Here Comes the Sun

• The cause of skin cancer in cats is largely mysterious, but the condition is thought to be caused by overexposure to the sun or a previous burn injury. Too much sun leads to sunburn or some other kind of skin irritation--especially for white cats or cats with a lot of white on them. Older cats with lower resistance to any health problem can also be at risk.
  
  

Don't Scratch, Fluffy!

• The cat's cells go into overdrive, reproducing more than they should and attacking healthy cells in the cat's body. This can happen in any part of the skin, including the hair follicles, blood vessels, sweat glands and the fat inside the skin. This overproduction of cells causes lumps or flaking skin, which are very itchy to the cat. The cat usually scratches or chews them open.
  
  

Ouch

• This constant skin irritation leads to even more cells being produced, as they try to repair the damage that's been done. There's never enough time to heal. All of the chewing and scratching carries the cancer to other parts of the body.