poohandwendy
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2001
- Messages
- 18,961
This board is full of animal lovers and I hope that those here who are 'owned by cats', LOL, will read this and store it in the back of your mind. I am passing along this information because I was totally unaware of this condition and early intervention is so critical, I can only hope it prevents another DIS member from losing their pet.
Feline Hepatic Lipidosis is also known as Fatty Liver Disease/Syndrome.
If for any reason a cat stops eating, they can easily fall into a state of anorexia. They will not necessarily just resume eating when they are hungry again, the less they eat the less they are likely to eat and the cycle begins. When this happens, their body starts sending their fat stores to their liver, in effort to provide energy . The liver cannot handle this overload and becomes clogged up with fat it cannot metabolize. This is the beginning of liver failure. This process can happen within a few days. Once the liver starts to fail, they are on a path that WILL result in death if not treated aggressively.
This can happen due to a variety of reasons like stress, change in diet, other illnesses for example. It is very important, especially for people who have more than one cat, to keep a close eye on your cats eating habits. They should not be refusing food that they normally like. The reason this is so important is that the cat may not show signs early on that there is a problem, until it is too late. My cat certainly wasn't letting me know anything was wrong until he really felt sick, unfortunately it was too late by then. I have no idea how long it was that he was no eating because I used gravity feeders for my cats and they all seemed to have great appetites. He was a 'fat cat' as a matter of fact, before he became sick. Interestingly, obesity seems to be seen commonly in cats who are afflicted by this disease. (obese before they stopped eating)
If your cat stops eating or drinking for more than ONE day, it is critical that they are seen by a vet ASAP. It may be nothing, but time is of the essence with this disease. Better safe than sorry. My 1 1/2 yo cat was playing like normal, running all over the house...one week later he was dead. It really can happen that quickly.
Some signs that are commonly seen:
cat stops eating and/or drinking
drooling excessively
losing weight (especially marked loss of weight over a small period of time)
become reclusive
third eyelid can creep over indicating dehydration and/or fever.
vomiting
jaundice (inside the ears, the eyes, roof of the mouth and gum will turn yellow)
For more in depth information about this disease: http://www.thecatsite.com/Cats/Cat_Health/Feline_Hepatic_Lipidosis/1.html
I am starting this thread as an FYI because I had no idea that such a disease existed, to be honest. I didn't realize this sort of thing could happen so quickly and how important it is to not leave it up to your cat to eat as much as needed. It really is important to be aware of their eating habits. I don't think it is necessary to be paranoid about it, only to be in tune with your furry friend. Everything I am saying may seem so obvious. But I can personally attest to the fact that this can start in a very subtle way and that a cat can seem 'normal' and become critically ill within days. That is why I am trying to stress keeping a close eye on their eating habits.
And please, if you have any questions or concerns at all about your cat, especially if they are not eating or drinking....CALL YOUR VET ASAP!!!
Thanks for reading my PSA, LOL! Hugs to all of you and your beloved fubabies!
Feline Hepatic Lipidosis is also known as Fatty Liver Disease/Syndrome.
If for any reason a cat stops eating, they can easily fall into a state of anorexia. They will not necessarily just resume eating when they are hungry again, the less they eat the less they are likely to eat and the cycle begins. When this happens, their body starts sending their fat stores to their liver, in effort to provide energy . The liver cannot handle this overload and becomes clogged up with fat it cannot metabolize. This is the beginning of liver failure. This process can happen within a few days. Once the liver starts to fail, they are on a path that WILL result in death if not treated aggressively.
This can happen due to a variety of reasons like stress, change in diet, other illnesses for example. It is very important, especially for people who have more than one cat, to keep a close eye on your cats eating habits. They should not be refusing food that they normally like. The reason this is so important is that the cat may not show signs early on that there is a problem, until it is too late. My cat certainly wasn't letting me know anything was wrong until he really felt sick, unfortunately it was too late by then. I have no idea how long it was that he was no eating because I used gravity feeders for my cats and they all seemed to have great appetites. He was a 'fat cat' as a matter of fact, before he became sick. Interestingly, obesity seems to be seen commonly in cats who are afflicted by this disease. (obese before they stopped eating)
If your cat stops eating or drinking for more than ONE day, it is critical that they are seen by a vet ASAP. It may be nothing, but time is of the essence with this disease. Better safe than sorry. My 1 1/2 yo cat was playing like normal, running all over the house...one week later he was dead. It really can happen that quickly.
Some signs that are commonly seen:
cat stops eating and/or drinking
drooling excessively
losing weight (especially marked loss of weight over a small period of time)
become reclusive
third eyelid can creep over indicating dehydration and/or fever.
vomiting
jaundice (inside the ears, the eyes, roof of the mouth and gum will turn yellow)
For more in depth information about this disease: http://www.thecatsite.com/Cats/Cat_Health/Feline_Hepatic_Lipidosis/1.html
I am starting this thread as an FYI because I had no idea that such a disease existed, to be honest. I didn't realize this sort of thing could happen so quickly and how important it is to not leave it up to your cat to eat as much as needed. It really is important to be aware of their eating habits. I don't think it is necessary to be paranoid about it, only to be in tune with your furry friend. Everything I am saying may seem so obvious. But I can personally attest to the fact that this can start in a very subtle way and that a cat can seem 'normal' and become critically ill within days. That is why I am trying to stress keeping a close eye on their eating habits.
And please, if you have any questions or concerns at all about your cat, especially if they are not eating or drinking....CALL YOUR VET ASAP!!!
Thanks for reading my PSA, LOL! Hugs to all of you and your beloved fubabies!
