מרים עלען
Every second counts in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. But which changes do you need to pay particular attention to? Here are 10 signs that cats may have cancer.
Statistically, 50 percent of all cats over the age of 10 develop cancer, but in principle cats of all ages can be affected. In order to detect potential cancer diseases at an early stage, the US veterinarian and oncologist Dr. Michael Lucroy has compiled an overview of the ten most common signs of cancer. In his opinion, the five most dangerous words in veterinary medicine are “We’ll wait and see”: Waiting out symptoms or existing bumps often costs a lot of valuable time.
Therefore, both regular health checks at the vet and the attention of the owner are necessary to recognize changes in the cat early and to react to them as quickly as possible.
Swellings and Tumors
Cancer generally means an uncontrolled growth of degenerated cells. As soon as growth has passed a certain point, tumors form that can be felt or made visible using an imaging method (X-ray, ultrasound, computed tomography).
Swelling can occur again and again: be it due to injuries, insect bites, or infections. They usually go away on their own within a few days, but the opposite is the case with cancer: a tumor usually grows continuously. The bigger it gets, the slower it grows. Whether an increase in circumference is a cause for concern can only be clarified with a biopsy or fine-needle aspiration. Assessment by inspection and palpation is not reliable.
Bleeding or Discharge
Depending on the location of the tumor, cats with cancer may also experience bleeding or discharge:
- Tumors in the nose or sinuses can cause nosebleeds or nasal discharge.
- Blood in the stool can indicate colon cancer.
- Bloody vaginal discharge in queens can be a sign of uterine, bladder, or urethral cancer.
Besides, bloody ear discharge and bloody saliva are also alarming signs.
וואָג לאָס
If a cat continues to lose weight despite a normal appetite, comparatively harmless causes such as a worm infestation can be behind it. An overactive thyroid gland can also cause problems, especially in older cats. However, there are also types of cancer that affect the metabolic organs. The energy that tumors need for their growth, they steal from the organism. Regular weight checks are always advisable.
אָנווער פון אַפּעטיט
Loss of appetite is a fairly non-specific symptom with many possible causes, including cancer. If, for example, the digestive organs or the oral cavity are affected by cancer, the pain is often so severe that very little or no food is eaten. Impaired kidney and liver function can also suppress appetite.
Poorly Healing Injuries
At first glance, some types of skin cancer resemble wounds or pressure points. However, these do not heal within a few days as a normal wound would. Poorly healing injuries or cracks on the nose, eyelids, and ears are often dismissed as harmless signs of battle but are considered early warning signs of squamous cell carcinoma, i.e. malignant skin cancer. A biopsy will tell.
Conspicuous Chewing and Swallowing
A cat that wants to eat but can’t eat is often suffering in silence. These subtle signals are the first warning signs that the cat is having problems or pain when eating:
- איין-זייטיג קײַען
- Lifting and dropping food from the bowl
- hissing or aggression when eating
In addition to diseases of the teeth and/or the oral cavity, many types of cancer can also make chewing and swallowing difficult:
- Mouth ulcers can not only loosen the teeth but also affect the bones.
- Increases in size in the throat area cause swallowing disorders.
- If the lymph nodes in the neck area enlarge as a result of systematic cancer, swallowing becomes torture.
At first, the cat will try to eat until the pain becomes unbearable and she loses weight.
Unpleasant Body Odor
Some diseases you can almost smell, such as the smell of ammonia from the mouth of cats with kidney disease. Even cancer patients can sometimes give off an unpleasant body odor. Reasons for this can be:
- A large tumor that consists part of dead tissue.
- Colonization with germs – this is particularly common in the mouth area, as there is a perfect environment for bacteria.
- Vaginal cancer can be identified by a foul odor.
Dogs are known to smell skin cancer or bladder cancer in humans, and can also detect lung and breast cancer on the breath with a high success rate. This ability has not yet been scientifically proven in cats, but it is not unlikely.
Persistent Lameness, General Stiffness
Older cats in particular severely restrict their movements in everyday life. Lameness, reluctance to jump and stiffness in the joints are often dismissed as signs of aging but are common signs of osteoarthritis. But they can also be related to bone cancer. Only an X-ray of the affected parts of the body can provide a definitive diagnosis.
Reluctance to Move and Lack of Endurance
Important signs of cancer are often overlooked because they are attributed to the cat’s aging. However, the fact is that some types of cancer can affect the lungs and make breathing very difficult.
If the cat is quiet, it often shows no abnormalities. When moving, however, she quickly gets out of breath. A massively increased need for sleep should also make you prick your ears. Anemia, which can be caused by cancer, manifests itself in a similar way. Since cats generally rest a lot, the symptoms may not always be immediately recognizable as such. A good sense of the holder is required here.
Difficulty in Defecation and Urination
Does the cat keep going to the toilet to squeeze out a few drops of urine? Does she show pain when going to the toilet? Is she suddenly incontinent? These symptoms indicate disease processes in the urinary tract system. They are summarized under the term FLUTD and range from bladder infections to urethral obstruction.
But tumors can also play a role: in the bladder or urethra, they make urination a painful affair. Cancer in the rectum or pelvic cavity can also affect defecation. Prostate cancer is extremely rare in male cats, as most animals are spayed early.
If you notice one or more of these symptoms in your cat, you should not waste any time and consult a veterinarian as soon as possible. Even if ultimately there is no cancer behind the symptoms, it is important to clarify the causes and, if possible, to treat them. As with all other diseases, the same applies to cancer: The earlier the disease is detected, the better the chances of recovery!