How to Detect Skin Cancer in Cats

Series Summary

Cats have been domesticated pets for centuries, providing companionship to people as far back as 9,500 years ago. Despite the stereotype of cats as solitary animals with no need for human presence, many cats have a very social relationship with their owners, providing and receiving affection on many levels. In fact, some people suggest that human owners provide a sort of surrogate mother figure for cats and kittens, and that adult domesticated cats live in a sort of extended kittenhood. In this free video on pet care, a veterinarian discusses several tips for caring for a cat's health. Learn about the importance of getting a cat spayed or neutered and to reduce the overpopulation of stray animals. Also, get tips on treating cat diseases, like irritable bowel syndrome, bladder infections and feline acne. Find out how to determine if a cat has skin cancer, is pregnant or needs an anal gland expression. Staying informed and educated about cat heath issues maintains a healthy and happy feline pet.

Video Transcript

"Let's talk about detecting skin cancer in your cat. Skin cancer is actually fairly common in cats. It almost exclusively shows up as being a raised plaque or a raised lump somewhere on the skin. In cats, especially, they are prone to getting skin cancer on the face - especially the nose and on the ears. The reason that is especially for outdoor cats is that they're getting sun damaged chronically, just like we think about with us. Cats that are white color or tan color cats or have pink noses are much more susceptible to getting sun damage and sun damage can chronically lead to skin cancer. So the most common skin cancer we see is squamous cell carcinoma just like it is in people. It will show up as a lump or a bump and so if you see anything like that and you're concerned, then obviously get your veterinarian to check that and see if that is some sort of cancer or problem that they need to investigate further."