Fatty Liver in Diabetic Cat

Hi All,

My cat Boo, is currently in the hospital with Fatty Liver disease and of course, he has diabetes. He has jaundice from the fatty liver, is not eating on his own, so they have him on an IV with fluids and tube feeding. He also keeps getting a fever so they are giving him antibiotics daily. Vet is saying he will need to be in hospital for a while, I am just feeling helpless and unsure of decision to make. Has anyone here experienced this before with their cat? And did you do at home care? Please help..

 

My mom recently had a cat who had hepatic lipidosis (aka "fatty liver"), and he had an e-tube, too. He wasn't diabetic, but I'm guessing your concern is more how to take care of Boo when he is released from the hospital? Two of my cats also had e-tubes, as well. It's intimidating at first but after you get the hang of it, it just becomes routine! So obviously, the most important medicine for a fatty liver kitty is nutrition. In that sense, having the tube in place is actually going to make this easier for you because Boo probably doesn't want to eat much, if anything, right now. That's normal. With tube feeding you are in charge of what you cat is getting, so follow your vet's instructions. Usually kitties do better with smaller meals throughout the day instead of just 2 large ones. Tube feeding is very easy if you haven't done it before. Canned food (usually something high-calorie or for critical care, like Science Diet A/D) is basically pureed into a mealy-like texture, sucked up with a syringe, and plunged down in the tube slowly. Then you flush the tube with 3-5ml of water afterwards, cap the tube, and you're done! And if your cat is on any medication, that can usually be crushed and inserted into the tube as well (which is really sort of a bonus - instead of wrangling w/a pill and a feisty cat who does not want to open their mouth you can just push the meds down the tube). You may want to ask about a liver supplement such as Denamarin, as well. It doesn't require a script (you can buy it off Amazon or online pet supply stores) but includes ingredients such as SAM-e and milk thistle which is supposed to help the liver heal. The pills are really huge though and I'm not sure if they can be broken up and flushed down the tube, so it doesn't hurt to ask.

Oh, and one more tip: I'd recommend purchasing a Kitty Kollar to keep the tube out of the way. It's a lot less messier than dealing with the bandages and gauze that some vets use to secure the tube around the cat's neck. Plus, they are very fashionable and launder well. I know it was important for my cats to feel chic when they were recovering from their illnesses (haha!). I'm surprised how many vets don't know about them, but I'm always happy to educate! They are pretty inexpensive, too.

I hope Boo starts feeling better soon. The earlier he gets treated the better the outcome, so it's good that he is being taken care of right now.

 

Thank you for your help. I visited him yesterday and I didn't see anything around his neck so I don't think they are using that. Not sure what they are feeding him with. They had him hooked up to an IV though. They do have him on Denamarin though. I guess I just needed to see if anyone else has been thru this and what they had done. I feel like i need to ask my vet if i can take care of him at home with an e-tube once he's stable. They haven't given me that option. I've also seen where others were given fluids to give to their cats too. A lot to think about and ask..thank you again for your help.

 

You should definitely be able to take him home with an e-tube once he's stabilizing and showing improvement. I've also administered fluids at home for my cats lots of times and it's not too difficult. I have read some vets in the UK are more hesitant to allow clients to do sub-q fluids at home. Not sure where you're located. Definitely keep asking questions, though!