Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
problems. A cat with pyometra is usually not in prime health, because
she has been fighting an internal infection. Under these circumstances,
close monitoring and strong supportive care is needed.
If an owner does not want to have the cat's uterus and ovaries
removed, medical treatment is an option. Antibiotics and drugs called
prostaglandins are used to treat the infection and shrink the uterus.
Prostaglandins stimulate uterine contraction, but they can also cause
general cramping and discomfort.
Cats who have had pyometra have a high chance of recurrence.
CATS CAN GET BREAST CANCER
We're all quite aware of breast cancer, and most women do their best to
routinely screen themselves for problems. Cats can get breast cancer
too, and the type they get is usually malignant. Cats most at risk for
developing breast cancer are unspayed older females, cats who had lit-
ters earlier in their lives, and cats who were spayed after they had sev-
eral heat cycles.
The risk of breast cancer in a cat who has never had a heat cycle is
close to zero, so again, this is another reason to spay a young animal.
There are no other specific actions you can take to prevent breast can-
cer, but monitoring the mammary glands for lumps so that any prob-
lem can be detected early is a good idea.
There are astute owners who feel the lumps on their cats. Initially,
a malignant growth will feel like a hard BB near one or more of the
nipples.The smaller the growth and the earlier it is removed, the better
the cat's chances for survival.
During a routine annual physical exam, a veterinarian should palpate
all eight mammary glands on a cat and search for lumps. Occasionally
cats will develop cysts or benign growths, but a biopsy is the only way
to know the exact status of a lump.
Most often a veterinarian will remove the entire growth, rather than
take a small biopsy. Mammary cancer tends to run down the mamma-
ry chain first on one side, then the other, so a radical mastectomy may
be recommended. All of the glands on one or both sides are removed
in a radical mastectomy.
Mammary cancer is not strictly a disease of female cats; male cats
can be affected, too. Even though they have not been in heat or had
