Hepatitis lipidosis, known as fatty liver disease, occurs when a cat loses weight too quickly or suddenly stops eating. The exact cause is unknown though it is likely linked to the metabolism of protein and fat. Senior cats are prone to this disease because they have a tendency to lose weight too quickly in response to changes in their diet. Senior cats can also lose the desire to eat for a variety of reasons. This loss of appetite can trigger fatty liver disease.
The symptoms of hepatitis lipidosis are loss of appetite, rapid weight loss, and swelling of the abdomen. The cat may have excessive salivation. Fatty liver disease can cause listlessness or lethargy. Cats with hepatitis lipidosis may experience vomiting or become jaundice. Jaundice is a yellowing of the eyes and skin that is caused by damage to the liver.
The veterinarian should be consulted as soon as some of these symptoms become evident. If any cat experiences vomiting for more than twenty-four hours, it should be taken to the veterinarian. A number of diseases can cause vomiting, so a veterinarian should be consulted whether or not the other symptoms are present. A cat’s refusal to eat needs to be addressed by the veterinarian rather quickly since they can become dangerously malnourished in a short period of time.
Treatment for feline fatty liver disease can involve forced feeding if the cat refuses to eat. Nutrition may be administered by a feeding tube inserted into the cat’s stomach. The forced feeding typically lasts from two to six weeks until the cat is eating well on its own. The goal of treatment for fatty liver disease is to get the cat’s weight up to a healthy level and have the cat begin eating enough on its own to maintain a healthy weight.
The earlier feline hepatitis lipidosis is detected and treated, the more successful and easier the treatment often is for the cat. If the cat will accept food through a syringe, the invasive forced feeding may not be necessary. Feeding with a syringe must be done carefully and slowly into the side of the cat’s mouth. If fatty liver disease goes untreated, the cat will die from the effects of this disease.
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January 9th, 2010 at 10:41 am
I reversed my 10 year old cat’s fatty liver disease in five weeks. Two vets told recommended I put her down. And several times I was going to, but then she’d do something to make me think she had some fight in her. With dedication, lots of care, patience and 5 weeks of tube feeding her filtered water and Hill’s L/D prescription diet every few hours, I reversed my cat’s fatty liver disease. She was an 18 lb cat who lost 7 lbs due to the disease and now that she is healthy again, the weight loss was sort of a blessing in disguise because she can run now. I never seen her run in her life. She’s so cute, I love her. If you have the time, dedication and patience to give to your cat & your cat doesn’t look to be in too much pain, I say go for it! Give your cat another chance at life.
February 4th, 2010 at 4:45 pm
Thank you, That inspires me, as my cat is now going through the disease. I was going to put her down today, but i’m gonna give recovery a try for her. maybe you could give me a few tips? I really love her and I dont want her to die.
February 28th, 2010 at 6:45 pm
I’m glad to hear you were able to nurse her back to health. Our cat is in a similar situation. We don’t know exactly what the problem is yet, but her bloodwork does indicate a liver problem. Luckily she will eat from a spoon, so I don’t have to force feed her. It just takes so much time!
March 2nd, 2010 at 1:24 am
don’t give up – fight the fight. I am an RVT and have saved many from this disease and every case can’t be treated like the one before!!!!! you have options. My favourite and least invasive, most cost effective is the nasal tube placement and tube feeding. No anesthetic required and very easy to teach the client for at home treatment – b/c lets face it that cat is always happier at home with mommy and daddy! A/D food by Hill’s is a must, lactulose, vitamin paste, heptadine and sometimes valium…..its a long hard battle but it can be done!
April 22nd, 2010 at 11:14 pm
I have a beautiful cat that is now suffering from the disease. it came on so suddenly. I was sure I’d loose him and not sure yet if he’ll survive. I’ve been force feeding him for 4 days and still no sign of him eating on his own. I just can’t let him go!
August 8th, 2010 at 8:13 pm
Our young cat’s weight loss and lethargy took us by surprise. After some very costly test our vet still wasn’t certain of his diagnosis and suggested we have a liver biopsy ($3,000). I took our cat home on a Friday evening with a list from the vet of possibly diseases and began to research some of the issues on the internet. All of his symptoms matched fatty liver disease. We proceeded with the treatment (skipped the liver biopsy) and are one week into the tube feeding. It has been tough to say the least. Thankfully, we are now seeing improvement and he seems to be feeling better We didn’t want to put him through this and have him suffer if we were going to lose him. It was a tough decision, but I am glad we took the steps we did. Good to see the other comments of cats coming out of this. Anyone else going through this…. hang in there it will get better!
March 19th, 2011 at 2:17 pm
My ten year old cat, Igor, was diagnosed with liver failure (blood tests etc.)the vet thought it was most likely fatty liver disease. This was in January 2011. He had ear mites that were resistant to treatment, he was so pained and uncomfortable that he wouldn’t eat. Only thing is I didn’t realize that he wasn’t eating because we have 3 cats and the dishes were always emptied. I tried all kinds of food from roast turkey and gravy to many different types of gourmet cat foods, he would not eat it. He lost a lot of weight and just did not look like himself. The vet suggested force feeding him the Hills A/D. I used syringes supplied by the vet. At first he was throwing up most of what I fed him, so I tried feeding him smaller amounts more often. I had to work so I would get up earlier and begin feeding him small amounts every 15 or 20 minutes, until he had taken about a half a can(on a good day). He kept at least some of it down. I did the same thing after work I would begin feeding him, small amounts. I stayed up an hour later, so that he did not go too long without being fed. One thing that he would eat occasionally, was temptations cat treats, so I fed him those whenever he would eat them. He hated the force feedings, and I was ready to give up after 2 weeks. My daughter found some websites like this one and found that some people force fed their cats for a lot longer. Finally after six weeks of force feeding he started to get hungry, he ate more and more treats, and we found one type of canned food that he liked, and now he is looking normal and very hungry. So anyone with a cat that has this don’t give up too soon. It was a struggle but it was worth it.
Igor is alive and well.
April 2nd, 2011 at 2:00 am
My cat was diagnosed w liver disease which I think is fatty liver and after a week of not eating I started syringe feeding her Hills A/D Prescription Diet and Friskies Indoor Salmon and after a week and a half of force feeding and a switch to the Wellness Pouch Food (Tabby loves gravy) she started licking the gravy off this food and within a couple of days started completely eating on her own. Her bloodwork last week showed her liver function has markedly improved but still abnormal. She is spunky, eating alot and now drinking alot (her most recent blood glucose is normal @126)…but my question is…she is on week 2 of eating on her own and she seems to want to eat all the time..has anyone else noticed this?