Sun bask kitty risk

OUR VET DAVID GRANT WORKS HIS MAGIC

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My 11-year-old male neutered cat loves to sunbathe. Are cats prone to skin cancer? Is it possible to use human sun protection products on cats and, if so, where do you apply it?

Sunbathing cats are at risk of developing several skin cancers. The most common ones are squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and basal cell carcinoma, the latter normally appearing as solitary lumps on the head and neck. These rarely spread and surgical removal is straightforward.

SCC is malignant, although relatively slow to spread, which offers a good chance for cure if treatment is early. The tumour develops almost invariably in white areas on the tips of the ears, the nose and under the eyelids, where the sun’s rays are strongest.

These are the areas where I have seen SCC, but it is possible for the tumour to develop in other thinly haired regions.