 The cat's quality of life and potential suffering must always be the overriding concern, it is worthwhile discussing the options available in depth with your vet before arriving at any decision. The choice of whether or not to treat, and what to treat with, will depend on many factors. Some forms of therapy are only available at specialist centers, and your vet may suggest that he or she refers you to one of these places. In many cases, appropriate treatment of cancer can result in a significant improvement in the quality of life for affected cats. Cats can carry side effects though, and your vet will be aware of these. The aim is always to improve the quality of life, and not to cause any increase suffering through the treatment. Although good results can be achieved for some cancers, it is not always appropriate or right to treat a cat and you should discuss options carefully with your vet. Staging the patient Before any treatment is begun for cancer, your vet will want to stage your cat. This is the term used to find out how far the tumor has spread and what, if any, complications have arisen. Using a tumor often involves taking x-rays, or doing an ultrasound, to see if there is evidence of spread, for example to the lungs or liver, perhaps getting samples, biopsies or aspirates, from local lymph nodes, and checking blood samples. Quality of life for the cat with cancer When treating cancer, it is important that everyone involved has the same goals in mind. Veterinary surgeons aim to provide an improved and good quality of life for cancer patients without producing any unacceptable side effects with treatment. And this will also mean a longer life but unnecessary suffering and pain must be avoided. It helps to have talked in advance with your vet about what guidelines you can use to judge your quality of life. For many cancers, inevitably there may come a day when you have to consider euthanasia to avoid unnecessary suffering, this can be a difficult and distressing time, and having the support and help of your vet, and also friends and family can be invaluable. Treatment options for cancer in cats Some treatments are widely available in general practice, while others are only available at specialist centers. Depending on what tumor has been diagnosed, your vet may sometimes suggest referring your cat to a specialist with expert knowledge and a greater range of treatment options. There are three main forms of therapy for cancer. Surgery. Chemotherapy. Drugs. Radiation therapy. Which treatment is used, or offered, for any individual cat will depend on factors such as the type of cancer, the site of cancer, where it is in the body, the presence of metastases, distant spread of the tumor, what is appropriate for your cat, what is available or accessible to you, if you have any doubts or questions, ask your vet for more information. Surgery for cancer patients. Surgery is the single most common form of therapy for cancer and is the treatment most likely to result in a cure. However, complete removal of the tumor by surgery is not always possible due to the site of the tumor or its spread to other sites. This is one of the reasons why an early diagnosis and early treatment can significantly improve the long-term prognosis. In addition to curative surgery, where complete removal of the tumor is attempted, surgery can also be used sometimes to remove some, but not all, of the tumor to help improve quality of life or to help with other treatments, such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy. You can discuss with your vet the risks and benefits anticipated with any surgery to help make a decision in the best interest of your cat. You can also discuss with your vet any pain relief, analgesic therapy, that can be given during the surgery and afterward, and what sort of postoperative care would be required. When cancer patients are treated surgically, it is common to remove normal tissue around the tumor as well as the tumor itself, this is referred to as surgical margins. The reason for this is that many tumors spread microscopically so although it may not be possible to see or feel any abnormalities, even normal tissues around a tumor may contain abnormal cells that would cause future problems if not removed. Hello. This video is sponsored by Beemix Pets. Are you looking for high quality cat collars at an affordable cost? Check out, BeemixPets.com. Use coupon code KittenLife, to get 20% off. Radiation Therapy, Radiotherapy. Radiation therapy is a frightening concept for many people as it is often assumed there will be numerous side effects. However, as with any form of cancer therapy for cats, the goal is to improve quality of life and to relieve any discomfort, without causing any unnecessary additional suffering. While radiation therapy is able to achieve this for many cat cancers, unfortunately, the availability of this form of therapy is quite limited. Your vet may be able to refer you to a specialist center for this treatment. Radiation therapy most commonly involves what is known as external beam radiation, similar to x-rays. A machine is used to focus a beam of radiation at the tumor, but the radiation is much more intense than x-rays and the radiation produced has the ability to kill off cancer cells. Because normal cells can be damaged too, careful calculation of the dose, frequency, and targeting of the radiation is needed. At its best, radiation can kill off cancer cells while causing very little damage to surrounding tissues. Although radiation therapy is used to kill cancer cells, this does not mean that the treated cat becomes radioactive and there is no risk whatsoever to people in contact with the cat. External beam radiation therapy is typically delivered by a machine known as a linear accelerator, pictured right. This therapy usually requires a short general anesthetic, so that the cat does not move during the procedure, and generally, several treatments are given, each lasting only a few minutes, over a few weeks. Radiation therapy can cure some tumors, while with others it may reduce and help control the tumor. In most cases, the damage to surrounding normal tissues is minimal and does not cause significant side effects. The specialist undertaking this therapy would discuss with you in detail what was involved before you make any decision. Chemotherapy, anti-cancer drug therapy. As with radiation therapy, the thought of chemotherapy often carries many misconceptions. Many people know of friends or relatives who have received chemotherapy for cancer and have experienced significant adverse effects associated with the treatment. Although anti-cancer drugs can, and do on occasions, produce side effects in animals too, most people are surprised and relieved at how well cats tolerate chemotherapy. This is in part because cats do tolerate the treatment better, but also in part because lower doses are often used to avoid side effects that would affect the quality of life. A wide variety of different drugs are available to treat cancers, the choice depending on the tumors being treated, what is available, how well the cat may tolerate the treatment, your vet will be able to discuss these options with you and refer you to a specialist for further advice or treatment if necessary. General and palliative care for the cat with cancer. As already noted, it is useful to keep a diary of your cat's behavior, appetite, and any abnormalities you observe, as well as a note of when you administer any medications. This will help you and your vet determine if any additional treatments or investigations are necessary. Maintaining good nutritional intake is an important part of supportive care for your cat with cancer, and offering a variety of foods can help to ensure that a good appetite is maintained. In general, good quality commercial foods are the best choice for a cat with cancer, although at times there may be some special dietary requirements to take into consideration. Warming the food may encourage the appetite, but occasionally, depending on the circumstances, the use of an appetite stimulant or a feeding tube may be needed to overcome poor food intake. Always talk to your vet if your cat's appetite is reduced as this can indicate an underlying problem such as uncontrolled pain or side effects associated with the treatment being received. If you enjoyed this video, kindly press the like button. Also don't forget to subscribe with notifications on, so that you don't miss out on videos like this. Thank you for watching.