Cancer in Cats
Cancer in cats is not as common as cancer in dogs, but cat cancer is often detected at a later stage and therefore is usually more deadly. Cats are good at masking their pain and illnesses, so owners don’t always notice something is wrong with their cats right away.
Types of Feline Cancer
There are different types of cancer in cats. One of the main types is lymphoma, which has been found to be caused by the feline leukemia virus in some cases. Lymphoma affects the lymph system, and will usually cause an overall weight loss, lethargy, and possibly vomiting and diarrhea.
Mammary cancer in cats is not as common today as it once was, because many cat owners have their female cats spayed. This greatly reduces the risk of this type of cancer. With mammary cancer, tumors can usually be felt fairly easily in the cat’s mammary glands.
Still other cats will develop sarcomas, sometimes caused by a vaccination reaction. When vaccinated, a cat will sometimes experience a lump that grows at the injection site and while it is usually a harmless vaccine reaction; it may turn out to be a cancerous vaccine sarcoma.
There are also cancers of the gum tissues, squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, and abdominal tumors. In most of these cases, cats will have lumps that may grow over time, may bleed or become irritated, or be licked or chewed by the cat. Cats rarely develop benign tumors, or harmless fatty tumors, so it is advised that owners have all lumps on their cat checked. If cats experience weight loss, change in stool or urination, breathing problems, or are found to be hiding more often than normal, these could all be causes for concern.
Treatment for Feline Cancer
Treatment for cancer in cats usually consists of surgically removing the cancerous tumors. A mastectomy can sometimes cure mammary cancer, and removing skin and mouth tumors can help with these cancers. But lymphoma and some abdominal cancers are not easily treated, and are usually more aggressive in cats than in other species. Chemotherapy and radiation are options, but cats don’t always tolerate these things well, and many owners aren’t willing to put money into treatment options like that. Cat owners are encouraged to have their cats checked regularly by a veterinarian in order to diagnose cancer and other diseases early.
