Cancer is not only a human disease: it can occur in all animals and in any part of their body. Stephanie Fsadni listens to the story of a woman who recently lost her cat to cancer and gets some advice from a veterinary surgeon on how to realise one’s pet is sick and what to do.

Claire Bezzina is still reeling from the death of her cat to cancer four months ago.

“Felix was more than a pet to me... he was my companion,” says Claire.

She had picked the tabby cat from the streets in the UK in 2000.

“I had just moved to England and was feeling lonely and homesick. I was thinking what am I doing here? Then this kitten came along...”

She says her cat was her “only constant” in her adult life, through the good and bad times, and during which time she changed many houses abroad and in Malta.

Claire dispels the myth that cats are less caring than dogs.

“He was an intelligent cat and would immediately realise when I was sick or sad. He would lick my face to comfort me.”

Felix was a healthy cat until one day, another cat in the household died (of cancer too) and he lost his appetite.

The vet prescribed antidepressants for him, but he developed another problem: he became constipated. The vet eventually diagnosed him with megacolon, a severe form of constipation. It is a common condition among cats, in which the large intestine becomes enlarged and filled with hard faecal material.

He would immediately realise when I was sick or sad. He would lick my face to comfort me

Felix spent the subsequent five years taking medication in the form of laxatives and a solution for hairballs, which can cause intestinal blockage.

Claire returned to Malta with Felix in tow in 2005. He did fine but change of seasons affected his condition and he needed colonoscopy on a regular basis to remove the faecal matter.

Last year, on August 15, his temperature went down – a sign his system was shutting down – and he collapsed. Claire took him to the vet for the usual surgical intervention, but she found out that he required more than that. Upon examining him, the vet felt a bump in his tummy.

“Felix was diagonsed with cancer,” Claire says as her eyes redden.

“Ideally he would have undergone surgery, but he was so weak. The vet was afraid he would not have survived the anaesthetic.”

It was actually the second time Felix was diagnosed with cancer: he once had a tumour in his paw, but it was benign and it was removed without any repercussions. This time it was a different story.

Claire took him home where she continued to take care of him as much as she could and make his life as comfortable as possible.

Yet Felix did not get any better... he was weak and would not eat, so Claire had to force-feed him with a syringe.

“At one point, however, he seemed he had had enough of the daily injections, and almost attacked me, something he had never done before...”

He then went sheltering under her bed and spent the last couple of months there.

“He became really thin. I was taking him to the vet every one or two weeks and one day the vet suggested we do a nose drip since he wasn’t eating.

“I thought deeply about it, but I knew this cat would not live with it. He was fed up, yet there was this question lurking in my head: ‘Do I have the right to take away his life?”

This question kept recurring to her until she woke up on October 11. Felix couldn’t walk and his stomach had bloated.

Claire rushed him to the vet who realised his system had shut down.

“There was really no option other than to put him down, something I really dreaded.”

An autopsy revealed that Felix might have never had megacolon after all, but cancer all along. The tumour was right in the middle of the intestines, so it was hard to diagnose, and it was blocking his blood flow. By the time of his death, the tumour was the size of a tomato.

Claire has another four cats, but so far none of them has filled the void left by Felix.

“I still feel lost without him,” she says while holding back her tears.

Giving the best treatment possible

Cancers among pets are not uncommon. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), cancer causes almost 50 per cent of deaths in pets over the age of 10.

Veterinary surgeon Martin Debattista says cancer can occur in all animals and in any part of the body.

“Dogs get cancer at roughly the same rate as humans, while cats get fewer cancers. Birds, especially buggies, tend to live a long life and do suffer from tumours in their later years. Even hamsters, when old, do tend to suffer in the same way,” Debattista points out.

Some common types of cancers in pets include skin, mammary gland, head and neck, lymphoma, leukaemia, testicular, abdominal and bone.

I still encounter owners who bring in their pets when the cancer has gone too far

“Mammary tumours are certainly very common and occur more in those that suffer from false pregnancy. Female dogs that suffer from false pregnancies and are not intended for breeding should be neutered to avoid this type of tumour.”

With regard to cats, there is a type of leukaemia that is caused by a virus and for which a vaccine is available.

“Cats that are at risk of becoming infected due to their proximity to stray cats should be vaccinated. Mammary tumours in female cats have a tendency to be far more malignant than those occurring in male dogs and it does make a lot of sense to sterilise any female cats which are not intended to be bred.”

Debattista says that a good healthy diet with daily exercise and good body weight could go a long way towards extending their lifespan, even though he admits that “it is difficult to find scientific evidence” to back this.

When cancer cells start to multiply, tumours may be more or less visible, depending on their location.

“A cancer developing in the skin or mammary gland is far more visible than a lung tumour. At the other extreme, when you have an aggressive malignant cancer which has spread, the body invariably becomes weak and thin which is medically known as a cachectic state.”

When one suspects that his pet has cancer, he should consult his vet immediately.

“I still encounter owners who bring in their pets when the cancer has gone too far, stating that they were scared to bring their dog or cat earlier. Luckily this is happening less and less frequently.”

The best chance one can give his pet is to get the best advice as early as possible.

“Your vet will advise on the best way forward: whether biopsy, X-ray, ultrasound or blood tests are necessary, whether the condition necessitates a period of observation, or whether an immediate intervention is called for.”

The main form of treatment available is surgical removal, however Debattista says that this depends on where the tumour or cancer is located, whether or not this has metastasised (spread), as well as the present condition of the dog or cat.

Chemotherapy is also possible for certain types of cancer, such as canine leukaemia, although this entails a certain amount of commitment from the owner.

The chances of survival depend on the type of tumour or cancer and how early it is identified and spotted.

“The best possible advice is to have your pet regularly checked, at least once every six months and also to speak to your vet as soon as you notice any unexplained lump or bump, as well as any change in behaviour, weight, appetite or water intake that you cannot understand.”