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

[denice]

As far as the fatty liver disease goes getting enough calories in is the key to recovery. I had a cat with undiagnosed IBD who survived fatty liver. He did have a feeding tube but there is nothing magical about it, it just makes feeding easier. It does depend on the underlying issue that caused kitty to quit eating but getting enough calories in with a syringe will work as well.

 

[Hugospal]

What I'm wondering is, how long did it take for your cat to pass his first stool after you starting feeding him?

It's hard to say. I have two cats and I was still going to my full time job and having to do other stuff most days. In the beginning 40ml wasn't much food so I think it did take a while, and he did vomit some of it the first day or two, but I wasn't monitoring the litterbox too closely. I was more preoccupied with just getting enough food in him.

 

[Furballsmom]

How are things today?
Yeah, I'm thinking there has to be enough time for enough things to get digested for his system to actually build up some poo, and that will vary from cat to cat.

 

[Margret]

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

*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.

It's always difficult to decide when is the right time to let go. I know of one cat on this site who has food allergies, plus inflammatory bowel disease with incipient megacolon, whose human was about ready to euthanize him on Christmas, 2016, but the cat made it obvious that he wasn't ready to go, and his human was able to get some financial help for medical bills, as well as lots of emotional support here, and that cat is still with us, feisty as ever, nearly a year and a half after we thought he was about to leave us.

I know that I waited too long to make the decision for Sweet Thing, and I regret that to this day, but I also know that Sweet Thing didn't blame me, and I've forgiven myself for it (though I have a harder time forgiving the vet who didn't give me full information about the extent of her illness).

However, even if it is your cat's time, very little will be lost, and much gained, by taking the time to be certain.

I have type 2 diabetes, and the standard treatment methods don't work terribly well for me; I have to micro-manage my blood sugar, pricking a finger to measure it pretty much every meal and then taking the appropriate dose of the appropriate drug. The standard "Here, take this three times a day no matter what you're eating" method not only doesn't work for me, it sounds positively insane to me, though a lot of diabetics use that technique and do quite well on it. However, a doctor has explained to me that the reason they don't recommend my technique to every diabetic is that most people simply don't have the will to do it that way. There's a chance that a similar thing is happening with your vet's advice to you; he may have the idea that most people are unable or unwilling to hand feed a cat to try to get past the liver disease and therefore that it's kinder to the cat to advise euthanasia as the "easy" answer, and if that's the case then your desire to at least try hand feeding is absolutely correct.

How are things today?
Yeah, I'm thinking there has to be enough time for enough things to get digested for his system to actually build up some poo, and that will vary from cat to cat.

I'm certain that it takes time, though much less certain how long - sorry about that.

Margret

 

[LadyGoDiving]

Is it possible for you to keep him confined inside with a litterbox temporarily? You would know for sure if he does or doesn't poo. Plus, you'd be able to give a stool sample (or at least a description) to the vet if requested. We can sometimes get clues to our kitties' illnesses from stool. For example, IBD kitties often have soft or runny stool; blood in the stool can indicate other things. It's one more piece of data to help diagnose the illness. Ah! The things we cat lovers do...

 

[ineedhelpnow]

How are things today?
Yeah, I'm thinking there has to be enough time for enough things to get digested for his system to actually build up some poo, and that will vary from cat to cat.

He hasn't vomited anything today, seems about the same weight, symptoms haven't worsened and he has slightly more energy so I think he's doing better today, but you never know what might happen tomorrow. Still praying

One major improvement is, that he at least seems to have an appetite now although he doesn't eat on his own. He walked up to me when I opened a can of cat food today, and seemed to be interested in it, although he didn't taste it.

He did make a lot of waste today, but if the stool was watery there was no way I could differentiate it from his urine. I will take a closer look next time, and try to keep him indoors tomorrow and maybe the day after to observe him, thanks for the suggestion of taking a sample of his stool. If I find any I'll be sure to keep some in a plastic jar.

I think he weighed around 9-10 pounds before he lost weight, and he weighs around 7.5 pounds right now. He should be getting at least 160 calories a day to bring his weight back up, which I'll try to maintain as best as possible.

 

[Furballsmom]

Still praying

Me too.

 

[ineedhelpnow]

It's always difficult to decide when is the right time to let go. I know of one cat on this site who has food allergies, plus inflammatory bowel disease with incipient megacolon, whose human was about ready to euthanize him on Christmas, 2016, but the cat made it obvious that he wasn't ready to go, and his human was able to get some financial help for medical bills, as well as lots of emotional support here, and that cat is still with us, feisty as ever, nearly a year and a half after we thought he was about to leave us.

I know that I waited too long to make the decision for Sweet Thing, and I regret that to this day, but I also know that Sweet Thing didn't blame me, and I've forgiven myself for it (though I have a harder time forgiving the vet who didn't give me full information about the extent of her illness).

