Ever had a cat with nasal polyps?

November 5, 2020 2:37 PM

We might, and I would appreciate hearing about your experience.

OUr otherwise healthy, young cat has been battling chronic nasal congestion for a little over a year. He's been getting steroids and antibiotics each time it gets bad - and each time, it wears off in about 6 weeks and the congestion returns. Our vet suspects nasal polyps, but doesn't have the equipment to image them nor the surgical specialty of removing them. So we'll be heading to the fancy vet.

In the meantime, does anyone have experiences with cats that have this, and how the treatment went? Did it work permanently, or did it recur? What treatment did you pursue, and how expensive was it? Would you say it was worth it?

Thanks!

posted by Miko to Pets & Animals (5 answers total)

Cat tax?

Geraldine shrugged off Clavamox. Azithromycin would get rid of the infection and discharge but she still couldn't breath through her nose. The vet eventually diagnosed a nasal polyp and we had surgery to extract it. At this point she was still a kitten. The polyp was 2 cm. The surgery cost under $200.

Over the course of the next 2 months the polyp came back. Since she was due to get spayed we asked the vet to remove the polyp at the same time. The polyp was the size of an egg yolk. This time they got the stem. I have high hopes, but it's only been a month.

The vet said that nasal polyps are not uncommon. The method of removal is traction; they grab it with forceps and pull it out. There's something like a 40% chance of recurrence. Another thing to consider is that cats, or anyone for that matter, can die under anesthesia, so the less of that the better. She bounced back incredibly fast from the surgery.

So, 2 surgeries in 3 months, ~$400 in vet bills, but it looks like she's clean now. YMMV. If it comes back in the near future I'll be incredibly frustrated. She can breath now, so it was totally worth it.

MeMail me if you have any specific questions. Good luck!
posted by irisclara at 3:25 PM on November 5, 2020 [1 favorite]

I might possibly be a terrible person but I have a cat with nasals polyps and we've just let them be, to no ill effect, for several years and no vet has mentioned it after the initial diagnosis. My cat snores a little but I don't think it affects his quality of life. But I imagine some cases might be worse than others.
posted by Brain Sturgeon at 4:15 PM on November 5, 2020 [2 favorites]

Many years ago we had a young cat with nasal polyps. They were bothersome to her, causing sinus issues, infections, etc. so we had them removed. She lived another 15 or 16 years and they never recurred. Good luck!
posted by acanthous at 5:05 PM on November 5, 2020 [1 favorite]

Not directly, but I have been following @bombsfall's Twitter thread about their kittens Sid and Fern; seeing Sid's transformation from sickly kitten to BIG CONFIDENT CAT after surgery to remove a nasal polyp has been one of the few genuinely joyous things this summer.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 5:40 PM on November 5, 2020 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: Thank you, folks, these responses have been super helpful. When the vet described these, I pictured something tiny, not so large and gross! Whew. If anything it's increased my sense of urgency to treat. I hope our outcome is as good as those you have described. Appreciate your help.

Sorry I forgot the cat tax. Here's our l'il Joaquin.
posted by Miko at 6:09 AM on November 6, 2020 [2 favorites]