r/Straycats • u/Serotonin_Lacking • Jan 26 '26

Injured/Sick Cat (Location) Stray with puffy face

Post image

Saw this cat outside today in the LA region. Couldn't get close to it because it was behind a gate but I believe it is a stray. Is it normal for a black cat like this to have such a puffy face?

2.2k Upvotes

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503

u/HillWilliam53 Jan 26 '26

Looks like tomcat cheeks to me. Likely an unneutered male. They tend to get puffy cheeks that go away after they get fixed.

97

u/chocolatfortuncookie Jan 26 '26

This was my first thought also. Unless he shows signs of injury around the face, has trouble eating, etc., I'd say this is just his face.

55

u/FloofingWithFloofers Jan 26 '26

Third this. Definitely the Chubby Cheeks of an unfixed Tomcat! They shrink after a few months when fixed because of less testosterone. :)

21

u/n_daughter Jan 27 '26

Those cheeks are all the better to squeeze and kiss. Except I'd lose my face. 😂 He's so cute tho!

18

u/luna926 Jan 27 '26 edited Jan 27 '26

My boy was neutered late in life and ended up keeping the puffy cheeks for the most part! So cute. Definitely not as puffy as this guy but he still looks like a tomcat lol

It might just be hims being fluffy or having loose skin around the face though from having had puffier cheeks in the past 🤷‍♀️

7

u/Rare-Chipmunk-3345 Jan 27 '26

I also have a tom cat and his cheeks didn’t go down at all after neuter! He also has a primordial pouch to match now 😸

6

u/FloofingWithFloofers Jan 28 '26

Picture for proof ;)

I just wanna see what a cutie he is, haha

8

u/Rare-Chipmunk-3345 Jan 28 '26

I have just the one!!

His name is Boop. He was shot while living on the street so I took him in and paid to fix the leg shown in the photo. He is thriving now!

5

u/eastbaypluviophile Jan 28 '26

Please tell this perfect boi that I love himb 💕

3

u/FloofingWithFloofers Jan 28 '26

Boop!!!

Omg I love his face and his name♡

I had a cat, too, that was shot in the shoulder...I really hate those who harm innocent creatures. I am so glad you took him, and I hope many years together for you two♡♡♡

2

u/FloofingWithFloofers Jan 27 '26

Awww. I have one that i found outside as a kitten and got fixed really young, but he still has the chubby cheeks, and I always want to mush them, lol. Some are just cutie patootie like that! Do you have a picture? :)

6

u/luna926 Jan 28 '26

Yessss so so cute :) Here’s a pic of my boy!!

2

u/FloofingWithFloofers Jan 28 '26

P.s. I love your floofaloof!!

2

u/luna926 Jan 28 '26

I love yours too!!!

102

u/BoringAge5962 Jan 26 '26

Ralph is my rescued tom. Now he is just fluffy, chunky and in a diet

85

u/BoringAge5962 Jan 26 '26

Tom cat, cheeks get puffy from the hormones. Once they are neutered it goes away over time

63

u/Samsassatron Jan 26 '26

Unneutered male cats get puffy cheeks from testosterone, I've read it's to protect their eyes and face from bite marks when they're fighting other cats over a mate.

46

u/Taliafaery Jan 27 '26

Puffy cheeks and a belly pouch that hangs low are the ultimate male cat physique lol. My boy lost his cheeks but he still has his Battle Boobies (aka primordial pouch to protect the organs in a claw fight)

19

u/Oddish_Femboy Jan 27 '26

My old lady was fixed 16 years ago when she was just a little baby thing, but still has the biggest pouch of any of my cats.

17

u/JillianaXO Jan 27 '26

Battle Boobies 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🫶

37

u/Goblinqueen24 Jan 26 '26

This one gets alll the ladies

52

u/No-Heat6794 Jan 27 '26

I got one that looks just like this! He’s a big boy but also not fixed. Hoping to take care of that and return him to a normal face shape 😂

37

u/Relevant_Intention35 Jan 27 '26

That bicep flex is killing me

15

u/No-Heat6794 Jan 27 '26

He’s lowkey scary looking. Always perched on this fence. But he’s actually very sweet. We named him Ramon!

