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Suggestions needed to remove cyst

Posted By Bbisaillon14 (Manteno, Il / U.s.) on 01/18/2012

Hello. I have had 2 cats for a long time. But 1 cat who's about 8-9 years old grew a cyst a little bigger than a grape. It's soft pink and doesn't bother him other than it hangs from his neck/cheek. The vet said they could remove it but it would most likely grow back, so we didn't. I've been "popping" it for a while now and clear liquid comes out. It doesn't seem to bother him other than I'm holding him with a washcloth to his face.

My mother suggested I tie a knot around it so it kills the skin and goes away but I'm afraid of the liquid not having a place to go. He is a loved animal in my home and I would hate to cause him pain. I am also afraid of infection- we havn't had any so far, but I know popping it isn't the best way. Any suggestions?

Replied by Anita (Leeds, Yorkshire) on 03/05/2012

Hi. I have a yorkies who also has these (what my vet calls water cysts). He has told me they are harmless. I still wish there was some remedy I could do at home to remove them. Anita

Replied by Whisky (Kl, Malaysia) on 03/25/2012

Hi folks. My cat Whisky had a sebaceous cyst (watery cyst) just outside the opening of his right ear for quite a few months, and like everyone else was told by my vet to either operate or leave it. For a while, I would squeeze the clear, odorless liquid out every week or two, and it didn't seem to hurt a bit. But I was worried of infection, so I tried pretty much all the suggestions made in this forum, but without much success. Whisky hated the taste of tumeric and getting him to take some on a regular basis was an exercise in torture for both of us.

In the end, the remedy I took was extremely effective and quick, but not for the faint-hearted. First, I grabbed Whisky and carefully drained the cyst of as much liquid as I could, making sure to take note of where the cyst opening was. I took a small needleless syringe, and filled it with about 5-6 drops of providone iodine (trust me, you won't be using all of it). I made sure to expel all the air out of the syringe tip and body. I wrapped up Whisky in towels (he doesn't react well to vets or vet-like activity), pushed the mouth of the syringe firmly over the tiny, tiny hole on the flattened cyst, and squeezed (or tried to squeeze) some of the iodine into the opening cyst. It doesn't take much - you are NOT trying to refill the whole cavity with iodine. I think I only got only a tiny amount into the cyst - the rest went on the towels, on the cotton ball I had stuffed into his ear just in case he struggled and I missed, and of course on my fingers. And it took a few attempts before I was satisfied that some had gone in.

Of course, it's not completely pain-free for him, as iodine on raw flesh can cause pain. I did get a low growl which indicated that it was a painful, but he did not hiss or react very violently, which would have meant that he was in extreme pain. Like all of you, I'm loath to do anything that causes pain to any of my cats, but I decided to do it as the cyst could turn into an abscess if it gets infected, which will be more dangerous to him in the long-run. In any case, the cyst dried up in a a matter of days and was completely gone in a couple of weeks.

By the way, this "remedy" was suggested to me by my vet. Hope this "remedy" helps someone else. It certainly helped me and Whisky.

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