Cat Chat Feline Forum

Hi there
Can anyone help with what might cause a Black fur like substance to form around my cats nostril? I can't seem to add the picture as the file keeps coming up as error.

Many thanks in advance
Niky

Hi there and welcome

Is it a sort of crust?

When my eldest girl, Emily, moved in 15 years ago after a feral life, I noticed a caked black discharge from both nostrils, one worse than the other.

I assumed this was the result of what's called a low-grade infection, which may be brought on by stress (she'd recently been neutered and even a move from streetlife to a safe home is an upheaval - oh, and there'd been kittens as well.)

I reckoned the vets ought to have spotted anything untoward and since she was thriving otherwise, I just kept my eye on it, I'd gently scrape it away when she'd let me ... oh happy days, picking a cat's nose ...

It went away by itself in time and she's now a healthy old lady of almost 16

BUT if you see any more sinister symptoms, such as not eating, miserable, crusted eyes, sneezing a lot or nasal discharge, please do get your cat checked out. There is a nasty called calicivirus which I believe is a form of flu, which may need more specialised treatment. But I hope this isn't the case!

And hopefully there will be others along soon with more info and advice, but hope this helps for now, please let us know how the cat gets on, all the best.

Thanks so much, mine was a street cat that I rescued and had neutered, only to find out at the time that she had a huge infection in her uterus that would have killed her had I not brought her in, so they removed everything and I had to keep her in the house for 7 days to recover. This was the first experience she had with me and the first time ever inside a home, so the traumatic experience makes perfect sense to me. She has losted some weight, but she was over weight or rather bloated from worms prior, but she did have a red outline around her eyes, not the whites, but that seems to have gone now too.
Many thanks
Niky