Treating A Cat Or Kitten With Cancer

Once upon a time learning that your family pet had cancer was a death sentence. Things have changed, and there are far more options available to treat cat cancer.

Like humans, both dogs and cats are subject to being felled by cancer. It may invade their bodies in various locations, and come in various forms. For example:

• Bone cancer
• Liver cancer
• Gut cancer
• Mouth cancer
• Nose cancer
• Carcinoma of the skin
• Injection site cancer
• Mammary or breast cancer
• Reproductive system cancer
• Eye cancer
• Brain cancer

Why do cats get cancer? If there were a clear answer for that, there wouldn't be as cats, or dogs, dying of cancer. Sadly, the causes may range all the way from genetics to smoking in the home, and from viruses to hormone levels. While statistically, cats get fewer cancers, the huge “C” kills virtually half of our pets above the age of 10 years, and this includes dogs also.

You may wonder what difference it makes to know the type of cancer your cat has been diagnosed as having, because cancer is cancer. In fact, the sort of uncontrolled growth/growth makes a gigantic difference in the treatment of cat cancer. As an example, cancer of the skin could be the results of basal cell cancers, fibrosarcoma, lymphosarcoma, mast cell tumors or squamous cell carcinoma. Each of these cancers needs a different treatment and has a different prognosis.

How would you know if something was not right with your cat? Most alert pet owners do pick up on changes in their cat’s routine. Making this even more difficult , thanks to the nature of cats, they regularly hide their symptoms, and it is not until too late that you discover something is seriously not right. If you should happen to feel any strange lumps or bumps on your cat, this is never a strong indication. Head to the vet straight away, as the earlier you catch the disease, the better the diagnosis is for your cat.

Watch for the following signs of illness:

• Vomiting
• Weight loss not withstanding eating problems
• Loss of appetite
• Lethargy
• Blood in urine and/or feces
• Urinating or defecating along with failiure to use the litter box
• Poor smelling feces
• Endless desire to eat and no weight gain
• Weakness
• Wounds that will not heal
• Respiratory issues
• Disturbing smell
• Has trouble with eating and swallowing

Thanks to the investment pharma companies have made in pet health and medicine and related advances in human medicine, there are many more treatment modalities avaialable for cat cancer than there used to be. Depending on what condition your cat is in, the treatment approach may be adapted to the specific disease and what is effective, and will include some or all of these standard approaches or options: radiation, surgery or chemotherapy. Even though it is heart wrenching to observe your cat go through treatment like this, it doesn't affect the feline species in exactly the same way as you and me. Yes, they do show symptoms of feeling sick, but seem to be ready to handle this type of approach better than we do

Here as well , you have other options open to you, for example natural or homeopathic treatment possibilities. If you have a tendency to go practitioner of natural medicine, mention this to the vet. It is really important that they know what other supplements you plan to give your cat, so they may adjust the treatment regime. Many folks don’t realize that natural remedies may not work and could possible interfere with the effectiveness of traditional medication, and could harm your pet. This is not to say don’t use them, but to consult a veterinarian before you do. What's critical for your cat is the type of life expected at the end of treatment. If the diagnosis isn't that bright, you'll have a hard call to make. Here homeopathics may be able to improve the quality of life, when traditional medicine cannot help.

If you want to try homeopathic supplements such as antioxidants you will need to check the efficacy of supplements such as Indian ginseng, milk thistle, mistletoe, Huang Qi and cat’s claw. These herbs have antioxidant properties and can possibly contribute to improved health while they help to normalize your cat’s metabolism, while boosting the immunity mechanism.

The author, Cathy Doggins, is a leading advocate and contributor to publications on cat health worries like cat cancer. When not looking after her many kittens She is an editor for the well known feline authority site the Cat Health Guide.