Is my cats nose broken? And if so, is he in danger?

Question
My cat is 5 months old and in good health. During an attempt to give my cat a bath in the sink today, he ran and slipped on the wet counter and fell face-first onto the hardwood floor, surprisingly hard. I picked him up and wrapped him in a towel and noticed his nose was bleeding and his third eyelids were more visible in the inner corners of his eyes than ever before. I wiped a little blood away and ran him very quickly down the street to my grandmother's house. After watching him for a little while, he began to act more normally, eating a very little bit, purring (whether out of stress or comfort, I'm not sure), letting me hold him again, and even playing a bit and using his litterbox. He seems tired, his third eyelids are still peeking out of the corners, eyes are watering, and his nose looks a bit swollen. He won't let me put an ice pack on his nose, but he's dozing in my arms. His nose stopped bleeding very shortly after he fell and his breathing is mostly normal, but every once and awhile, he'll make a sighing/sneezing or a single wheezing noise out of his nose. Other than that , he's been just a sleepier version of himself except for a single, short episode of loud coughing/hacking (without any mucus or blood produced, luckily).

I'm just not sure what to do. This all happened after the vet had closed, so I couldn't call him, but my baby seems to be acting more normal. I'm not sure if he's okay or if he needs immediate medical attention. He has an appointment to be neutered at the beginning of next week, (after I get my paycheck), so should I just make sure he doesn't get worse until then? Or should I take him in sooner?

I'm extremely worried, and I love this cat to death and would hate myself forever if he was in more danger than I thought and put off a vet visit because of money.

Answer
Hi Alix,

Feline facial structure is very different from ours. The bone that forms the human nose protrudes from the natural line of the skull and is thin, much more prone to fracture. If you take a look at a cat skull, the nose is very in line with the skull as a whole. It does not protrude and isn't as prone to taking direct hits like the human nose it. The bone in this area is part of the solid skull.

The skull CAN be crushed or fractured in the nose area if hit hard enough. You are generally going to notice profuse bleeding and swelling with this type of injury. To confirm a fracture, you are probably looking at a CT scan or MRI (regular x-ray machines are typically no good for skull x-rays). You will usually need to be referred to a university or specialty hospital for this type of service.

Most of the time, there is no treatment needed for a skull fracture in cats, anyway. Some rest is encouraged. Vets will repair very severe injuries with pins or staples, but these cats are typically in critical condition.

In all probability, your kitty suffered a soft-tissue injury that resulted in a bloody nose and some swelling. This normally resolves in a day or two. But the only way to be positive is to have him checked out by a vet.

Good luck!
Jessica