Mesothelioma is a very rare disease in the feline world, and, unlike Mesothelioma in dogs, Mesothelioma in cats is as severe as human Mesothelioma. Asbestos exposure is the main cause for Mesothelioma infected cats. Usually, the cat is allowed to exit the house and if the house is located near factories or facilities that use asbestos in some sort of way the cat might be attracted to those areas and thus come in contact with asbestos fibers. Kittens are immune most of the time, and only become infected if the mother was suffering from mesothelioma during the pregnancy.
Symptoms of Mesothelioma in cats
Veterinarians and experts say that the pet will start exhibiting mesothelioma associated symptoms if it is aged 7 to 10 years. Asbestos cancer in animals is mainly affecting the pleura (the lining of the chest) of the cat, and this causes a very common and severe symptom to cats, they lose almost half of their body weight after mesothelioma has started to develop. This is what you should be looking for, if the cat has lost a lot of weight and it gives signs that it is experiencing pain in the chest region you should take him or her to a veterinarian as soon as possible.
Mesothelioma treatment for cats
The veterinarian that is usually taking care of your cat will consult a veterinarian oncologist in order to determine if the mesothelioma disease is present or not. If the both of them agree that the cat is suffering from mesothelioma, the following treatment methods are available:
- Chemotherapy (only a specific group of drugs, some can be lethal for cats)
- Surgery (rarely used, but it allows the veterinarian to remove a large tumor, if it was allowed to grow)
Lung cancer for cats usually is untreatable, although there have been a few cases along the years that were cured. Most treatments are not effective because the lungs are very sensitive to most chemicals, so they can’t be used without completely damaging the lungs of the cat. The treatments that are commonly used are intracavitary chemotherapy, which requires a small surgical incision, but it proves to be the most effective.
Please contact us if your cat has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, and remember that it is vital to avoid unprotected contact with the cat as its’ fur might still contain asbestos fibers. Contacting asbestosis and mesothelioma centers and receiving valuable advice is absolutely free.
