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Cats + Surgical Conditions

  • Abdominal enlargement is not an unusual occurrence. It can be due to a simple increase in intra abdominal fat due to weight gain but this is only one cause.

  • Almost all tumours of adipose tissue (fat) are slow-growing and benign. They are called lipomas. The tumours are usually permanently cured by full surgical removal.

  • This tumour is a disordered and purposeless overgrowth of cells originating from the modified sweat glands of an anal sac.

  • A haematoma is a large blood blister which results from rupture of a small blood vessel with resulting haemorrhage between the skin and cartilage usually on the inner aspect of the ear.

  • This slow-growing tumour is a disordered overgrowth of cells of the skin epidermis. It gets its name from its resemblance under the microscope to the basal cell layer of epithelium.

  • The names for the non-cancerous fibrous growths include collagenous hamartoma, fibroepithelial polyp, skin tag, cutaneous tag, hyperplastic or hypertrophic scar and acrochordon. A hamartoma is defined as a nodular, poorly circumscribed focus of redundant tissue.

  • Non-cancerous bone tumours are rare in cats and mainly due to abnormal development. They include bone cysts and single or multiple lumps of bone in abnormal places (exostoses).

  • Calcium deposits in the skin have a variety of causes, usually of minor significance in the young but indicating serious disease in some older animals.

  • Because cancers of different cell origin respond differently to treatment, and because valuable information on the probable outcome can be gained by microscopic examination of the cancer cells and tissue, a specialized diagnosis by a veterinary pathologist is advised.

  • When cancer is diagnosed improvements in our knowledge and new and evolving methods of treatment give options to owners and their veterinarians.