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Cat face swollen, jaw lump, blood after tooth removal. What's wrong?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Sphynx | Male | neutered | 11 years and 8 months old | 6 lbs

My 11-year-old cat, Ollie, is actually a Peterbald. Indoor cat. A week ago I noticed a tiny bit of swelling on left side of his face, but it ballooned overnight. This morning I also noticed a lump sort of under his jaw, also on left side. Not sure if it is a lymph node. Also a tiny bit of blood in his canned food last night. 3 yrs ago he had all teeth removed due to stomatitis. Small lumps were also found on his tongue at that time. Can't see vet until tomorrow. Tried but unable to attach photos

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner

Published on July 8th, 2018

We had some problems with clients attaching photos yesterday. And I'm sorry we haven't been able to get to your question until now. Hopefully you have been able to have your vet see Ollie today. There are a few possibilities, but if Ollie had any roots of his teeth that were left behind during his full mouth extraction (which can be common regardless of how careful we are), those roots could form an abscess which would explain the swelling along the face, the enlarged lymph node and the blood in the food. Hopefully he is on some antibiotics and feeling better, but I suspect that your vet will need to sedate him to take some x-rays and determine the source of the problem. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and that Ollie is feeling better. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on July 9th, 2018

    Poor guy. I would highly recommend having dental radiographs done here and sampling of the swollen lymph node to send to the lab for analysis to hopefully diagnose the underlying problem. I agree that the top two potential diagnoses are either cancer or an underlying infection due to a retained tooth or tooth root. Stomatitis typically doesn't cause severe swelling that you have described. However, steroid therapy can be given in conjunction with the antibiotics to see if this makes a difference, since stomatitis is typically diagnosed based on physical exam findings. I hope that you get the answer soon and can offer Ollie some relief. He should be on antibitoics and anti-inflammatory medication until a diagnosis has been determined. Best of luck to you both! Take care.

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