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Even though it may be gross to think about, familiarizing yourself with a cat’s nasal discharge can help you take better care of them. The color of your cat’s boogers can alert you of potential infections and diseases.
Sometimes, your cat may have black boogers. In most cases, their nasal discharge will appear black or brown when it contains dried blood. Blood in the nasal passage often points to an underlying health issue that requires veterinary attention. So, it’s best to consult your vet if you notice black boogers in and around your cat’s nose.
The 5 Possible Reasons Your Cat Has Black Boogers
A cat’s nasal discharge usually looks transparent, but it can change colors and become more opaque if they get sick. Both environmental factors and internal health issues can affect the color of your cat’s nasal discharge. Here are some common reasons why your cat’s boogers may by black.
1. Respiratory Tract Disease
When a cat’s respiratory tract gets inflamed, it can cause black or brown boogers to form around their nose. Nasal discharge from respiratory tract disease is usually thick and yellow. However, it can have a red tinge with fresh blood or it may appear dark brown from older blood. Along with nasal discharge, cats with respiratory tract disease often have eye discharge and sneezing. They can have runny eyes and noses for several weeks to months.
2. Nose Bleeds
Dark nasal discharge is often caused by blood in the nose, which is known as epistaxis. There are many different causes for epistaxis and the seriousness of the condition varies from mild to severe. It’s most common for epistaxis to be a sign of an infection or trauma. However, it can also be caused by liver failure, feline leukemia virus infection, drug reactions, fungal diseases, hemophilia, and rodenticide poisoning.
3. External Pollutants
Sometimes, black boogers may form around your cat’s nose if they’re exposed to external pollutants. This can occur in urban cities where there’s more smoke, gas, and other airborne particles. It’s also more common for outdoor cats than indoor cats to have darker nasal discharge because they have more exposure to outdoor air and dirt.
4. Rhinitis
Rhinitis refers to when the mucous membranes in the nose become inflamed. Most cases of rhinitis are caused by a viral infection, but it can also be a sign of allergies. The nasal discharge from rhinitis is usually clear, but it can become thicker and more opaque if a secondary bacterial infection occurs. Other signs of rhinitis include sneezing, pawing at the face, labored inhalation, and snoring.
5. Nasal Trauma
A significant injury to the nose or nasal cavity can cause bleeding. Dried blood can gather within the nose and look like black boogers when they fall out. Most cases of nasal trauma will be apparent. An injured nose usually looks swollen, bruised, or discolored. Cats can also experience difficulty breathing, so it’s important for your cat to receive medical attention as soon as possible.
What to Do if Your Cat Has Black Boogers
If your cat’s boogers look like soot or ash, it’s possible that they’ve been exposed to air pollutants. You can usually just wipe their noses clean and remove any bigger particles that are clinging to the outer parts of their nostrils.
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At Catster, we’ve admired Hepper for many years and decided to take a controlling ownership interest so that we could benefit from the outstanding designs of this cool cat company!If your cat’s boogers are dark brown and look more like dried blood, it’s best to get them to a vet for a checkup. Dried blood in the nasal cavity usually indicates an underlying medical condition that requires veterinary intervention and care. Make sure to take note of any other signs or unusual behaviors from your cat, as this information can be helpful for your vet’s diagnosis.
Since a variety of health issues can cause bloody noses, treatment plans will vary from case to case. Therefore, it’s important to consult your vet before treating your cat. Your vet can provide treatment options and prescribe medication that will help your cat feel better.
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Final Thoughts
Overall, your cat’s boogers may turn black when there’s bleeding in their nasal passages. In some cases, their boogers may be black due to inhaling air pollutants. Causes of blood in the nasal passages will vary. So, it’s important for your cat to see a vet to get a proper diagnosis and ensure they receive the right treatment to help them get better.
Featured Image Credit: Firman Widyasmara, Shutterstock
4 Responses
first your site has very helpful advice. my 17 year old Manx cat is being treated for upper respiratory and has significant nasal discharge that I must help clean as it tends to harden while she sleeps. My question is can I use non-sterile gauze pads to clean that from her nose and also use to clean ear wax that drains from her ears? And is there a product or balm that is good for the nose to loosen the buggers? I currently use sterile saline, but find it doesn't help to loosen the discharge. I have a cleaning product for the ears.
thank you
Hi Edit normally gauze used to clean nasal discharge does not need to be sterile, sterile saline is recommended to help loosen boogers and another trick that works is to increase the environmental humidity, placing the cat in the bathroom while you have a warm shower so that they can inhale the steam might help. Please note you do not need to put the cat in the shower, only in the bathroom. However, the key point here is that the infection needs to be controlled, please follow your veterinarian’s recommendations and prescription treatment. The wax draining from the ears is not normal, we recommend you avoid using any product to clean it unless your veterinarian has prescribed it because you need to ensure you are using the correct treatment, otherwise, we can do more harm than help. If you do not notice any improvement in your cat and the signs continue, please let your veterinarian know about this, sometimes treatments need to be adjusted or revised. We hope this helps, best wishes and thank you for reading us.
Seems like it would be more useful to leave the blood or gunk on your cat's nose so that the vet can get a better idea of what is going on with one's cat.
Dear Laura,
Thank you for your feedback and sorry for a bit of a late answer. We understand your reasoning, however, leaving the blood or gunk on your cat's nose may cause discomfort to your cat and perhaps even breathing problems. Good alternative could be to take a photo or keep the blood or gunk you removed in sealable plastic bag in case your vet would want to make laboratory tests on them.