However, even if it is your cat's time, very little will be lost, and much gained, by taking the time to be certain.

I have type 2 diabetes, and the standard treatment methods don't work terribly well for me; I have to micro-manage my blood sugar, pricking a finger to measure it pretty much every meal and then taking the appropriate dose of the appropriate drug. The standard "Here, take this three times a day no matter what you're eating" method not only doesn't work for me, it sounds positively insane to me, though a lot of diabetics use that technique and do quite well on it. However, a doctor has explained to me that the reason they don't recommend my technique to every diabetic is that most people simply don't have the will to do it that way. There's a chance that a similar thing is happening with your vet's advice to you; he may have the idea that most people are unable or unwilling to hand feed a cat to try to get past the liver disease and therefore that it's kinder to the cat to advise euthanasia as the "easy" answer, and if that's the case then your desire to at least try hand feeding is absolutely correct.


I'm certain that it takes time, though much less certain how long - sorry about that.

Margret

I hope that is the case with my cat, (Pishu, meaning sweet kitty in Persian,) I truly believe miracles can happen. When Pishu was 3 months old, he had a terrible infection in his left eye that was spreading quickly, and the same vet was equally doubtful of his outcome. I spoke to the lovely lady who we adopted him from, and she gave us antivirals and invaluable advice on what to do, she really cared for him like a mother. If it wasn't for her guidance, Pishu would not be with us right now, but he had made a full recovery in one month. Unfortunately, I discovered that lady had passed away from cancer last year. A few days ago, I spoke to her husband who she worked with to rescue kittens. He agreed with our vet and said it was time to let go. Now is my chance to save Pishu, and with the grace of science & God he will hopefully beat fatty liver disease. Thank you for the advice.

 

[1 bruce 1]

He hasn't vomited anything today, seems about the same weight, symptoms haven't worsened and he has slightly more energy so I think he's doing better today, but you never know what might happen tomorrow. Still praying

One major improvement is, that he at least seems to have an appetite now although he doesn't eat on his own. He walked up to me when I opened a can of cat food today, and seemed to be interested in it, although he didn't taste it.

He did make a lot of waste today, but if the stool was watery there was no way I could differentiate it from his urine. I will take a closer look next time, and try to keep him indoors tomorrow and maybe the day after to observe him, thanks for the suggestion of taking a sample of his stool. If I find any I'll be sure to keep some in a plastic jar.

I think he weighed around 9-10 pounds before he lost weight, and he weighs around 7.5 pounds right now. He should be getting at least 160 calories a day to bring his weight back up, which I'll try to maintain as best as possible.

Whew, I'm so glad I read ahead on this thread because I was about to warn you that stools may be watery, messy, and scary looking after days without a BM. When stuff is "backed up" from lack of eating/appetite and that suddenly is syringe fed/or the appetite kicks in and food is ingested, things get moving again and sometimes the first result is...not so nice to look at (let alone smell!)

I try to remain a realist (and usually fail, LOL) when it comes to our cats health but sometimes being optimistic does not hurt, but, our 10 pound cat lost an entire pound (via scale weight) a matter of a 2 days after a bout of diarrhea, vomiting, and not eating. He gained it back almost immediately once he stopped puking, stopped the butt-blasting of liquid poo against the wall (he tried to hit the box, but....), and was able to regain a normal appetite. I do think part of that was dehydration and fluid loss from vomiting/diarrhea.

Whatever happens, we're pulling for you and hope the best for you all.

 

[ineedhelpnow]

Update: Today he ate about 20mL of food by himself, and showed a better appetite . I still had to syringe feed the rest of the food. Still found no stool, but he had gone outside today.

As of weight, today there was definitely a noticeable change. You could feel his spine, joints and bones whereas yesterday it was better. He has definitely lost more weight, bad sign, which means I haven't been feeding him enough. On weekdays while there is nobody home to feed him from 9am - 5pm (8 hours) I am planning to break up his feeding into 4, one in the morning, 5pm, 8pm, 10:30pm so I can feed him more.

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[Hugospal]

Update: Today he ate about 20mL of food by himself, and showed a better appetite . I still had to syringe feed the rest of the food. Still found no stool, but he had gone outside today.

As of weight, today there was definitely a noticeable change. You could feel his spine, joints and bones whereas yesterday it was better. He has definitely lost more weight, bad sign, which means I haven't been feeding him enough. On weekdays while there is nobody home to feed him from 9am - 5pm (8 hours) I am planning to break up his feeding into 4, one in the morning, 5pm, 8pm, 10:30pm so I can feed him more.

