This poor cat had a tumor on its nose. When the mass was biopsied, it came back as Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC).
SCC is one of the more common tumor types that we see in cats, and is often found on the nose, or sometimes in the mouth. White cats are predisposed, and there is evidence that chronic sun exposure and sun damage of the skin can lead to this type of tumor. Other skin conditions that look like this include other tumor types, abscesses (bite wounds), mosquito bite hypersensitivity, and fungal diseases (cryptococcus), so biopsy the only way to obtain a definitive diagnosis. If you see a mass on your cat’s nose, please have your veterinarian evaluate it immediately.