Snowball is a fluffy female cat ten years of age.  Can you guess what color she might be?  I ask the question because it is relevant to my thoughts as to what might be causing her problem.  Perhaps I should share with you that very problem. 

            According to Tamara, Snowball’s house servant (Tamara’s words), Snowball has a problem with her left ear.  Her problem initially started with some crusting/scabbing on the tip edge of her left ear.  Tamara says she used to be able to rub off the crusts leaving an area of slightly reddened skin behind.  Overtime however, the crusting has spread down toward the ear base and the very tip edge now seems to be eroding.  Tamara has tried treating with Neosporin, vitamin E oil and cortisone cream with no perceptible improvement. 

            I am sure that most of you realize that Snowball needs to see her veterinarian.  It is my suspicion that there is no over the counter remedy for what is causing the skin lesion on Snowball’s ear.  During that visit I can envision a few diagnostic steps to help arrive at the underlying cause. 

            The first step is fairly noninvasive.  This procedure is termed a skin scrape and is accomplished using a scalpel blade edge scraped across the effected skin and harvesting the material onto a microscope slide for examination under a microscope.  This can show the cells involved with the lesion as well as possible skin parasites that may be causing the problem.  Another quick and easy test is a culture for the fungus that causes ringworm, a possible cause of the problem.  This involves removal of a few hairs from around the lesion area and placing them on a special culture medium to try to grow the fungus that causes ringworm.  I suspect these tests in Snowball’s case will all be negative.  In other words, they will not reveal the cause of her skin problem.  This information is valuable even though it does not give us the answer primarily because we can now rule out these conditions. 

            My suspicion is that Snowball has a type of cancer called squamous cell carcinoma.  This type of cancer is particularly aggressive and depending on the location can quickly lead to death.  In cats this is especially true if it occurs in the mouth although squamous cell carcinoma of the ear can erode away the entire ear then spread to the rest of the head.  Fortunately in Snowball’s case, the lesions are or at least were on the edge of the ear tip.  Tamara did note progression so I am not sure as to the extent of the lesions currently.  

            To definitively diagnose Snowball’s ear problem we will need a biopsy sent in to the pathologist.   If the problem is indeed squamous cell carcinoma, all is not lost.  Because of the location and assuming it has not progressed too far toward the base of the ear, it may be entirely curable.  The cure will involve resection of part of the ear including visibly healthy tissue as a margin from the tumor.  Snowball may not appreciate her reflection in the mirror as much as before surgery but it is a small price to pay for the rest of your life. 

            I mentioned earlier that Snowball’s coat color may be playing a role in her disease.  This is because white cats, yes, you were right, Snowball is a white cat; show a higher incidence for squamous cell carcinoma.  Another curious point is that outdoor cats are far more at risk for this disease than those living indoors.  This is because of increased sun exposure.  Snowball however is an indoor cat thus providing yet another illustration that there are few absolutes.