Cancer in Cats' Ears

Humans know that too much sun exposure can lead to skin damage and health risks like skin cancer. The same holds true for cats. Even though cats are protected by their coats of fur, sun damage can lead to health problems like cancer in a cat's ears.

  1. Cat Ear Cancer

    • When a cat contracts cancer, abnormal cells grow uncontrollably. These rapidly multiplying cells can invade and damage surrounding tissue and organs. If cancer is localized, it will take the form of a cancerous tumor. Cancer can also spread throughout a cat's body. Like humans, cats can experience cancerous growths anywhere in the body, including on and in the ears, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).

    Symptoms

    • If a cat develops cancer on the inside of its ear, it could experience pain and a foul-smelling discharge that leaks from within the ear. It could hold its ear at a tilt or shake its head often. If a cat develops squamous cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer, on its ear, then the skin of the ear will turn red. The hair within the ear will fall out and the skin there will eventually become scaly and look ulcerated.

    Risks

    • The cause of cancer is not known. Some risk factors can make it more likely that a cat will develop cancer in its ears. If a cat has white fur and light-colored skin on its ears, it is at a greater risk for experiencing sun burn and other forms of sun damage on its ears. Repeated sun damage can increase a cat's risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma, according to the "Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook."

    Treatment

    • A veterinary surgeon can surgically remove a tumor located within a cat's ear. She will also remove a small border of healthy tissue around the tumor to ensure all cancerous cells are removed. For skin cancer that occurs on the inner side of a cat's ears, the most common treatment is the total removal of the cat's ear flaps. This protects the cat from the cancer spreading or the chance it could return, according to the "ASPCA Complete Guide to Cats."

    Considerations

    • For a light-colored cat, sunscreen applied to the ears every four hours or so can help protect them from sun damage. Keeping the cat inside and away from sunlight is the best form of protection from skin cancer. Because early treatment is important for a cat's survival, bringing a cat with ulcerated or painful ears to the veterinarian is important. A cat that has had its ear flaps removed because of cancer will look different but will be able to hear.