Nasal Polyps in Cats

When a cat gets a stuffy nose, it’s easy to assume a kitty cold is the culprit…especially if they’re also sneezing and sniffling. But if your kitty’s stuffy nose persists, it may be time to consider other causes, including nasal polyps in cats.

Feline nasal polyps can cause similar symptoms to the common cat cold. However, nasal polyps in cats don’t go away on their own over time like colds do. And they can cause more complicated health issues.

So how can pet parents tell if their cat has nasal polyps? More importantly, what should they do about it? Here’s everything you need to know about nasal polyps in cats so you (and your kitty) can breathe easier.

What are Nasal Polyps in Cats? 

Polyps are what we call abnormal fleshy growths that can develop in many parts of the body, in both humans and animals. These inflammatory masses are generally benign (non-cancerous). They consist of epithelial cells and cells that respond to inflammation, like white blood cells. Unlike tumors, they do not spread to other tissues.

In cats, polyps can occur in the ear (aural polyps) as well as the nose and throat region (feline nasopharyngeal polyps).

Nasal polyps in cats grow from the inner lining of the nasal cavity or sinuses. They can also develop deep within the head, where the nasal cavities begin.

Feline nasal polyps are generally pink or off-white in color. The fleshy growths may appear soft and rounded, attached by a stalk to nasal tissue or the inside of the nasal cavity. They usually occur on one side, not both sides, but this does occur in 13-24 percent of cases (1,2).

Nasal polyps are not very common. They tend to occur most often in young cats around the age of one year. However, polyps can develop in cats as young as three months of age and much older than one year. No single breed is prone to nasal polyps.

Polyps in Cat’s Nose: Causes 

The exact cause of nasal polyps is unknown. The inflammatory nature of the growths suggests some sort of immune response, but it remains unproven. Theorized (possible) causes include:

• Upper respiratory diseases, such as feline herpesvirus-1 and feline calicivirus. However, multiple studies have failed to prove this link.
• Feline retroviruses (feline leukemia virus and feline immunodeficiency virus), but multiple studies have failed to prove this.
• Bacterial infection is common when cats have a nasal polyp. However, the polyp doesn’t go away with antibiotics, so bacteria cannot be the only cause.
• Chronic rhinitis is a condition of chronic inflammation in the nasal cavity. However, this is diffuse (occurring throughout the cavity), not a mass growing from a single specific place.
• Genetics may play a role. In some litters of cats, more than one cat is affected.

Symptoms of Nasal Polyps in Cats  

Cats with nasal polyps tend to have a very stuffy nose. However, this makes nasal polyps in cats difficult to distinguish from the common kitty cold.

In rare cases, pet parents can actually see a small pink fleshy growth sticking out of their cat’s nose. Though, most of the time, polyps are not obvious to a casual observer.

Some additional cat nasal polyp symptoms to watch out for include:

• Sneezing
• Open-mouth or heavy breathing
• Loud breathing that sounds like snoring
• Difficulty swallowing
• Difficulty breathing
• Discharge from the nose or eyes

These are also signs of upper respiratory disease in cats caused by herpesvirus-1 or feline calicivirus. However, such symptoms tend to improve after about two weeks in cats with these viruses.

Cats with nasal polyps are typically very congested and tend to remain so for over four weeks. Persistent stuffiness and very loud breathing are key indicators that nasal polyps may be the cause.

Diagnosing Nasal Polyps in Cats 

The majority of polyps cannot be diagnosed with a veterinary exam. In rare cases, the growths may be visible externally. But your vet will still conduct a thorough exam to check your cat’s airways and rule out other problems, like upper respiratory disease.

To find nasal polyps, your veterinarian will need to anesthetize your kitty so he’s sleeping. While looking deep into the mouth, your vet will pull the soft part of the roof of the mouth forward to see more of the nasal cavity. If a mass is present, a nasal polyp is likely.

The only way to know for sure if a growth is a polyp is to examine the tissue under a microscope. A cat nasal tumor or growth could indicate nasal cancer in cats. So it is best to remove the growth and test it, especially nasal polyps in older cats.

Treatment for Feline Nasal Polyps 

Many pet parents ask, “Are nasal polyps in cats dangerous?” To answer that, it’s important to know that cats breathe primarily through their noses. Since nasal polyps won’t go away on their own, treatment is essential to eliminate the danger and ensure cats can breathe easily.

There are three main treatments veterinarians use to combat nasal polyps:

1. Cat Nasal Polyp Surgery

Removal by traction is a minor surgery veterinarians use to remove simple nasal polyps in cats.

Usually, the vet will make a small incision in the soft part of the roof of your cat’s mouth. Then they’ll use a surgical instrument to very slowly and carefully pull on the polyp with gentle traction. Ideally, the polyp will tear off with the stalk at the point of origin. 

In some cases, more advanced surgery may be necessary to remove a polyp. For example, if a polyp develops deep inside the head, removing it by traction may be impossible. If a nasal polyp reoccurs after minor surgery to remove it, more advanced surgical treatment is in order.

Cat nasal polyp surgery cost can vary, depending on the complexity. Using traction for removal is a quick procedure that usually costs a few hundred dollars. Advanced surgery can involve a special camera and instrument called rhinoscopy. This would typically cost thousands of dollars and require a specialist.

2. Steroids

Your vet may prescribe prednisolone (or prednisone) after surgery to reduce inflammation in the nasal cavity. You may have to administer the medication for several weeks to reduce the chance of the polyp forming again.

Nasal polyps can recur in cats, particularly if the stalk of the polyp remains after a vet removes the growth. However, several weeks of steroid treatment post-surgery can help reduce the risk of recurrence. According to one study of cats who did not receive steroid treatment after surgery to remove nasal polyps, regrowth occurred between 15-50 percent of the time. (3)

3. Antibiotics

Often, nasal polyps go hand in hand with secondary bacterial infections in cats. While antibiotics do not directly treat the nasal polyp, vets often prescribe them to treat infection, reduce inflammation, and help your kitty breathe comfortably.

How to Help Cats with Feline Nasal Polyps at Home

In addition to veterinary treatment for nasal polyps, there are some things pet parents can do at home to help ease a cat’s recovery

Provide steam showers if your kitty is very congested. Run hot water in the shower and place your kitty in the bathroom while the bathroom fills with steam. Breathing the humid air for around 30 minutes can help reduce congestion so they can breathe easier.

Another way to do this is to use a nebulizer filled with sterile saline solution. Place the nebulizer in or in front of a carrier that’s holding your cat. Cover the carrier with a towel to trap the mist inside, but leave some holes open to encourage airflow. After about 15-30 minutes, the aerosolized mist from the nebulizer should help clear your cat’s airways.

How to Prevent Cat Nasal Polyps

In general, there is no way to prevent nasal polyps in cats as the cause is unknown. However, if your cat develops symptoms of an upper respiratory infection and they worsen or linger, seek treatment from your veterinarian to avoid prolonged inflammation. 

References

1. Kapatkin, Amy S et al. “Results of surgery and long-term follow-up in 31 cats with nasopharyngeal polyps.” Journal of The American Animal Hospital Association 26 (1990): 387-392.
2. Hoppers, Sarrah E et al. “Feline bilateral inflammatory aural polyps: a descriptive retrospective study.” Veterinary dermatology vol. 31,5 (2020): 385-e102. doi:10.1111/vde.12877
3. Anderson, D M et al. “Management of inflammatory polyps in 37 cats.” The Veterinary record vol. 147,24 (2000): 684-7.