Leiomyomas In Cats

What is Intestinal Tumor in Cats?

Tumors of the small intestine, large intestine or stomach in cats are known as gastric leiomyomas. Leiomyomas typically form in the smooth muscles in the digestive tract and stomach and have the appearance of tough, white tissue. Leiomyomas are rare and don 't typically spread to the lymph nodes or other organs in the body. Leiomyomas pose a problem when they obstruct solid and liquid waste from flowing through the digestive tract. The tumors can grow large enough to displace the surrounding organs, which causes secondary complications.

Leiomyomas are the most common benign tumor of the small bowel in cats. They are commonly found in cats older than six years old.

Symptoms of Intestinal Tumor in Cats

Symptoms

Because they are normally found in older cats, researchers believe that they could form due to a mutation during cell division. The older a cat is, the more cells have split during its lifetime, increasing the likelihood of a mutation occurring and causing a leiomyoma to form.

Diagnosis of Intestinal Tumor in Cats

The veterinarian will perform a physical exam on the cat, feeling for any masses in the abdominal hand and placing a gloved finger into the rectum in order to feel for any palpable masses in the rectum and anus. The veterinarian will need to know the cat 's health history and a detailed list of symptoms in order to correctly diagnose the leiomyoma.

More common gastrointestinal conditions, such as pancreatitis, parasitic infection, obstruction from a foreign body or inflammatory bowel disease, must be ruled out in order for the cat to receive a proper diagnosis. Tests to rule these conditions out will include a biochemical profile, complete blood count and a urinalysis. These labs will typically be normal but may show low blood sugar levels if food isn 't able to be digested. An abdominal ultrasound will also be performed. The abdominal ultrasound will be used to look for any masses or thickening of the tissue in the bowels or stomach, which is indicative of a

A special test that uses dye, known as gastrointestinal contrast radiography, may also be performed. Prior to the test, the cat will be given an oral dose of a dye solution called barium. The dye illuminates the gastrointestinal tract during X-rays. Multiple X-rays will be taken of the gastric tract as the barium passing through the cat 's digestive system, allowing the veterinarian to look identify the tumor. Rarely, an endoscopy may be performed. Dring the endoscopy, a small, flexible tube with an attached camera will be inserted into the stomach and/or the rectal area to help the veterinarian visualize the