Cats are more prone to a handful of cancers and one of them is skin cancer. When you think of skin cancer you might think of humans who don’t apply sunscreen as they head out the door. Skin cancer in cats is the second most common cancer you will find. Your precious cat can get exposure from the sun and leave them susceptible to cancer. I wanted to share some facts about cat skin cancer today to help raise awareness.
Our cat Sassy’s last litter of kittens had leukemia and didn’t make it. I had never realized cats or kittens could have cancer, until moving to the country and experiencing it first hand. It was heartbreaking to watch. If you have had a pet that has developed any kind of cancer, my heart goes out to you. Our pets are family, and no one wants to hear the “C” word (cancer) in any circumstances. So try and learn and be aware of cat skin cancer to try and treat it in the early stages!
Learning About Cat Skin Cancer
If you have a cat that is outdoors a lot or has fair-colored fur, those two things can up the chances of your cat getting skin cancer. Light fur has a harder time in protecting their skin from harmful UV from the sun. Just because you have a light colored fur feline doesn’t mean they will get cancer, it just means to be more aware.
What Cat Skin Cancer Looks Like
Looking over your cat regularly is highly recommended. While your cat is covered in fur, it is easy to miss a sore or discoloration in the skin. Just like going in and getting our skin looked at we need to be advocates and check out cats skin. Here are things to look for when you are grooming your feline.
Discoloration| An early sign is a discoloration of the skin, it might be raised or have some scabbing around it. While this could be a multitude of skin issues, it could be a warning sign.
Sores| If you see a sore on your cat that doesn’t go away, be safe and get your kitty in to be seen. I always say it’s better safe than sorry. A sore that doesn’t seem to fully heal or will randomly bleed is a potential sign of cancer.
Growths On Skin| If you ever see a growth on the skin, always get it checked out. While it could be nothing, you don’t want to risk not doing anything and it being cancer.
Treatment for Cat Skin Cancer
After the initial diagnosis, your vet will give you options. Most of the time if caught early enough they can remove the area with cancer by taking the tumor out. If cancer can’t be removed because of circumstances they might do radiation therapy or even freezing the tumor off if it is small.
If they don’t catch cancer early your vet will give you their honest opinion on how to go about treating your cat. I know no one wants to hear that but there still might be options for your cat.
Be aware of the signs to look for and make sure to try and groom your cat regularly to check for any new skin issues or growths that come up.
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