Is a skin cancer diagnosis in cats a death sentence? - Animal Hospital of Statesville

And skin cancer in cats is not a death sentence. It doesn't mean that, but it does mean that we want them in to deal with it as quickly as possible and help minimize any long-term issues we may have with it.

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Are skin tumors painful for cats? - Animal Hospital of Statesville

They're probably a little uncomfortable. Most of us have had warts and things along that line, and they don't tend to be terribly painful. If they're red and inflamed and oozing, they're uncomfortable, but by large, most cats aren't going to complain about a lump or a bump. They don't really complain about anything except something that just ticks them off. As you said, company, change in habits, or their food ball has a hole in the center, but they don't usually complain about not feeling well, or it takes a while to figure that out with cats.

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Can tumors in cats be removed? - Animal Hospital of Statesville

That is the treatment of choice for tumors in cats. Once again, the sooner we deal with things, the better. For many reasons, the sooner we deal with them, the less chance they have to spread, the smaller they are, so the smaller amount of tissue has to be removed, and the better chance we have of getting it all. So again, that's why I was mentioning that with cats, the sooner we deal with these things, the better off we are.

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Are certain cat breeds more prone to skin cancer? - Animal Hospital of Statesville

Some of the breeds, like a Siamese, are more prone. Breeds like the sphynx cat that doesn't have hair, obviously, are more prone. But any cat is predisposed to this, and we don't see it as much in those breeds, but we don't see those breeds as much either. We usually see the regular old domestic with long, short, medium hair.

Contributed by Chip Cooney from
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