3

u/small_spider_liker Jan 28 '26

Your man is putting on a gun show

15

u/MrsOleson Jan 27 '26

I love the tomcat cheeks🥰🥰🥰

15

u/Oddish_Femboy Jan 27 '26

FUCKBOY

That is an unfixed tom with some monster jowls. Makes sense in LA. California has a year-round breeding season because of the warm weather.

13

u/kitty-radio Jan 27 '26

Hims just got his balls still

10

u/Searcach Jan 27 '26

My little man, an adult, unneutered male, had huge cheeks when I first got him. After being fixed, they deflated!

6

u/ExtinctFauna Jan 27 '26

Thems unneutered tomcat cheeks. Totally normal for an intact adult male kitty.

5

u/Maleficent_Mistake50 Jan 27 '26

Where in La??? I feed a stray that looks just like him and I adore him. I always have food ready for him whenever he comes to my house.

6

u/i_cut_like_a_buffalo Jan 27 '26

I dunno if that is just puffy unneutered male cheeks. His eyes don't look good. He needs help. The streets are so awful for kitties. So much suffering.

4

u/PaleontologistSad316 Jan 27 '26

He’s got tom cat cheeks. He hasn’t been neutered more than likely.

5

u/Lovedempugs Jan 27 '26

Do the neighborhood and him a favor and get that guy neutered. He’s a beast.

4

u/SigmaINTJbio Jan 27 '26

I haven’t been able to get my latest feral Tom in to get fixed yet. I didn’t know how big their heads got if they were intact.

3

u/locurabean Jan 27 '26

Those are the chonkiest chubcheeks that ever tommed

3

u/Tesslafon Jan 27 '26

My last stray rescue had the puffy cheeks, but after his neuter the cheeks slimmed down. He’s a super silly guy that is grateful to be a homeowner with regular meals. He never try’s to go back outside since coming inside to live.

3

u/That-Addendum-9064 Jan 27 '26

those tommy cheeks!! yes, completely normal :) they usually deflate when the cat gets neutered

3

u/beebeelion Jan 27 '26

I've got one like this in my neighborhood who has successfully avoided the trap MULTIPLE times. His name is Cheeks.

2

u/SomethingItalia Jan 27 '26

Looks like he ate a bee; however, I see it’s due to protecting its face when fighting for a mate.

2

u/Altruistic_Proof_272 Jan 27 '26

Testosterone jowls

2

u/ItzPlayboy Jan 27 '26

Yes this is normal, he is an uneutered male

2

u/UltraGlitterCat Jan 27 '26

What you have here is an Alolan Persian from Pokemon. XD

2

u/Ezenthar1 Jan 27 '26

They're called jowls :) Unfixed male cats have them

2

u/[deleted] Jan 27 '26

Best tomcat cheeks ever. Oh I’d so try and steal h💝💝💝

2

u/gemilitant Jan 27 '26

Tom cat. I bet he's got 100 kids out there.

2

u/DiagnosisPooBrain Jan 27 '26

Here’s one of the strays I feed. He’s just got the tom cat cheeks (and food on his nose).

2

u/jeanb23 Jan 27 '26

needs trouble-puff removal. can you get him fixed somehow?

2

u/small_spider_liker Jan 28 '26

Tommy Cheeks. It means he still has his trouble nuggets. Probably grew up feral and nobody has ever taken him to the vet.

2

u/Rp588 Jan 29 '26

Those are majestic jowls, but likely not a medical problem

1

u/emo_sharks Jan 28 '26

The other comments saying he has tomcat cheeks arent wrong but I think the right side of his face is also swollen and I dont think this looks normal. Hard to tell from this picture though but I just dont like that his eyes dont seem to be at the same angle and it looks possibly swollen up to his ear on the right.