Question of the Day

Spaying a cat before six months of age greatly reduces the risk of later development of mammary gland tumors.

Mammary tumors in cats are BAD, between 80-90% are malignant (typically mammary adenocarcinoma).

3 things to remember:
1- Ovariohysterectomy (OVH) decreases risk. Benefit decreases with advancing age at time of OVH.
2- Most important prognostic indicator is tumor size – median survival after surgery with tumor diameter  >3 cm is 6 mons. Median survival after surgery if tumor is <2 cm is three yrs.
3- Siamese and domestic shorthair cats have higher reported incidence rates, and Siamese may have twice the risk of other breeds.