What food are you feeding him? Something I could recommend, depending on the answer, is a higher calorie food. Hill''s AD is high calorie for just this reason. I checked out Petsmart when Hugo was sick. I didn't know how long this was going to go on and the AD was very expensive, plus and he hated it. Wellness (I think it was the Core variety) had more calories even than the AD (and better ingredients imo). Canned kitten food is also high in calories

 

[ineedhelpnow]

What food are you feeding him? Something I could recommend, depending on the answer, is a higher calorie food. Hill''s AD is high calorie for just this reason. I checked out Petsmart when Hugo was sick. I didn't know how long this was going to go on and the AD was very expensive, plus and he hated it. Wellness (I think it was the Core variety) had more calories even than the AD (and better ingredients imo). Canned kitten food is also high in calories

I'm feeding him Purina "Friskies" Ocean Whitefish & Tuna Pate which has 178kcal per can which is close to Hills A/D with 180kcal per can, although the A/D may be better for him right now. The Wellness looks like a better option. I'm down to 2 cans at the moment, so I'll pick up either the A/D or Wellness when I go shopping.

 

[LadyGoDiving]

... I'll pick up either the A/D or Wellness when I go shopping.

A/D is prescription-only food, so you can't just buy it in the store. Although some of the better pet stores carry it, you need an RX from a vet to purchase it. Alternatively, your vet's office may sell it directly, and you could just buy a few cans from them to try. The neat thing about A/D is that it's designed for cats with inappetance, and just seems more appealing to them when they aren't hungry enough. You might also consider Nutri-cal, which is a high calorie supplement.

 

[ineedhelpnow]

A/D is prescription-only food, so you can't just buy it in the store. Although some of the better pet stores carry it, you need an RX from a vet to purchase it. Alternatively, your vet's office may sell it directly, and you could just buy a few cans from them to try. The neat thing about A/D is that it's designed for cats with inappetance, and just seems more appealing to them when they aren't hungry enough. You might also consider Nutri-cal, which is a high calorie supplement.

Nutri-cal looks good. He ate more food on his own this morning, about 30mL, so I think he's getting better with his appetite and will be able to eat more during his feedings.

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[monicatt]

I just wrote a thread on my cats recovery of signs of liver disease please give it a read to see if your cat is going through something similar. My Cats Health Is Back On Track After Signs Of Liver Disease

I agree with LadyGoDiving- that's exactly what I did as well to get my cat Target back on track. Unfortunately in my city they didn't have Hills l/d (which was recommended) but I fed Target Hills c/d as he used to eat that food way back when he has a small amount of crystals in his pee and he ate all up! I also made my own cat food with chicken liver that he would eat too. I also gave Target Denamarin tablets, an appetite enhancer with some vitamins/minerals and milk thistle (prescribed by the vet). I had to syringe this into my cats mouth (not easy, but it was necessary). I also syringed my cat water as he was severely dehydrated.

I'm not a vet, but maybe try changing the food- wet food is the route I went.

I truly hope your cat gets better!

 

[javi3]

I haven't been on this site for months and felt a desire to post my cat's success with fatty liver (that I treated at home). Ironically I just saw your post today. Imy hoping I'm not breaking any rules (and this will be long), but I'll tell you how I saved my cat.
Because I changed her food too suddenly , her appetite waned then went away altogether and she went into fatty liver. Her brother died from this and his owner paid around $3000 and he still didn't make it. I , like you didn't have the money. It may not be too late for your baby! Here are what I think are important tips that I found made a difference :

Spoon feed instead of schringe feed. Look up "spoon feeding cat" on u tube and see the video. Put a mound of solid canned cat food on a small spoon/teaspoon (use food that's one consistency, not gravy types etc). Put spoon in mouth from angle and tip head back a little, then scrape food from spoon on upper roof of cat's mouth. Close mouth gently afterwards and massage throat encouraging get him to swallow. It will get messy, stressful etc, but FOOD is the most important thing. Food is mandatory or he will die. After a few times of doing this for my cat, she started eating on her own. When she waned again, I spoon fed her again. Repeat several times a day until her liver is functioning again. With the schringe, I wasn't able to get as much food into her as quickly, and for my case, It was the main thing that saved her life. Ps. Don't feed more than a 2-3 spoonfuls at a time, or he may quickly vomit everything up.

I gave my cat Sub q fluids to help her liver flush out toxins, but I've heard that cats can overcome fatty liver from just food alone. A vet may be willing to teach you how and sell you a few bags for about $15-20 each (plus cost of office visit to show you how to do it...in fact, ask your vet to do it on him while you're there). Its easy once ypu get the hang of it and there are many you tube videos to show you how also) I do think it added to the overall success. Also, warm the bag part of Sub q fluid in a large bowl of warm to midly hot water until bag itself feels warm but not hot. Make sure you dont get the bottom part of bag wet where the tubing goes into the bag..you dont want any water to get in. A lot of vets won't tell you to warm the bag first , and it makes a big difference in your cat's comfort.

