Introduction
Fortunately cancer is not a common condition in cats. When it does occur, it strikes more often in older cats, or in cats that have not been spayed or neutered. The only exception to this rule is in cats which have been infected with the feline leukemia virus (FeLV) or feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). These cats are at a highly increased risk for developing cancer.
Types of Cancer in Cats
The most common types of cancers which occur in cats are mammary gland cancers, squamous cell carcinomas (also known as skin cancer), feline lymphoma, injection-site sarcoma, and abdominal tumors.
Mammary gland cancers occur over three quarters of the time in cats that have not been spayed. This is usually an aggressive cancer which requires immediate surgery to remove the tumors, but in many cases the cancer comes back within the next year. The outlook of this type of cancer is usually very guarded, and has a lot to do with how early the cancer was diagnosed.
Cats which have very light skin and fur, and who spend lots of time outside, are at an increased risk for developing skin cancers. Fortunately these types of cancers are usually successfully treated with surgery.
Feline lymphoma is associated more often with cats that are infected with FeLV or FIV. This is a cancer of the lymph nodes, and in cats it often travels to the digestive system. Chemotherapy can be used to help control the cancer and increase the cat’s longevity for at least a few years, but cats that are infected with FLV or FIV and lymphoma have a very poor prognosis.
Injection site sarcoma is extremely rare, and this cancer develops as a result of an immune reaction to the vaccination injection site; cats that are diagnosed with this cancer are usually between 7 – 9 years of age. This is an extremely aggressive cancer and while it can be surgically removed, it can quickly come back. Pet owners should understand that cats should always be vaccinated, and that this cancer is so rare it should not keep an owner from vaccinating their cat.