No Crash Diet For
Your Fat Cat - Hepatic Lipidosis
Hepatic lipidosis,
also known as fatty liver syndrome, is a common and very serious
condition that occurs in fat cats who (for some reason or another)
have stopped eating. The disease results from an accumulation of
fat in the liver and if not treated during the early stages, can be
deadly. Hepatic lipidosis is treatable and cure rates are good if
the cat is presented to a veterinarian during the early stages of
the disease. However, if not treated, the mortality rate is very
high.
Why would a fat cat
not be
eating?
Bad
teeth
Intestinal blockage
Stress - Examples: Moving into a new
home, Introducing a new animal into the family, owner goes on
vacation
Hairball
Illnesses
These are all good reasons why a cat
would stop eating. The most common reason for a cat to stop eating
is an upper respiratory infection. Think about it... Cats like
their food because they enjoy and are familiar with the smell. So
if a cat can’t smell its food, it’s not going to eat. The question
is: "What would cause a cat to lose its ability to smell food?" An
upper respiratory infection could cause a cat to loose its sense of
smell.
So you have a fat cat
that stops
eating. The body is looking for ways to feed itself and tries to do
this by converting stored fat into energy. In order for the fat to
be converted into fuel, it must pass through the cat's liver. The
liver can’t handle this fatty saturation and liver dysfunction
ensues. This doesn’t happen to thin cats. They don’t have enough
fat available to mobilize and create this problem.
Many owners do notice that their cat
is not eating, but they think, ‘That’s all right, Tiger needs to
lose a few pounds. And then after a week or two of no appetite,
they start to get worried and finally bring their animal to the
veterinarian. If they don’t bring their cat in soon enough, he (or
she) is a prime candidate for hepatic lipidosis.
Symptoms associated with hepatic
lipidosis include loss of appetite, vomiting, depression, weight
loss and lethargy. Some cats develop a yellow coloration of the
eyes, ears and mouth. This yellow coloration (particularly of the
mucus membranes) is jaundice and usually indicates liver disease
and / or red blood cell destruction.
The prognosis for cats with hepatic
lipidosis is good if treatment is not delayed. The longer that
treatment is delayed, the less likely for recovery. Cats that have
underlying diseases (cancer, pancreatitis) are less likely to
recover.
How would a
veterinarian treat a cat
with hepatic lipidosis? The veterinarian would probably hospitalize
the cat, and among other treatments, feed it through a tube. After
your cat has recovered from hepatic lipidosis or before your fat
cat gets hepatic lipidosis, you should put your cat on a
veterinarian-recommended low-calorie diet. Exercise is an important
factor in weight loss so it is important to encourage exercise via
playtime with you. Carefully monitoring your cat’s food intake in
times of stress (for example, the addition of a new pet) can be
crucial in preventing mortality due to hepatic lipidosis.
Preventing obesity is the best way
to prevent hepatic lipidosis. Regular meals should be given and
free-choice feeding should be avoided. Obese cats should be placed
on a special diet food and monitored closely by your veterinarian.
By slimming Tiger down, you could save him from hepatic lipidosis
and other life-threatening diseases related to cat obesity.
