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- Excessive drooling.
- Cats with chronic (long-term) liver disease often show vague, non-specific signs like loss of appetite, lethargy, and weight loss.
- Acute (sudden) liver disease has much more obvious signs that include vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal swelling, fever, excessive thirst and urination, and jaundice (yellowing of the skin, whites of the eyes, and gums).
- Very severe liver disease can lead to the build-up of large amounts of toxins in the blood, which can affect the brain. This can cause disorientation, confusion, and seizures of “hepatic encephalopathy” seizures.
What can cause liver disease in cats?
Several things can affect your cat’s liver function. Some of them can be prevented with proper care while others can appear quite suddenly as a result of genetics or certain predispositions. These potential causes include:
- Infection by viruses or bacteria.
- Intoxications (poisons).
- Hepatitis (liver inflammation), which is often due to an unknown cause. This can sometimes lead to scarring, or cirrhosis.
- Tumours.
- Genetic problems in some breeds.
- Inherited problems related to the liver’s blood vessels, called ´portosystemic shunts´.
- Fatty liver disease (hepatic lipidosis).
The age, weight, and breed of your cat can also increase their likelihood of developing liver issues. For instance, it’s considerably more common for geriatric cats, overweight cats, and certain breeds such as Siamese cats to develop liver disease. It goes without saying that a veterinarian is the only person that can diagnose a cat with a liver problem or any other disease, after first performing a thorough examination. In certain cases, some tests, x-rays, or even CT scans might be needed in order to get a correct diagnosis and have a complete understanding of your cat’s liver problems.
Can a cat recover from liver disease?
The short answer is yes, it’s absolutely possible for cats to recover from liver disease. However, it’s not easy. Cats are very reluctant to being medicated and they typically get stressed if their environment changes as a result of being hospitalized. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Depending on your cat and the various treatments available, it’s completely feasible for your furry friend to recover.
How is liver disease treated in cats?
Depending on the diagnosis, your vet will most likely recommend changing your cat’s diet along with other specific measures. You should also know that a liver biopsy might be required in order to determine the cause of the disease and its proper treatment. However, even though it’s an invasive procedure, this is usually done either as a simple surgical biopsy or as a needle biopsy and your cat will be under an anaesthetic the whole time so there’ll be minimal discomfort.
Normally, no hospitalization is needed for cats with mild symptoms of liver disease. This means you’ll be able to keep them at home and treat them with medications that help minimize the nausea and the vomiting so that they’re able to eat properly. If, however, more worrying symptoms such as weight loss or dehydration are present, your cat may need constant supervision by medical staff in a veterinary hospital. Since liver problems can also affect the health of other organs, it’s best to closely monitor the recovery of your cat.