Sunburn

Do pale-furred cats need sunblock?

Comments

[Agnes]

Hello, just came from the Friday Ark.

Seems that they do, esp. if they spend time outdoors exposed to direct radiation. And esp. on ears and nose. I know of one case of a white cat in California that had been feral and had accordingly had more than its fair share of radiation until a v.nice guy took it in --- it died of cancer a few years after that. You can find the story if you google "Banana Simian" -- kitty had this very weird name, and its human put up a memorial page with this name.

This is an extreme story, I know, but my 2 eurocents is, if I had a light-coloured cat I would dab a little sun-lotion on its ears and nose from time to time. (And I am enough of a crazy cat-lady that I'd take time to find an odourless, non-toxic brand...)

dear beau & mrs beau & lyle,

below are three links with feline and pet skin ca information. hope they help. i also checked on the protective abilities of glass, for sunny window naps -- glass is not completely protective; i was surprised.

nonetheless, my cat sushi
[who lyle looks remarkably like - i'm sure you'll think it's the other way around...ha!] took a daily sun bath on a screened porch on the south carolina coast. i did worry about skin cancer because he was so fair but tried to balance it out with the sheer joy he took from this activity.

i decided to be hypervigilant to any changes in his skin so he could get life-saving early treatment. he eventaully died at a ripe old age of 15+, of another cause, and never got skin cancer.

i imagine if lyle didn't get too scrupulous about his cat bath and insist on removing every molecule of sunscreen -- a little surely couldn't hurt.

give lyle a kiss on his fat pink nose -- from me & taboo
have a sunny day, y'all!
whaleshaman

How to Detect Skin Cancer in Cats

From Cancer in cats: Exposure to sunlight is one trigger-factor for this cancer and it is seen more commonly in white cats, and cats kept in hot sunny countries.

and last but not least: Protect Your Pets Against Skin Cancer