A Regal Mystery

Cammie’s cold is now gone, she has ceased vomiting, and her appetite is good once more. But she is suffering a third problem, though I don’t think this one is as bothersome to her as the previous two she has had recently.

Now and then, the princess has inflammation appear on the sides of her head. This swelling begins pink and sometimes can grow quite large, though it is usually the size of a marble. The swellings eventually break open and discharge clear puss. They are, I believe, the result of the body fighting an allergic reaction.

To the best of my knowledge, I have narrowed the causes to certain tinned foods. Cammie used to vary her consumption of Fancy Feast ocean whitefish with the same brand’s cod/shrimp/sole flavour. This seemed to cause the outbreak. Fish in general doesn’t bother her, but I think the shrimp in this case does. When she went off her usual tastes, I fed her some Blue Healthy Gourmet tinned food. This started her eating again, for which I was grateful, but she suffered another, similar reaction, which I believe was caused by the food. The flavour I had given her was salmon, and it did not contain shrimp. She has eaten Fancy Feast salmon without a problem arising from it. Perhaps the latter salmon isn’t as ‘salmony’ as the Blue.

Now, she has returned to enjoying her ocean whitefish, and she is eating hard-food again, so I am relieved not to have to experiment with varieties to keep her fed. The reaction, in the form of inflammation, is rather severe this time, but has passed its peak.

When these first started, a long time ago, I asked the veterinarian what may be causing them and the answer was the generic ‘allergic reaction’. I didn’t need a doctor to tell me that. So I thought I would ask fellow cat-owners if they know of something similar.

The inflammation is always on the sides of her head - never anywhere else - usually in the balding patch behind and above the eyes. It is often pink in hue. What is important to note is that Cammie never seems to be bothered by them. She does not scratch them. They are not itchy. They break open eventually of their own accord and sometimes when she scratches in the area; again, they are not itchy and she scratches there no more frequently than would an unafflicted cat. Touching them leaves her untroubled. Her health is not otherwise affected. She will eat well while the inflammation is present. She is not lethargic, is interested in what is going on, can run and climb with her usual vigour.

The last characteristic is that I first noticed something strange in that area immediately after Cammie had had a brief set-to with Josie, years ago. What resulted looked like scratches. Perhaps the original inflammation came from that incident. Perhaps cysts developed. But they come and go; are filled, not with the usual cyst matter, but with puss, and they are caused, or perhaps only triggered, by certain food. It may be that the fight with Josie was only coincidental to the first appearance. After all, I’ve not heard of a cat scratching another simultaneously on both sides of the head.

In any case, now that the princess’s diet is returning to normal, I don’t foresee another outbreak soon. This condition does, however, remain puzzling to me. I don’t believe it is dangerous, but I wouldn’t mind its origins explained.