My Cat Is Dying From Fatty Liver Disease (hepatic Lipidosis) I Need Help Now

ineedhelpnow

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I need help ASAP. My 3 year old male cat is dying. He was always a small cat but now he's smaller. He means everything to me. He hasn't eaten in 5 days after a cat fight which the vet said today may have scared him out of eating, and he also has bladder issues which have gotten better in the past few days and he is able to urinate. I asked my vet, a cat specialist, and a very knowledgeable person who I got the cat from and they all said he has a liver problem and is suffering tremendously and recommended to put him to sleep. He may have diabetes as well, although him not eating is first priority right now. He has lost a lot of weight in muscle, and is drinking a lot of water and constantly peeing. They said the only option I have is to have surgery and give him a feeding tube which may prolong his life but cost $2000 which I can never afford OR put him to sleep. Will feeding him pureed salmon, his favorite food be a last resort? I am worried it may be no use since his liver is already fatty and may not be able to metabolize that food. I need doctors, vets, or specialists opinions asap I don't want to let go of him. He is the kindest, sweetest thing on Earth to me, it hurts to much to see him go through this.
 
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Furballsmom

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I asked my vet, a cat specialist, and a very knowledgeable person who I got the cat from and they all said he has a liver problem and is suffering tremendously and recommended to put him to sleep.
I hate to be the one to say this, but I'm very sorry, I think the first priority is easing his pain.
 

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I need doctors, vets, or specialists opinions asap I don't want to let go of him.
I'm so terribly sorry this is your first post and your cat is having serious health problems. I know you don't want him to suffer and completely understand you don't want to lose him. Unfortunately the members here are not doctors or veterinary specialists. Therefore, we can lend you our support but cannot give you a medical opinion. My best advice would be for you to get a second opinion from a different veterinary specialist if for no other reason than peace of mind. My sincere and best wishes to you. :hugs:
 
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lavishsqualor

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I know you don't want to lose your cat, but if you're unable to pay for his care, please do the right thing and euthanize him. It's incredibly cruel to hold onto him and cause him more suffering.

You sound as if you care deeply for him.

Please do the right thing.
 
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ineedhelpnow

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Although he doesn't look to be in pain, I can feel it in him although he seems happier now that he's gone outside into our garden where he loves being. I spoon-fed him some pureed salmon which appears to have given him some energy so as long as he isn't acting miserable I intend to keep him alive for as long as possible. I still haven't lost hope, I know that a 3 year 11 month old cat, the most energetic cat I've ever seen with no former health problems until now can't just die after not eating for 5 days and a cat fight. Or at least I hope so. Until I can talk to another specialist for a second opinion I'm still not considering euthanasia. If anyone with medical/experience has advice I'm keen on hearing.

Thank you for all your support, will keep you updated.
 
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First vet we went to was a emergency room since it was at night (which did not do a good job of diagnosing him, ignored symptoms and charged us $200 for a consultation & antibiotic infection) addressed him and made sure he had no wounds, broken bones, injuries, etc. Second (family) vet who I know the doctor also said there were no injuries, having inspected all over his body I agree, he isn't in pain when he moves anymore, so rule out that possibility.

No infections, no nothing. Only injury I am aware of is with his bladder, which he was bleeding from his penis temporarily I believe on the third day after the cat fight, but that stopped immediately after going to the vet. First vet suggested it was kidney stones however I could not afford urinalysis so they couldn't confirm that, but the second vet assured me the problem wasn't with his kidneys, kidney stones, or a blockage in the urethra, it was with him not eating/and or with a possible combination of diabetes.

I spoon fed him some of his favorite cat food tonight, about 1/4 of the can which went down easy, was only getting grumpy towards the end. I am just praying that he passes some fairly digested looking stool tomorrow morning, and survives the night of course, and does not throw up the food in the middle of the night.

I am not a doctor, I know very little about liver health. From my understanding, if the cat passes stool that's a signal that he's getting the nutrients he needs and getting back into the rhythm of normal metabolism, but that may be wrong and I need someone to correct me on that. I just hope what I am doing is positively impacting his health.

If anyone has some expertise please let me know. I'll be phoning my friend who is a specialist tomorrow for some advice.
 
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Thank you for the link, that sounds similar to my experience however in my case after 5 days of not eating what the vet is describing sounds much more serious than what Kriiton's kitty who has gone without eating for 1 week without hospitalization, but that gives me hope things aren't as bad as they sound they are.

I know that force feeding is significantly harder, more distressing for both the cat and the caretaker, and takes more time than surgically implanted tube feeding, but I want to know if there is any difference in outcomes between the two and if force feeding is an equivalent substitute, (will he still get the nutrients.) And for anyone who has experience with fatty liver in cat's how long the road of recovery took, and the outcomes. I am still deathly concerned about my cat dying. :(
 

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The only "expertise" I have is with losing a cat; you'll get better answers from your specialist friend.

Please see this thread, about my experience with the death of Sweet Thing, my heart kitty: Grieving

I know how hard it is to make this decision, but I'm afraid that you may have to do so shortly. Vets very seldom advise a client to choose euthanasia unless the client has specifically asked; when they do it means that they're extremely sure that there's nothing to be done and that the animal is suffering.

