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Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Mass with teeth and hair on kitten's tail treated by surgery

By Sirintra Sirivisoot et al.·Published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science·2022·Center of Excellence for Companion Animal Cancer, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand, CH·View original on DOAJ

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Original publication title: Case report: Mature extragonadal teratoma at the proximal part of the tail in a kitten

Species:
cat

Plain-English summary

An 8-month-old male domestic shorthair kitten was brought to the vet for a mass on the base of his tail that had been present since birth. The vet noticed a crack in the mass and suspected it had ruptured, so they decided to amputate the tail and remove the mass. The mass was unusual, containing hair, teeth, and bone, and was diagnosed as a mature teratoma (a type of tumor made up of different types of tissue). Fortunately, the kitten has been doing well for two years since the surgery, with no signs of the mass returning.

People also search for: kitten tail mass · teratoma in cats · cat surgery recovery · why does my kitten have teeth on its tail

Abstract

An 8-month-old, intact male, domestic shorthair cat was referred for a mass on the proximal ventral part of the tail which had been found since the animal was born, and due to the presence of a linear fissure with rows of ectopic teeth, the veterinarian suspected that the mass had recently ruptured. Tail amputation was elected and the entire mass was successfully surgically excised. From the gross examination, this mass had an open cyst-like structure with a prominent area composed of hair, teeth, and bone. Histopathology revealed two components of germinal layers including hair follicles, adnexal tissue, neural tissue, teeth, muscle, fat, bone, and lymphatic vessels. The histopathological diagnosis was consistent to mature teratoma. Although, complete excision could not be definitively confirmed histologically, this kitten is currently well and has not developed any recurrent mass at the surgical site after 2 years of post-operation.

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Original publication on DOAJ: https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2022.1003673