Cat Brain Tumor

Cats can get as sick as humans can and often their illnesses are left for far too long before being correctly diagnosed. Although your cat may be in pain they cannot simply tell you where it hurts and you need to be aware when their routines and habits change. Brain tumors are unfortunately very common in cats and will affect older cats quite often. Many times the tumor is not found due to the nature of the disease and your cat will be left to cope with the condition on their own. There are several different types of brain tumors and some can be treated with great success.

What is a brain tumor?

Although they are called brain tumors often the actual condition is simply a mass in the cat’s brain and often these are a form of Cat Cancer. They can either gather around the brain and attach themselves to the outer wall or spread to the brain from another area. These are often known as primary and secondary and both can be very serious. Although there is no definite cause for your cat to get a brain tumor, it is believed that healthy, well fed cats are less likely to have them. Vets over the years have tried to establish whether the cat’s environment, food or their particular breed causes them to be more susceptible of brain tumors, but there is no definite evidence to support these things.

Symptoms of brain disease

As with any disease you will see a change in your cat which may cause you to be concerned they may be depressed and lacking in energy. Your cat might also be forgetful and be inclined to forget where their litter box is. Your cat may also have a Cat Loss of Appetite and walk around your home from room to room in a state of confusion. Also your cat may suffer from Cat Seizures which can be both frightening and distressing for your cat. Although your cat may suffer from some of these they might not have all of the symptoms and you may not know there is anything wrong for a long time. If the tumor is slow growing then you may just think that your cat is getting old and not think to have them checked out.

Diagnosing a brain tumor

If you are concerned about your cat and think they are displaying one or more of the symptoms then you should have them looked at. Your vet will do a full examination, determine their overall health, and continue with blood tests. These will help to determine if there are any diseases outside of the brain. X-rays and CT scans will then be used to determine if there is a mass and where it is located in your cats head. Once the mass has been discovered then a biopsy will be needed to determine if the tumor is cancerous or not.

Treatment for your cat

The first thing that your vet will advise doing is removing the tumor that is causing the problem; then they will look at trying to find a treatment that will cure the problem. If this isn’t possible they will then look at ways to make your cat as comfortable as possible through Cat Palliative Cancer Care. Although this is often not the outcome you want, it will allow you to spend the last of their days with your cat feeling comfortable and not in pain.

Additional Cat Cancer Pages

Cat Cancer | Cat Skin Cancer | Cat Lung Cancer | Cat Pancreatic Cancer | Cat Cancer Prevention | Cat Cancer Diagnosis | Cat Gastric Cancer | Cat Lymphoma Cancer | Cat Squamous Cell Carcinoma | Cat Mouth Cancer