Cat cancer of the skin is a treatable condition, provided it is detected in time. Cats die more often from skin cancer than humans and this is mainly due to the fact that the cat cancer is not detected. The fur of the cats makes it difficult to spot any abnormalities and possible signs of skin cancer.
1. Lumps on Your Cat's Skin
Cat skin cancer can be signaled by excrescences, lumps and enlarged moles. The lumps may be cat tumors. However, some excrescences might be benign carcinomas.
If the moles become larger than a pencil eraser you are dealing with melanomas, which may be malignant.
In the mean time, check for changes in skin color or discoloration of the skin.
Do this check-up once a month and signal any alarming signs to your vet. Make sure to look closely, as the cat's fur may hide the possible signs. The easiest way to make sure not to miss any area is to give your cat a full massage.
2. Chewing and Scratching
Skin cancer can cause itchiness and cats will chew and scratch the affected area. These may also be symptoms of cat fleas but, if associated with other symptoms, can point to cancer.
3. Balding Area
Very often, you will notice that the area the cat chews and scratches gets bald and irritated.
4. Bleeding Skin and Slow Healing
If you notice that your cat's skin is irritable and bleeds when the slightest injury occurs, this can be a symptom of skin cancer. Also, if the cat wounds take longer to heal than usual, this can indicate a number of health issues, including skin cancer.
5. Discolored Nose
Your cat's nose can change its color if he has skin cancer. In case your cat has a white nose, it will become reddish. If the nose is usually pink, you might observe a slight color change.
6. Irregularities in the Lip and Eyelid Area
When you check your cat for lumps make sure to check the eye and lip area. Gently feel these areas and if you notice any irregularities, visit your vet. Also, if the color of these areas has changed this may also be a bad sign.
One of the possible causes of feline skin cancer is exposure to too much sunlight; cats with very light noses are more susceptible to this.
Skin cancer symptoms may vary from cat to cat, but if you notice any of the above-mentioned symptoms, you should do some additional blood tests which can give you a clear diagnosis.