Pancreatic cancer in cats is a rare, terminal cancer. It’s uncommon for a cat to live more than a couple months after diagnosis. Cancerous masses in the pancreas, known as insulinomas, cause the pancreas to release high levels of insulin, whichin turn cause imbalances of glucose in the bloodstream.

Pet owners may be able to catch the earliest symptoms of insulinomas if they pay close attention to their cat’s behavior. Following exercise,the cat may seem extremely tired, more so than normal. the cat may develop muscle twitches and a lack of coordination.

Cats often lack an appetite and lose weight as a result. Nausea and vomiting increase. If the tumor grows large enough, the abdomen might swell and become extremely painful to the touch. If the tumor obstructs the flow of bile, jaundice occurs. at your veterinarian’s office, the abdomen will be palpated to see if a mass can be felt.

As the duty of the pancreas is to maintain the proper blood sugar levels in the body, having cancerous cells quickly impacts a cat’s health. when the blood sugar levels become too low, insulin shock occurs.

Because insulinomas create an imbalance in blood sugars, diabetic shock is often the point at which pet owners notice something is wrong. As the insulinomas grow and alter blood sugar levels, there is one key symptom: loss of consciousness. You may notice extreme weakness and possible seizures before the collapse, but this doesn’t always occur in every case.

If your cat does collapse, seek urgent veterinary care. the clinic will order blood tests to check the glucose levels over a span of time. once continual low glucose levels are seen, ultrasounds or MRIs are ordered. These imaging tests pinpoint the location and size of the tumor.

Feline pancreatic cancer is rarely treatable. Surgical removal of thecancerous portion of the pancreas can be performed. Steroids and chemotherapy may be ordered to help maintain glucose levels and kill cancerous cells. Management of the symptoms of feline pancreatic cancer is usually the preferred path.

If you do opt to have the pancreas removed, maintenance of the insulin levels requires strict monitoring to prevent insulin shock. You will need to feed your cat small, low-sugar meals throughout the day. Frequent veterinary checks are necessary to monitor your cat’s health and sugar levels.

This form of cancer in cats can spread quickly to other organs. Removing the pancreas may get rid of one tumor, but the tumor can appearin other areas. For this reason, most vets advise keeping your cat comfortable for the remainder of his life and not forcing the cat to go through a painful surgery.

Because many cats develop nausea and vomiting, switching to canned food is usually easier on the animal. the nutrients are absorbed quicklyand many cats simply prefer the flavor. Medications to control the nausea and vomiting are possible. If the cat is showing signs of dehydration, IV fluids may be required.

Pain is controlled though prescription pain medications. If the medications stops working effectively, it’s often best at this point to have the animal euthanized.

also see Feline Disease Diagnosis

also see Feline Sinus Cancer

also see Bone Cancer in Cats

also see Feline Pancreatic Cancer

also see the Diagnosis of Feline Lymphoma

also see Feline Cancer Symptoms

also see 6 Signs of Skin Cancer in Your Cat

also see Cancer – special diet needs

Taking the whole Christmas and new year period off work could leave you with a type of jet lag when you return, scientists say.

They claim the extra-long festive break interrupts our body clocks and leaves them with symptoms similar to having travelled to a different time zone.

On top of that, negative emotions associated with the holiday season being over and two weeks of irregular sleeping patterns could lead workers to feel tired and lacklustre.

Feeling sleepy: the result of the long Christmas break can leave workers feeling tired out

Helpfully the scientists have come up with a name for the phenomenon – ‘social jet lag’.

They reckon that when employees have a long time off work, many of them relax their sleeping patterns, treating themselves to lie-ins and going to bed later than normal as they don’t have to be up at the crack of dawn the next day.

But when faced with going back to work after nearly two weeks with a different sleep/wake cycle, returning to a routine of waking up in the dark can throw the body clock out of sync.

As a result, people are left with symptoms similar to the effects of jet lag.

That shows itself in the struggle to get up in the morning, feeling sluggish, finding it a difficult to fall asleep at night and feeling sleepy during the day.

Other symptoms include indigestion, loss of appetite, difficulty concentrating, memory problems, clumsiness, feeling generally unwell, lack of energy, fatigue and irritability.

Social jet lag is described as the difference between biological time and external requirements.

As well as affecting adults, it also causes a problem for teenagers, who will find it difficult to wake up for school.

Dr Victoria Revell, a researcher from the University of Surrey, said: ‘Over the Christmas period we will enjoy staying up late at night and staying in bed in the morning.

‘however, this will allow our body clock to drift later in time similar to flying a couple of time zones west.

‘This means that when we go back to work in the new year our body clock will be set later than we want it to be so we will really struggle to wake up, get up and get going in the mornings.

‘one way to enjoy the festive season but not let our body clock drift too far is to ensure that we still get up at a reasonable time even when not going to work.’