Removing a polyp from a cat's ear canal costs 200 to 700 USD in the US, 180 to 580 GBP in the UK, and 1,050 to 3,400 CNY in China when it is done through the ear canal with a scope. The open version, a ventral bulla osteotomy, runs 1,200 to 2,500 USD, 1,000 to 2,200 GBP, and 6,000 to 15,000 CNY. Those totals are the sum of 4 line items, exam and otoscopy plus anesthesia plus the procedure plus the recheck, and every clinic quotes them separately, which is why 2 quotes for the same cat can differ by 3 times.
Two procedures, two price brackets
Most inflammatory polyps in cats sit in the middle ear or the back of the nasopharynx and are found in cats under 3 years old, usually after weeks of head shaking, a discharge from one ear, or a droopy eyelid on the same side. The first option is traction avulsion under video otoscopy: a scope goes down the canal, a grabber takes the stalk, and the polyp comes out in one pull. Operating time is 15 to 30 minutes, anesthesia 20 to 35 minutes, and the cat goes home the same day.
The second option is a ventral bulla osteotomy, which opens the bone under the ear to clear the polyp and the inflamed lining from the middle ear. Surgery runs 60 to 90 minutes, the cat stays 1 to 2 nights, and recovery takes 10 to 14 days with a cone. Vets reach for it when the polyp has a wide base, when imaging shows middle ear disease, or when a traction removal has already regrown once.
What the 200 to 700 USD actually covers
Four items, and they add up exactly: exam and otoscopy 60 to 120, sedation or general anesthesia 60 to 180, the removal itself 60 to 320, and the recheck visit with consumables 20 to 80. The low ends sum to 200 and the high ends sum to 700. A quote that names only the surgery fee is missing 3 of the 4 lines, and the missing lines are usually where the surprise sits.
Two items sit outside that total. CT of the bullae adds 300 to 800 USD and is the only way to see middle ear involvement before surgery. Histopathology on the removed tissue adds 80 to 200 USD and is worth asking about when the polyp looks unusual or the cat is over 8.
US, UK, and China, line by line
| Line item | US (USD) | UK (GBP) | China (CNY) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exam and otoscopy | 60-120 | 50-100 | 150-300 |
| Sedation or anesthesia | 60-180 | 55-150 | 300-800 |
| Traction removal | 60-320 | 55-260 | 500-2,000 |
| Recheck and consumables | 20-80 | 20-70 | 100-300 |
| Total, 4 items | 200-700 | 180-580 | 1,050-3,400 |
| Ventral bulla osteotomy, package | 1,200-2,500 | 1,000-2,200 | 6,000-15,000 |
Read the total row as a check, not a price list: 60 plus 60 plus 60 plus 20 equals 200, and 120 plus 180 plus 320 plus 80 equals 700. The UK column follows the same 4 items at 180 to 580 GBP, and the China column at 1,050 to 3,400 CNY, where the procedure fee carries a much larger share of the bill than the anesthesia does.
Why the same surgery moves 1.5 to 3 times
City and hospital tier drive most of the spread. A teaching hospital in a capital city charges 1.5 to 3 times what a suburban clinic charges for the same 30 minute procedure, and the difference is equipment and staffing rather than skill: a video otoscope stack costs 15,000 to 40,000 USD, and a clinic that owns one prices the use of it into every scope case. Emergency or out-of-hours slots add 40% to 60% on top.
Geography inside one country matters as much. In China the same traction removal is quoted at 500 to 900 CNY in a provincial city and 2,000 to 3,400 CNY in a tier 1 hospital, a spread of roughly 3 times. In the US, the rural to metro spread for the full 4 items runs 200 to 700 USD, and in the UK 180 to 580 GBP covers the range from a general practice with a scope to a referral center.
The 90 minute time cost
Traction removal is a half day: 30 minutes of admit and bloodwork, 20 to 35 minutes under anesthesia, 30 to 60 minutes of recovery before discharge. Budget 3 to 4 hours at the clinic and no time off work the next day. A bulla osteotomy is a full day plus 1 to 2 nights of hospitalization, 2 to 3 recheck visits in the first 2 weeks, and 10 to 14 days of cone and restricted jumping.
The 4 week recheck is part of the price
The recheck lands at 28 days, takes 10 to 15 minutes, and is a scope look down the same canal plus a feel of the jaw and the ear base. It is included in some quotes and billed at 40 to 90 USD, 40 to 80 GBP, or 100 to 300 CNY in others. Skipping it is how a regrowth gets found at 6 months instead of 4 weeks, when a second traction is still cheap.
What pushes a 200 to 700 USD bill upward
Five add-ons: CT at 300 to 800 USD, histopathology at 80 to 200 USD, both ears done in one session at roughly 1.6 times the single-ear fee, an overnight stay at 80 to 200 USD, and a second procedure after a regrowth at the full fee again. A cat with a middle ear infection that needs 3 to 6 weeks of follow-up adds 3 to 5 visits at 40 to 90 USD each. None of these are optional extras invented by the clinic; each answers a specific question, and the quote should say which one answers what.
Three questions before you book
1. Ask for the 4 items in writing, with the total row filled in, so the 200 to 700 USD is comparable to the next clinic's number. 2. Ask whether the 28 day recheck is inside the quote or billed at 40 to 90 USD on the day. 3. Ask whether the vet expects a traction removal or a bulla osteotomy, because that single answer moves the estimate from 200 to 700 USD into the 1,200 to 2,500 USD bracket. The same accounting logic applies to routine visit costs and to transfusion and dialysis, and the cost tool puts the 3 regions side by side.
Frequently asked
Is 200 to 700 USD a realistic total for polyp removal?
Yes, when the polyp comes out through the ear canal with a scope and no CT is needed. Exam and otoscopy 60 to 120, anesthesia 60 to 180, removal 60 to 320, and the recheck 20 to 80 add to exactly 200 at the low end and 700 at the high end. In the UK the same 4 lines total 180 to 580 GBP, and in China 1,050 to 3,400 CNY.
Why did one clinic quote 3 times more than another?
City and hospital tier, mostly. The same 30 minute traction removal is quoted at 1.5 to 3 times more at a teaching hospital in a capital than at a suburban clinic, because a video otoscope stack runs 15,000 to 40,000 USD and that cost is priced into every case. Out-of-hours slots add another 40% to 60%.
How much time does the surgery take?
Plan 3 to 4 hours at the clinic for a traction removal: 30 minutes of admit and bloodwork, 20 to 35 minutes under anesthesia, and 30 to 60 minutes of recovery. The 28 day recheck is a 10 to 15 minute scope look. A ventral bulla osteotomy is a full day plus 1 to 2 nights, with 10 to 14 days of cone and no jumping.
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