Again, don't panic if you can't or are afraid to do sub q fluids...force feeding is ABSOULTELY necessary and I believe a cat needs around 200-250 calories a day, but the fluids will help flush out toxins that make him nauseated
and It may help him to not vomit. (Try not to give fluids an hour before or after eating if you can).

Encourage him to eat by bringing solid food in a shallow bowl up towards his mouth so he doesn't have to get up to eat. Stand there and let him eat like that until he's done. Do this throughout the day.

Keep this up as long g as you need. My cat was very close to death and it's been a year since.

Love to you...I know how hard this is.

 

[javi3]

Ps. I meant meant to say while spoonfeeding, open FRONT of cat's mouth, don't put the spoon in from the side.

 

[ineedhelpnow]

I haven't been on this site for months and felt a desire to post my cat's success with fatty liver (that I treated at home). Ironically I just saw your post today. Imy hoping I'm not breaking any rules (and this will be long), but I'll tell you how I saved my cat.
Because I changed her food too suddenly , her appetite waned then went away altogether and she went into fatty liver. Her brother died from this and his owner paid around $3000 and he still didn't make it. I , like you didn't have the money. It may not be too late for your baby! Here are what I think are important tips that I found made a difference :

Spoon feed instead of schringe feed. Look up "spoon feeding cat" on u tube and see the video. Put a mound of solid canned cat food on a small spoon/teaspoon (use food that's one consistency, not gravy types etc). Put spoon in mouth from angle and tip head back a little, then scrape food from spoon on upper roof of cat's mouth. Close mouth gently afterwards and massage throat encouraging get him to swallow. It will get messy, stressful etc, but FOOD is the most important thing. Food is mandatory or he will die. After a few times of doing this for my cat, she started eating on her own. When she waned again, I spoon fed her again. Repeat several times a day until her liver is functioning again. With the schringe, I wasn't able to get as much food into her as quickly, and for my case, It was the main thing that saved her life. Ps. Don't feed more than a 2-3 spoonfuls at a time, or he may quickly vomit everything up.

I gave my cat Sub q fluids to help her liver flush out toxins, but I've heard that cats can overcome fatty liver from just food alone. A vet may be willing to teach you how and sell you a few bags for about $15-20 each (plus cost of office visit to show you how to do it...in fact, ask your vet to do it on him while you're there). Its easy once ypu get the hang of it and there are many you tube videos to show you how also) I do think it added to the overall success. Also, warm the bag part of Sub q fluid in a large bowl of warm to midly hot water until bag itself feels warm but not hot. Make sure you dont get the bottom part of bag wet where the tubing goes into the bag..you dont want any water to get in. A lot of vets won't tell you to warm the bag first , and it makes a big difference in your cat's comfort.

Again, don't panic if you can't or are afraid to do sub q fluids...force feeding is ABSOULTELY necessary and I believe a cat needs around 200-250 calories a day, but the fluids will help flush out toxins that make him nauseated
and It may help him to not vomit. (Try not to give fluids an hour before or after eating if you can).

Encourage him to eat by bringing solid food in a shallow bowl up towards his mouth so he doesn't have to get up to eat. Stand there and let him eat like that until he's done. Do this throughout the day.

Keep this up as long g as you need. My cat was very close to death and it's been a year since.

Love to you...I know how hard this is.

Thanks for the tips.

I want to add something I discovered tonight as well: Regular canned salmon (that's intended for humans) preserved in water, not oil, into the food processor with all of its juices, and process for 1-2 minutes or until silky smooth, like baby food. Super easy to draw into syringe, meaning no funneling/mess of getting the food into the top of the syringe, and doesn't get clogged with large particles like the Purina wet cat food I've been feeding him. Super high calorie, about 240kcal per 6 ounce can, and he loves it so much more than his regular food, and it doesn't have a bad odor, which I assume is a benefit to the cat as well for increasing his appetite. My cat actually ate the most of this by himself out of all the foods I've tried giving him, about 1/4 of the can, and by far it was the easiest, fastest, least messy methods, it also doesn't cost more per can than Hills A/D does.

I did spoon feed for the first 2 days when I was desperate, but my cat really doesn't like large objects in his mouth, and he had a hard time opening his jaw. He also spilled some of the food out of his mouth which was a pain to clean up, overall I found the free 5mL and 10mL syringes the Walgreens or CVS pharmacy has are the best option.

Thankfully, my cat was still able to drink water and stay adequately hydrated even during his 5 day period of not eating anything. The only thing that's missing is making sure than he's getting the vital micronutrients and vitamins he needs to survive, which he should be getting from his food. Canned salmon doesn't contain all of these, so it's important that I rotate between his foods to keep a balance of nutrients.