Cancer is the leading cause of disease-related death in cats over age 10, and the welfare management of feline cancer patients requires balancing treatment burden against quality of life throughout the disease process.
Feline cancer welfare involves navigating the complex trade-offs between treatment benefit and treatment burden. Chemotherapy in cats causes less dramatic side effects than in humans, but still involves regular veterinary visits, occasional nausea, and potential immune suppression. For cats that respond well to treatment, the welfare benefit - additional months or years of good quality life - clearly outweighs the treatment burden. For cats with cancer resistant to treatment or whose disease is advanced, aggressive treatment may extend life while reducing its quality. The welfare question is not simply 'does the cat have cancer?' but 'is the treatment burden proportionate to the benefit, and how do we know?' Regular quality of life assessment using validated tools is the ethical foundation for cancer management decisions.