CT scan for cats

We scan cats under general anaesthesia on our own scanner in Bratislava. One examination shows the chest, abdomen and head in thin slices and in 3D, without the overlap that limits an X-ray. A radiologist writes the report, and you keep the result and images in permanent online access.

From €159 including anaesthesia, the radiologist's report and VAT

What the CT shows

Head, nose and ears

The nasal cavity in cases of nasal discharge or nosebleeds, the middle ear, the jaw and tooth roots, the skull and the brain. Bone and soft tissue in one examination, exactly where an X-ray is not enough.

Abdominal cavity

Liver, spleen, kidneys and urinary tract, pancreas, lymph nodes. With contrast, also vascular anomalies, typically a liver shunt.

Chest and lungs

The lungs and lung nodules, the mediastinum, the trachea including tracheal collapse, the chest wall. Small lesions that are not yet visible on an X-ray.

Tumours

The primary tumour, chest, abdomen and lymph nodes in one examination. It determines whether surgery makes sense and how extensive it should be.

Teeth and jaw

Teeth, roots and periodontium, jaw bones, where intraoral X-rays are not enough.

Examination prices

Prices include anaesthesia and VAT. The lower price applies to a standard report, the higher one to a report within 24 hours. A patient over 8 years old or unwell needs a pre-anaesthetic examination before CT. We can do it here for €89, or you can upload results no older than 7 days. You will see the total in the order summary and pay it at the clinic at the examination. Details, including cancellation, are in the terms and conditions.

Real cases from our CT

Oncology, Abdomen, Head and neck

She was losing weight and vomiting blood. CT showed the problem was not just the thyroid

Patient: cat, domestic shorthair, spayed female, 16 years
Examination: Whole-body CT, pre- and post-contrast
Date: March 2026

3D CT reconstruction — 3D reconstruction of the chest and abdomen, seen from the left. Behind the ribs is the enlarged left kidney (gold), in which the CT found nodules; further forward, in the chest, is the heart.
bone
strongest contrast uptake: blood vessels, heart, kidneys
organs and tissues with weaker contrast uptake, including tumours
skin and fat

A sixteen-year-old cat was being treated for an overactive thyroid gland. Despite this, she was losing a lot of weight and had been vomiting blood for a long time. The vet needed to know what was happening throughout her body and therefore recommended a CT scan from head to tail.

In the neck, the CT found an enlarged right lobe of the thyroid gland, a mass about four centimetres long that was not growing into the surrounding tissue. However, it also showed things that an examination of the thyroid alone would not have revealed: a thickened stomach wall, enlarged lymph nodes in several places, lesions in the spleen, tiny nodules in the liver, nodules in the left kidney and a little fluid in the abdomen. The right kidney was small, which is consistent with a long-standing disease.

Transverse CT slice at the level of the finding — Cross-section through the neck: next to the windpipe is a non-uniform mass, the enlarged right lobe of the thyroid gland.

Longitudinal CT slice through the neck — Longitudinal slice through the neck, seen from above: the oval mass in the centre is the enlarged right lobe of the thyroid gland.

Maximum intensity projection of the whole scan — The whole scan in a single image: the skeleton, and the kidneys highlighted by the contrast agent.

Head and neck, Chest and lungs, Abdomen

An itchy lump on the neck, and everything the CT showed

Patient: cat, British Shorthair, neutered male, 11 years
Examination: Whole-body CT, pre- and post-contrast
Date: March 2026

An eleven-year-old male cat had had a firm lump on his neck for about two months. His neck and head were so itchy that he was injuring himself. The vet recommended a whole-body CT scan to see where the lump was coming from and whether the problem was limited to the neck.

The lump turned out to be enlarged salivary glands below the right side of the lower jaw and near the ear, together with enlarged lymph nodes in the neck. However, the CT also found lesions in both lungs (small and large nodules and changes in the lung tissue) and an intussusception in the stomach, a condition in which one part of the stomach slides into another, like the sections of a telescope.

Chest and lungs, Oncology

Breathing difficulties after tumour surgery, and what CT showed in the chest

Patient: cat, domestic shorthair, spayed female, 9 years
Examination: Whole-body CT, pre- and post-contrast
Date: May 2026

A nine-year-old cat had a lump removed from her thigh two months earlier; it turned out to be an adenocarcinoma. Later, because a diaphragmatic hernia was suspected, she underwent abdominal surgery. She then developed rapid abdominal breathing, her heart sounds were faint and her kidney values rose. Before the CT, about 100 ml of milky (chylous) fluid was drained from her chest.

The CT showed fluid in both halves of the chest and several lung lobes that were compressed and airless, most likely because of the pressure of the fluid itself. The lymph nodes in the chest were enlarged, as was one behind the knee. Next to the spine in the pelvic area, the CT found an irregularly thickened muscle, and both adrenal glands were also enlarged.

Longitudinal CT slice through the chest — Longitudinal slice through the chest: black is air in the lungs, and the grey fluid around them is compressing the lung lobes.

Oncology, Chest and lungs, Abdomen

A lump on the chest. CT showed how deep it reached and also found something in the ureters

Patient: cat, Maine Coon, male, 10 years
Examination: CT of the thorax, abdomen and pelvis, pre- and post-contrast
Date: June 2026

A ten-year-old male cat had a lump next to his breastbone. The vet needed to know how big it was, what it involved and whether it had spread anywhere, and therefore recommended a CT scan of the chest, abdomen and pelvis.

The mass was about five centimetres in size. It lay under the skin next to the first three segments of the breastbone and was very probably already growing into the chest muscle. It did not extend into the chest cavity or reach the lungs. Alongside this, the CT picked up a small, irregular right kidney, a widened left ureter and signs that both ureters open in an unusual place, into the urethra instead of the bladder.

Longitudinal CT slice through the middle of the body — Longitudinal slice through the middle of the body: below the breastbone is a round lump in the chest wall.

Preparation, procedure and FAQ

No food for 12 hours before the scan, water is fine. Your pet stays with us until it wakes up, and you usually go home after 3 to 5 hours. You get the radiologist's report and the images through permanent online access.

All questions and answers about CT

Staromestská 6/D,
Bratislava

Phone+421 2 2102 8700 Emailvetct@vetline.sk AddressStaromestská 6/D, 811 03 Bratislava

Scanning hours

Monday to Fridayby available appointments

Saturday and Sundayurgent cases, by arrangement

If you are not sure whether CT is the right examination, call us before you pay. We will tell you straight, and if a different examination would be better for the patient, we will point you to it.

Our CT unit is in the building of the Vetline veterinary hospital, which is open 24/7. With anaesthesia, this is no small detail: if something goes wrong, help is right next door, not a drive away.