Feline hepatic lipidosis

[2] The disease begins when the cat stops eating from a loss of appetite, forcing the liver to convert body fat into usable energy.

If this process continues for too long, fat builds up in the cells of the liver, and the disease has officially onset.

[3] Treatment may involve the insertion of a temporary feeding tube to ensure adequate caloric intake for cats that have stopped eating as a result of this disease.

Anorexia always precedes liver disease, with the cat refusing to eat enough food for days, or weeks.

A lack of appetite causes the cat to refuse any food, even after it has purged its system of all stomach contents.

Severe weight loss proceeds as the liver keeps the cat alive off body fat, causing a yellowing of the skin (jaundice).

When the cat runs out of fat to process, severe muscle wasting (cachexia) takes place as the body converts protein into energy.

Cat with noticeable jaundice from late-stage hepatic lipidosis. Note the ears and eye-membrane
Cat receiving treatment for hepatic lipidosis. An esophageal feeding tube can be seen extending from the neck. A syringe containing a nutrient slurry can also be seen.