Clinical insights into feline mast cell disease

In this interview with dvm360 at our 2025 Fetch National Harbor conference, Zachary Wright, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology), explained the differences between feline mast cell disease and canine mast cell disease, including the unique challenges in diagnosing and managing this disease in cats. He noted that although cutaneous mast cell tumors in cats—especially when located on the head and neck—are typically benign, more concerning forms can also impact feline patients.

Below is a full transcript, edited lightly for clarity.

dvm360: Starting with your name, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Zachary Wright, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology): My name is Dr Zach Wright. I'm a veterinary medical oncologist and the medical director at VCA Dallas [Animal Specialty Hospital] in Dallas, Texas. I also chair the Mars Veterinary Health Oncology Advisory Board.

dvm360: How does the biological behavior of feline mast cell disease typically compare with its canine counterpart?

Wright: Cats don't get enough attention, right? All of this stuff is about dogs. So, I'm happy to focus on cats. But I think the biggest take-home [message] about cats [with] mast cell diseases [is that] it's essentially a different disease process than dogs. Yes, cats absolutely will get cutaneous mast cell tumors, particularly of the head and neck, but simplistically, those are most often a benign process, not something we have to clinically worry about. The diseases that we need to worry about for cats are the visceral forms, where they arise in either the spleen or the intestines. And again, those [have] a very different clinical presentation and clinical outcome compared [with] a dog with a mast cell tumor on its elbow.

Primary visceral disease in dogs is noted, but it's quite rare. So for cats, we can end up on a diagnosis of visceral mast cell disease with cats who generally [have adverse drug reactions] and have a variety of clinical symptoms...chronic vomiting, lethargy, decreased appetite, any collection of those things. And it's often related to the location, [as] an intestinal mast cell tumor can cause a full or partial obstruction, but also the systemic histamine toxicity associated with splenic involvement.

So again, just a very different clinical presentation. [Although] both...are intended to be surgical diseases—and that's true even in the visceral form—I think the biggest [takeaway] is that their clinical presentation is very different. We're not looking for a skin tumor when it comes to a collection of these mast cell diseases in cats.