Cats are even better sun worshipers than people and most of them can lie in it all day without burning or damaging their skin. However, this is not true for some cats - like pale skinned people, cats with white non-pigmented areas of skin (often with only a sparse covering of hair) can suffer damage to the skin which can be very serious. The areas most commonly affected are the ear flaps or pinnae, the nose and the eyelids. Initially the damage to the skin will show as a pink area with perhaps some scaling and hairloss.

However, continued exposure will lead to more serious crusting of the skin. If this is not treated and the cat is not protected from the sun, then a serious skin condition called squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) can develop. This is a malignant tumour which will spread locally, destroying the surrounding tissue. It can also occasionally spread to other parts of the body such as the lymph node or lungs. As the condition gets more serious the skin looks very red and there may be ulcerated areas with raised hardened edges on the ears, eyelids, nose, lips and face. Bleeding from the pinnal lesions can be a major problem in some cats.

Can SCC be treated ?

Treatment will depend on the severity of the condition. If skin damage is only minor then your vet may suggest that you simply keep the cat in during the hottest part of the day (between 10 am and 3pm ). Some cats will tolerate a sunblock of factor 15 or more on the vulnerable parts, however, cats being cats, most will groom it off fairly quickly!

However, if your vet considers the skin damage to be more serious, he or she may suggest that a tissue sample or biopsy is taken and sent to a specialist to ascertain if SCC has developed. Although only small samples of tissue are taken for the biopsy, there will inevitably be a small defect in the earflap thereafter. The cat will have to undergo a general anaesthetic for the biopsy to be taken.

If the biopsy shows that the cat is suffering from SCC then the vet may suggest that the tumour is removed surgically. Obviously the sooner this can be done the better, preventing further invasion of the surrounding tissue. The surgery will aim to remove the affected skin and a margin around it to prevent recurrence. Removing ear flaps may affect the look of the cat somewhat, but it can be done fairly easily. If the problem is on the eyelid or nose then surgery can be considerably more difficult. Additional treatment of radiotherapy may be required - however this is not available in many places and so is of limited use to most owners. Cryosurgery can be very effective in some cases. Other new treatments are being investigated but as yet surgery is the best option.


What is the outlook for a cat with SCC ?

Prognosis will depend on how quickly the cat has been treated. If caught early and, especially if just the ears are affected and the damaged tissue can be successfully removed, the cat should recover well. If all the affected tissue cannot be removed then the prognosis is more guarded.