Veterinary case
A rare brain tumor found in a cat
⚠️ This information is provided for awareness only and does not replace an examination by a veterinarian.
🤖 Summary produced automatically from the scientific publication cited at the bottom of the page.
A cat had a seizure and slipped into a coma — vets discovered an extremely rare brain cancer.
What happened?
This cat was brought in urgently with neurological problems. After anesthesia for testing, it had a generalized seizure and then became increasingly lethargic, almost comatose. Vets performed brain imaging to understand what was happening.
What did the vet find?
MRI revealed several brain lesions with areas of bleeding and significant surrounding swelling, typical of a very aggressive tumor. The cat also had a sign called Horner's syndrome (eye and eyelid abnormality on one side) linked to the brain damage. Despite treatment, the cat suffered cardiorespiratory arrest 24 hours after the examinations. Post-mortem brain examination confirmed hemangiosarcoma, a rare cancer arising from blood vessels that causes multiple hemorrhages.
What did the vet do?
ℹ️ Treatment given to THIS animal, decided by its veterinarian. It is not a prescription: never apply it without veterinary advice.
Vets provided intensive supportive care: intravenous fluids, oxygen, anti-seizure medication, a broad-spectrum antibiotic, a drug to limit bleeding, an anti-inflammatory, and a product to reduce pressure inside the skull. An antiparasitic treatment was also given while awaiting test results, since a parasitic cause was also being considered.
What happened next?
Despite all this care, the cat's condition deteriorated rapidly and it died 24 hours after testing began. The post-mortem confirmed the cause was a rare and highly aggressive cancer of the brain's blood vessels.
Advice for the farmer
This disease is extremely rare and unpredictable, with no known prevention — but any sudden neurological change in a cat (seizures, loss of balance, abnormal eye) should be seen urgently by a vet.
Source
- Source
- PubMed Central
- Title
- Case Report: Clinical and magnetic resonance imaging findings in intracranial hemangiosarcoma in a cat.
- Authors
- Marsellés-González I, Benigni L, Cloup E, Fernandes R.
- Year
- 2026
- DOI
- 10.3389/fvets.2026.1919431
- Licence
- CC BY
