I have often written about the danger of allowing pink-skinned cats outside. Now I can show you!

These are the ears of a young white cat I just pulled from a vineyard in Los Alamos. This very sweet female is estimated to be only 1-1/2 years of age. She and her twin sister both hve developed Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) that has resulted in amputation of the ear tips.

The Long Beach Animal Hospital website has this to say about SCC…

“The skin version of SCC is caused by excessive amounts of sunshine, so the disease is prevalent here in California. White haired cats have more than a 13 times greater risk of getting this disease than do cats of other colors, due to their lack of pigmentation.”

They further state, “… white haired cats usually get the problem on the ears, head, eyelids and tip of the nose. Cats that are not white usually develop the lesions on unpigmentedareas or areas of sparse hair. It occurs mostly in older cats, but the age at which it occurs depends on each individual’s amount of exposure to sunshine and lack of pigmentation.

Early symptoms of the disease can be subtle, such as a minor irritation or scab on the head, ears, or nose. In more involved cases there is obvious redness, irritation, scabs, and hair loss. These symptoms mimic other diseases, especially skin conditions caused by Ringworm, Sarcoptic mange and allergies, so an accurate diagnosis is imperative.”
The two vineyard sisters are lucky. While missing ear tips might be disfiguring, it will save their lives. They will be looking for a forever home together soon, inside only of course!

Last year an older cat street cat in Los Alamos was put down from advanced stage SCC which had eaten away most of her nose and upper lip. She was a dark tortoiseshell, proving it’s not just pink-pigmented cats that are at risk.

Please, folks, protect your precious pets by keeping them inside. If you must let them out, talk to your veterinarian about sunscreen or at least keep them indoors between the hours of 10am and 2pm.