh man. I sooooo want to say something.................... if only this was ravelry

 

So it's like a pimple! Full of crud and pickers must pick and remove it! Eeewww gross, but thanks for the lesson and now I know if I see it here what to do. (I'm a picker too). :mrgreen:

 

Nipple boogers. :mrgreen:

The vet appointment was postponed until next Tuesday. I may try looking at them again if I can do it without her getting to pissed off. :smile:

 

Wow....I agree, the things we learn here :mrgreen:

 

So I looked at it again tonight and pulled on it and it came off. It was a bit of crud and fur mixed together and her nipple looked find after I removed it. Well, now that I know what it was and removed it, she really doesn't need to go to the vet for it after all.

She surprised me by letting me pull on it and remove it. The other night she didn't want me playing around with it. Guess she must have heard it would mean a trip to the vet and decided to let me at it. :lol:

 

This is the first smile I have had all week. Thanks. :mrgreen:

Oh, and glad the vet visit was avoided!