Cancer is a disease that we all associate with loss and that carries with it very serious omens. The ‘big C’ however does not just affect humans and can also affect animals, including cats. Cat cancer, or feline cancer, is sadly just as serious as the human equivalent but needn’t necessarily spell the end if you can spot the symptoms early enough and get your pet the appropriate treatment.

Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of cells in any organism’s body. Essentially wear and tear will break down the cell wall (often via the bombardment of free radicals). This will then result in a ‘mutation’ where the DNA of the cell is changed. As this cell reproduces however that imperfection will spread and replace healthy cells with damaged ones.

Cat cancer can affect nearly every major organ in your pet’s body including the stomach, intestines, testicles, muscles, lungs, breasts, skin and glands. Symptoms of cat cancer include vomiting, lethargy and diarrhoea among others though the exact combination will depend on the nature of the cancer. There will also likely be a lump at the source of the cancer, though this will not be visible for cancer of the internal organs.

Skin tumors are less common in cats than in dogs, but in cases of cat cancer they are almost always malignant (meaning that they spread quickly making them more difficult to remove and more dangerous). Lymphoma however is often associated with the feline leukaemia virus and often affects the digestive system. This is one of the most common forms of cat cancer where symptoms are all of those listed above – diarrhoea, vomiting and lethargy and again 85% of cases are sadly malignant. Meanwhile these symptoms, coupled with abdominal enlargement or enlargement of the mammary glands could also signal cases of abdominal or glandular cat cancer respectively.

If your pet is showing any of these symptoms you should take it to a vet right away. Here, if your cat is diagnosed with cat cancer, several things might happen. If the tumour is benign it will simply involve an operation to remove the offending cells. However if it’s malignant it will likely require a course of chemotherapy this can be fairly unpleasant for the sufferer however leading to dizziness and vomiting among other symptoms and is no guaranteed cure – even in successful cases relapse is possibly as soon as ten days after treatment. For these reasons judgement is required on the part of the owner. Another similar option is radiotherapy.

There are things you can do to help your cat’s recovery or to avoid cat cancer in the first place. White cats in particular, but all pets really, should be kept out of the hot sun when possible to avoid damaging the skin cells. Meanwhile a diet high in antioxidants (found in tuna among other foods) will help protect against free radicals. Some products, such as ES Clear, can help cats using a ‘natural’ ‘holistic’ approach and promise a alternative treatment to leukaemia.

In short there is no miracle cure but the choice of treatment is down to the discretion of the owner. Seek consultation from a vet and try to make your pet as comfortable as possible.