Dedicated to Helping Barney Bubble and His Mysterious, Never Seen Before, Nose

Deep in the woods in Northern Ireland, a tiny soul wandered alone. Any who may have crossed his path would likely stare at his face with bewilderment. Because a mysterious growth had taken over the nose of one solitary ginger feline. But thankfully, a heroic human spotted the suffering cat and rushed to his aid. She wisely reached out to an animal rescue to request their assistance in catching the needy cat. And without another thought, Rescue Cats NI joined the mission to save the cat now called Barney Bubble.

Barney Finds Himself in Trouble

It was in mid March 2025 that the call for help came into Rescue Cats NI, located in Lisburn. The almost 500 acres of area around the Parkanaur forest is where they discovered the odd looking cat. And it was definitely a first for both trappers! When they finally shared his image on social media, his story was certainly a shocking one.

Trip Advisor.com parkanaur-forest-park

Leanne Brown and I trapped Barney at Parkanaur forest around 4 weeks ago. His nose was something I’ve never seen before.

When we got back to the rescue he was so hungry and immediately scoffed his food. It’s not affecting his appetite and his nostrils are free from this growth. Adorable big boy.

We aren’t vets but have done some research and this could be a fungal infection, similar to Wobbles believe it or not but in different places. If it is, it can be treated but can take a year.

He isn’t neutered or chipped and has this obvious nose issue. Carolyn Beattie contacted us about him asking for help, so glad she did. Barney is super friendly and we are wondering was he dumped as people couldn’t afford or didn’t want to treat him. He is safe now and will receive vet care and whatever he needs and for however long he must stay with us.

Sadly, it makes perfect sense that he was abandoned by humans who couldn’t/wouldn’t address his medical issues. And the rescue team was about to confirm that it was going to be a long and winding road.

He Will Always Be Cared For

They immediately knew they needed to do additional testing on his unknown condition. It’s just such a rare occurrence (thank goodness!) that it was all going to be a learning experience. At least Barney was now in good hands and not alone in the woods. But as with most rescues, it was touch and go at first.

[March 29th] Barney was neutered last Friday and had a biopsy of his nose. It was sent to the lab and the results have came back as inconclusive. So we don’t know what’s causing this. It’s clearly some form of growth but trying to remove it may make matters a lot worse so we aren’t sure where to go from here.

[April 9th] Fluid was sent away to the lab but nothing much was found. I did some research months ago when Wobbles had a swollen nose and read up about Cryptococcus, a fungal infection. So I started him on Itrafungol. At the weekend he vomited a lot and wouldn’t eat. I thought we had no other option but to try surgery but knew it possibly wouldn’t be successful. Well after a little tweaking with his meds and food, he is eating again so surgery for tomorrow has been cancelled. The treatment for this could be up to a year but he will have a home here for as long as is required. I think there’s definitely an improvement?

Barney Finds a Buddy

As with most rescues, they need to be sterilized or spay/neutered. The benefits of this simply surgery are innumerable. But it does help cut down on male aggression and eliminates the myriad of issues that can plague a pregnancy in cats. So when Barney was neutered at the same time as another male named Boss, the boys bonded. Perhaps over their mutual losses? (HAHA sorry, not sorry!) But it is simply heartwarming to see them snuggled up together. Just one more example how we can learn compassion from animals.

Barney is so placid and friendly with everyone and the other cats. Him and Boss often cuddle up together. Had we not got them neutered this never would have happened.

So while his caretakers are busy researching his issue, they won’t stop until they can find out all they can. And through it all, Barney remains sweet and loving, even purring his approval to his rescuers. Please be sure to follow Rescue Cats NI on social media and if you would like to help, they’ve shared the links below. Best of luck and we’re all “booping” speedy healing vibes to you Barney Bubble!