Cats with Cancer

Abstract

Practical relevance: Many cats develop cancer and may or may not present with an obvious mass lesion. As our feline patients are living longer and their owners are increasingly seeking veterinary care, the apparent incidence and prevalence of cancer is increasing. Clinical challenges: Neoplasia is a differential for many clinical presentations in cats. Often tumours are relatively advanced at the point of presentation, and this can make management difficult. In addition, many cats find clinic visits stressful and this can influence owners’ decisions about treatment. Audience: This review provides an overview of the approach to the feline cancer patient, and is aimed at all veterinary practitioners that see cats. It is intended as a starting point for more detailed discussions in accompanying articles in this special issue on feline oncology. Evidence base: There is limited data on most feline tumours compared with tumours in canine or human patients, so a robust evidence base is often lacking.