Palliative care for cats with cancer focuses on maintaining quality of life through pain management and symptom control, with welfare assessment guiding decisions throughout the disease course.
Cancer palliative care for cats requires honest welfare assessment and commitment to maintaining comfort. The temptation to pursue aggressive curative treatment even when prognosis is poor can extend duration of life at the cost of reduced quality. The welfare-centered approach asks not 'how long can we keep this cat alive' but 'how comfortable can this cat be for whatever time remains.' Excellent palliative care including pain management, nausea control, and appetite support can maintain good quality of life for months in some cases. Regular, honest quality of life assessment using validated tools ensures decisions align with the cat's welfare rather than owner grief avoidance.