Know About Cat Breast Cancer & Prevention (Doctor’s Guide)

Cat Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is a disease of middle-aged and old female cats especially Siamese cats. Ninety percent of cat breast tumors are malignant. Any hard lump near a nipple and under the skin of a breast should be examined by your veterinarian. Early diagnosis and aggressive therapy of malignant breast tumors may prolong your cat’s life.

The cause of breast cancer is not known; however, it is possible that breast cancer may be averted if your cat is spayed before the first heat. So if you do not plan to breed your cat, it may be a good idea to have the ovario-hysterectomy done early.

If the lump is suspicious, your veterinarian will probably recommend two procedures a radiograph or ultrasound of the chest and a biopsy of the lump. If malignancy is present, metastasis of the cancer to the lungs is a fairly common occurrence. If there is no evidence of metastasis, surgery will be recommended. The affected breast and the adjacent lymph vessels, veins, and lymph nodes will usually be removed and examined for malignancy.

If the tumor is benign, breathe a sigh of relief! Some benign tumors can become malignant if they are not removed. If the tumor is malignant, the surgery may increase your cat’s life span and free it of discomfort or pain. Surgery may be combined with chemotherapy, radiation, or immunotherapy.

As you can see, cancer is a very complex chronic disease that in many instances can be treated. Early diagnosis is very important, as is close cooperation with your veterinarian during treatment. The decision between euthanasia and treatment should be made only after serious consultation with your veterinarian, always keeping in mind your cat’s well-being.

All About: Cat Breast Cancer

• Adult female cats of 10 – 14 years are prone to the disease. The Siamese cats are two times more vulnerable to the disorder than any other breed of cat. The cats that are unsprayed may get affected by the disease. Even the ones that have been spayed after one or more than one heat cycles and with or without kittens are more prone to breast cancer than the ones that have been spayed before the heat cycles.
• Almost more than 85% of the tumors developing in cats are malignant in nature. The rest 15% of the tumors include papillomas, sarcomas and adenomas. The malignant tumors known as the Adenocarcinomas may even cause metastasize in the neighboring lymph nodes and lungs.
• he nodules generally develop on the first set of the mammary glands. The nodules are hard some of them are movable while the others stick firm to the skin or underneath the skin of the mammary glands. About one fourth of the lumps are ulcerated and the symptoms like swelling, pain and fever and such.

Cat Breast Cancer Prevention

The best possible way to prevent the incidence of cancer is to by spaying the cat before it reaches its first heat cycle. You should also stop giving drugs containing progesterone like Ovaban and Depo-provera as they increase the possibility of the incidence of the disease. The owners of female cats must also ensure regular check ups as early detection may lead to easy cure of the disease.