Once upon a time finding out your cat had cancer was a death sentence. Things have changed, and there are way more options available to treat cat cancer.

Like humans, both cats and dogs are susceptible to being felled by cancer. It may invade their bodies in diverse locations, and come in various forms. For example:

- Bone cancer
- Liver cancer
- Gastric cancer
- Mouth cancer
- Nose cancer
- Carcinoma of the skin
- Injection site cancer
- Mammary cancer
- Reproductive system cancer
- Ocular cancer
- Brain cancer

Why do cats get cancer? If there were a clear answer for that, there would not be as cats, or dogs, expiring from cancer. Unfortunately, the causes may range all the way from genetics to smoking in the home, and from viruses to hormone levels. While statistically, cats get less cancers, the big "C" kills almost half our pets past the age of 10 years, and this includes dogs too.

You might wonder what difference it makes to identify the type of cancer your cat has been diagnosed with, because cancer is cancer. In fact, the sort of uncontrolled growth/cancer makes an enormous difference in the handling of cat cancer. As an example, cancer of the skin may be the results of fundamental cell growths, fibrosarcoma, lymphosarcoma, mast cell cancers or squamous cell carcinoma. Each one of these tumors requires a different treatment and has a different prognosis.

How would you know if something was wrong with your cat? Most alert owners of pets do pick up on changes in their cat's routine. Unfortunately , thanks to the nature of cats, they regularly hide their symptoms, and it is not until too late that you discover something is seriously wrong. If you happen to feel lumps on your cat, this is never a good sign. Head to the vet straight away, as the earlier you catch the cancer, the better the diagnosis is for your cat.

Watch for the following signs of illness:

- Vomiting
- Weight loss despite eating less than normal
- Loss of appetite
- Listlessness
- Blood in urine and/or feces
- Urinating or defecating out of the litter box
- Poor smelling feces
- Voracious desire to eat and no weight gain
- Weakness
- Wounds that won't heal
- Breathing difficulties
- Disturbing odour
- Has trouble with eating and swallowing

Thanks to advances in veterinary medicine, there are many more treatment possibilities for cat cancer than there used to be. Depending on what condition your cat is in, the treatment regime may vary, and could include some or all of these various options: radiation, surgery or chemotherapy. Even though it is heart wrenching to observe your cat go thru treatment like this, it doesn't affect them in exactly the same way as a human. Yes, they do show symptoms of feeling unwell, but appear to be ready to handle this sort of therapy better than we do

Here too , you've got other options open to you, such as natural or homeopathic treatment choices. If you plan to go that route, mention this to the vet. It is really important that they know what other things you intend to give your moggy, so they may adjust the treatment regime. Many folks do not realize that natural cures may not work and could possible interfere with the effectiveness of traditional medicine, and could harm your pet. This is not to say don't use them, but to consult a veterinarian before you do. What is critical for your cat is the quality of life expected at the end of treatment. If the diagnosis is not that bright, you'll have a troublesome call to make. Here homeopathics may be able to improve the quality of life, when traditional medicine cannot help.

If you would like to try natural treatments, you are going to need to test the usefulness of supplements such as Indian ginseng, milk thistle, mistletoe, Huang Qi and cat's claw. These herbs have antioxidant properties and help regulate your cat's metabolism, while boosting the immune system.