Did you know that May is Pet Cancer Awareness Month? So for all of May, PETCO stores are inviting you to round up your purchases as a donation towards pet cancer research, with a goal of $1,000,000. Blue Buffalo is involved, and they will donate up to $1 for every bag of their dog or cat food — up to $50,000! So it’s time to go shopping! If you are wondering where the money is going, click here for a list of the recipients.
In addition, if you stop by your local PETCO store between 10 and 2 p.m. today, May 8, a neighborhood vet will be there to answer your pet cancer questions! So you can learn something while you are doing your shopping.
If you don’t have a PETCO near you, or you prefer to shop online, you can still give a donation at their online store. Or you can donate here.
The topic of cancer in cats is huge, but here are a few facts you should know (find out more from WebMD):
- A third of all cats over the age of 10 will die of some form of cancer.
- A quarter of all feline cancers are skin cancers. If you have a white cat, she is particularly susceptible, and you should keep her indoors on bright, sunny days.
- Feline breast cancer used to be more common, but if you spay your kitty before her first heat, she is far less likely to get it.
- 200 out of every 100,000 cats will get feline lymphoma, FeLV+ cats are 60% more likely victims.
- 10% of feline tumors are in the mouth. I imagine that’s because we can ingest so many toxins by grooming.
Here are some ways to lessen the risk of cancer for the felines in your family:
- Feed them a high-quality, grain-free canned diet — no meat byproducts or chemical additives. The simpler and more wholesome the ingredient list on the can, the better.
- Limit the toxins in your home. No cigarette smoke or harsh cleaning solutions.
- After your cat’s initial vaccinations, wait a minimum of 3 years between shots, and make sure your vet uses a different leg to vaccinate each time. Injection-site sarcomas are more common than you realize — as many as 1 in 1000 cats will develop them.
- Keep your cat away from other cats that are FeLV+.
- There is a special sunscreen for white kitties who go outdoors. Ask your vet about it.
- Spay your female kitties!
Lastly, please send out healing purrs to Perf and Oscar — two friends in the Cat Blogosphere who are currently fighting cancer!
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This is a very useful post. We lost our lovely staffie dog to cancer when he was just 8 years old. That makes me very sensitive to the subject of pet cancer.
This is great information about the pet cancer. I think I have a cat with cancer on her ear. She is very,very hard to catch so I am going to try to get her to the vet next week. Can’t go over the week end because the emergency vet is so expensive. So keep your fingers crossed that I can get a hold of her. She will not just go into a carrier with food. She used to, but she has learned what happens.
Thanks for this good info.
Thanks Sparkle! this is great information. We’re going to share it with others!
These are interesting facts and great tips. Thanks Sparkle!
Well, Thanks for the info! Now Mommy has another reason to go to PetCo. We get Blue Buffalo kibbles as treat rewards, and they are delish. Mommy, make sure they’re on the list…
I didn’t know so much about this Cat awareness till I’ve read your post. Good to know! 🙂
Good info on vaccinations – unfortunately I have personal experience with that one – also with a bad vet….
Thank you Sparkle! You’re so wise and knowledgeable:)
This is furry important information Sparkle! Our mommy had a kitty named Reebok who died of cancer and it still makes her very sad. It’s good to have a reminder to be proactive and watch for cancer in kitties.
Thank you for this post! We take care of many, many cats and I can’t tell you how many are diagnosed with cancer, esp the older babies. My vet even finds this very distressing, as it seems like the cancer diagnoses come in droves sometimes.
I don’t even get my cats vaccinated, by the way. They are completely indoor and had their initial shots when younger. I just don’t trust those vaccines as the administering possibly relates to cancer.
I did not know that May was cancer awareness month for pets; wow! I’ll have to be sure to put that on our home page. We are treating Lady again (one of our Arabians) for a sarcoid tumor that has recurred on her stomach. While it is a cancerous tumor, it’s usually only deadly if left untreated. Great post on a VERY important subject!
We didn’t know that either. Cancer is a nasty disease for cats and for humans. Mom’s kitty Kashmir had cancer and so did Auntie El’s Baschert.
Sniffie and the Florida Furkids
Hey! I am not aware that pets have cancer too!!! I was only blog hopping when I read it, today! Thank you for the post.