Feline Liver Cancer Stages

There are three stages in discovering and treating feline liver cancer. The first stage is the display of symptoms, second is a professional diagnosis, and third is the treatment of the cancer. Feline liver cancer sometimes mimics a urinary tract infection, so a medical diagnosis is needed to confirm whether your cat has cancer or not.

Symptoms

It's easy to recognize a change in your pet's behavior, but pinpointing the cause of illness symptoms is much harder. If your cat suffers from liver ailments, she will display digestive symptoms that include a loss of appetite, vomiting and diarrhea, all of which may result in noticeable weight loss. Your cat might also be more thirsty and urinating more because her body is not properly filtering fluids.

Animals often will exhibit signs of depression when they are ill, so if your cat is much less playful or generally more sluggish, this is a good indicator of sickness.

One symptom more specifically related to liver disease is the production of pale gray feces, caused by a lack of pigmentation that is normally produced by the liver. Orange urine, another sign, is caused by an increase in bilirubin, which is produced in the liver. Jaundice or yellowing of the eyes and skin also is a trademark symptom of liver disease, because the liver is not processing bile properly.

Diagnosis

Diagnosing liver cancer in cats can be difficult because the liver can function if even up to 80 percent of it is damaged. In order for liver cancer to be diagnosed, a complete history of your cat will be needed as well as a physical examination. The vet will take blood to test the liver enzymes and blood count. Chest X-rays and an abdominal ultrasound also will be done to see whether there is a tumor and where it is located. If a tumor is found, a biopsy will be done to find out how cancerous it may be.

Treatment

Feline liver cancer can be treated in various ways. Removing the tumor through a surgical procedure is the most common and preferred method, but if the tumor has infected a large portion of the liver, then other types of supportive therapy will be used. Chemotherapy is one form of treatment depending on the type of tumor, but is expensive and sometimes impractical for pets. Often, veterinarians will prescribe medicine that will alleviate digestive or other accompanying symptoms.