Yes, you should get a second opinion from a specialist, if only to ensure that you're certain before you make the decision. If the specialist says that there's something worth doing, but it's too expensive for you to pay for, please see these articles:
No Money For Vet Care? How To Find Help And Save Your Cat's Life
When You Can't Afford A Veterinarian


Margret
 

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oh...I'm very sorry. My Hazel cat had the same thing at the same age. She got a stomach feeding tube in. That was 1986 though---a long time ago. The goal was to get her nutrients. Getting food to her was what the vet said she needed most.

It sounds like there are some other issues you've mentioned that make it even more challenging for your kitty and that it isn't just the hepatic lipidosis. I'd recommend a different vet if that's possible.

Even with the stomach tube---which was different than the type of feeding tube many seem to do now (which I think is through the nose and then down the throat perhaps?) It was still weeks of blending Hills A/D with warm water and feeding her through the tube 3 times a day. She had that tube in her for 6 weeks.

Unless your kitty starts to reliably eat on its own, there's probably not a way for you to successfully feed a cat in this condition without vet intervention. And a bit of food isn't going to be enough to form stool would be my guess.

Some vets take Care credit and they have the applications right there--so that might be an option for payment.
 

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While it's against forum policy to give medical advice, I can tell you what my vet did for my cat with hepatic lipidosis. She was given Denamarin (which can be purchased here Nutramax Denamarin Tablets for Cats & Small Dogs, 30 count, along with Hill's A/D food, and Remeron (Mirtazapine) for appetite stimulation. My cat did fine and is alive and well. You may want to ask your vet if any of the above 3 things would be appropriate. If I were in your place, I would keep getting food into him like you've been doing.
 
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ineedhelpnow

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--Did the IBD kitties website give you any helpful info?
What about their probiotics page?
What about this page?
Guidelines to Treating IBD – IBDKitties
Yes it gave a lot of good info, I'll go read the rest right now.

And an update: I don't know if he's doing better today than yesterday, but physically he looks the same. He hasn't passed a stool yet, but I expect him to because I got a 10mL syringe and he was able to eat food a lot easier now, about 1/4 can or 40 calories in 5 minutes, and I plan to divide 1 can into 3 meals a day and maybe increase than to 50 cal per serving tomorrow until I can get a vets opinion on Monday. Still praying that he gets better, :). Thank you for all the useful advice, information, and life stories, you have all been a blessing.
 

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I just went through something similar, although the problem with your cat's liver sounds a little more serious than mine. Hugo had no appetite and vomiting for 4 days. Regular vet put him on cerenia (anti nausea). He was still vomiting. We did tests, lots of tests, and had to go to the emergency vet. I could only afford 1 night of hospitalization on top of all else. The next 3 weeks I did syringe feeding and fluids myself at home. Doc wanted to put in a feeding tube, but I ran out of room on care credit so I had to do it the old fashioned way. The original problem was never diagnosed, but he was in the beginning stage of fatty liver disease as a result.

We started with 10ml of a slurry of food 4x per day the first few days. After that I think most days I got most of a can of Hill's AD in him each day. Doc said the key to healing the liver is to get enough calories in him close enough to what he would need normally. My cat was not eating at all whatsoever. It may vary from cat to cat, he didn't love the syringe feeding through the mouth but he was pretty compliant for it. he hasn't had any further issues with the vomiting, or liver

Your vet makes it sound much worse than you do. I think if you pull him through this there will still be an expense to address his other issues, but the way you talk makes it seem like the cat wants to live. I hope another vet can give you a brighter prognosis!
 
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My cat did not eat for 5 days and vomited about 3 times in the first 2 days. The only negative symptoms he has now is lethargy, sleeping for most of the day, & not eating food by himself. I am glad I discovered the syringe today because it makes things a lot easier for the both of us. Thankfully he still enjoys my company and has been going out during the day in our garden so if he (god forbid) passes at least I know he'd been in comfort for his final days.

I don't know about liver health so I'm still waiting for someone to let me know if this feeding path is right. The only thing the doc mentioned to me was hospitalization where he'd be given serum, die by himself, or euthanasia. He never said anything about syringe feeding, which I'll ask him. I hope his liver health improves and he'll be able to pass stool. What I'm wondering is, how long did it take for your cat to pass his first stool after you starting feeding him? It has been 2 days and I still have not found any stool. I think I must've got 1.5 cans into his system in the past 2 days so he may (very unlikely) have done it outside. I'm hoping that the food isn't just still in him and the wasting muscle made up for the weight.
 
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I want to mention, he is drinking enough water on his own. He only needs help with eating, but has no appetite for eating on his own. He doesn't fight during feeding but is reluctant to take it in, he gets grumpy during the end of his feeding.
 
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The only "expertise" I have is with losing a cat; you'll get better answers from your specialist friend.

Please see this thread, about my experience with the death of Sweet Thing, my heart kitty: Grieving

I know how hard it is to make this decision, but I'm afraid that you may have to do so shortly. Vets very seldom advise a client to choose euthanasia unless the client has specifically asked; when they do it means that they're extremely sure that there's nothing to be done and that the animal is suffering.

Yes, you should get a second opinion from a specialist, if only to ensure that you're certain before you make the decision. If the specialist says that there's something worth doing, but it's too expensive for you to pay for, please see these articles:
No Money For Vet Care? How To Find Help And Save Your Cat's Life
When You Can't Afford A Veterinarian


Margret

I'm so sorry, that truly hurts my heart and I feel your suffering. I
 
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ineedhelpnow

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*will take that into consideration and if I don't see improvement and the specialist agrees then I might reach a final decision. But I still believe there is hope, I don't think my cat or I are ready to give up yet. Thank you for sharing.
 
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