Can cats get cancer from second-hand smoke?

Yes, cats can get cancer from second-hand smoke. Although common sense dictates that this must be the case, a television super vet, Noel Fitzpatrick, says that pet owners haven’t quite yet got the message that both dogs and cats can get cancer from second-hand smoke.

He says that dogs get cancer in their noses and cats get it in their intestines because they lick you. What he’s saying is that cats are likely to ingest the chemicals which cause cancer because they are fastidious self-groomers.

He reminds us that pets are at greater risk of getting cancer from passive smoking than humans because they spend more time within the household. They are also closer to carpets and other furnishings on which carcinogenic particles come to rest.

He also makes an interesting point on a quite different subject. Prof Fitzpatrick is an expert at specialist surgery regarding the fitting of prosthetics and bionic limbs on animals.

He says that he has been criticised for doing these sorts of operations because his critics consider the operations unnatural and even cruel.

Useful links
Anxiety - reduce it
FULL Maine Coon guide - lots of pages
Children and cats - important

“I get a lot of criticism and it does hurt me; it makes me cry,”

Personally, I cannot see the problem with bionic limbs on cats and dogs. If it helps them become mobile after a severe injury then what is the problem with that? Cats are very adaptable. I’m sure that cats with bionic limbs adapt very quickly to them and are not distressed by their existence.

What about vaporisers and electronic cigarettes? Find out.




Useful tag. Click to see the articles: Cat behavior

Note: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified.

Michael Broad

Hi, I'm a 74-year-old retired solicitor (attorney in the US). Before qualifying I worked in many jobs including professional photography. I love nature, cats and all animals. I am concerned about their welfare. If you want to read more click here.

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