Mammary Cancer: Another Reason to Spay Your Cat
- R.I.P Ripley – 15 Years
We all know the importance of having your cat spayed because of the chance of unwanted kittens. We recently learned of another important reason that I had never read about before – Mammary Cancer. Mammary Cancer is the 3rd most common cancer in cats. 90% of mammary tumors are found to be malignant and spreads rapidly to glands and closest lymph nodes.
While being found to have malignant mammary tumors is not necessarily a death sentence, its possible to extend your cats life over 4 years if caught early enough, not everyone can afford the cost of the x-rays, surgery or other treatments that may be needed.
Yesterday, we had to take Ripley – 15 Years of Age, my room mates furry friend in to be euthanized due to Mammary Cancer. It was a very sad time indeed, to have to make that very difficult choice and being able to accept that it was time to humanely help her to die peacefully. But her zest for living was gone, she quit eating, drinking and then went into hiding. From the time we first discovered the first tumor on her, it took roughly 6 months for her to get to this point.
My roommate couldn’t afford the vet visits due to living on disability so we did know that the time would be coming that the choice for euthanasia would have to be decided. But it doesn’t make the choice any easier to make when the time arrived.
According to my research on mammary cancer in cats, she could have been saved this ordeal by having her spayed when she was young.
Protective Factors according to VeterinaryPartner.com states:
“Early spay is the single most significant protective factor. Spaying before age 6 months results in a 91% reduction in risk. Spaying before age 1 year results in an 86% reduction in risk. Spaying before age 2 years leads to an 11% reduction in risk. Having given birth to kittens has no effect on mammary cancer risk. Spaying after age 2 years does not reduce the risk of mammary cancer development at all.“
While I do know that the cost of spaying can be hard on the wallet, you do have options you can look into to save you money and protect your precious friend. Contact your local Humane Society and ask them about the special programs they run to get a low cost spay done on your cat. Contact a local vet and see if you can work out a payment plan. Ask a friend or family for a loan. Isn’t more time with your cat worth the price?
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