Hi

I'm new here so would firstly would like to say hello, I have a ten year old cat called Sam, who is a boy, though when we are trying to irritate him, we use a girls name "Pam".

Last wednesday he was diagnosed with Liver disease, I think at first the vet thought it was worse as she was talking about it being a long life in the wild etc, and she was very concerned and we should be prepared for the worst.

Anyway, we took him back the next day for blood tests and got a call from the vet in the afternoon. Apparently Sam-Pam has "significant" liver disease, though his heart, blood tests etc were all fine. They kept him in on a drip to see how he reacted for the night and then called the following day to say he had responded well and was eating (he never stopped in actual fact, he still purrs when he eats.) He's now been home two days, we have some natural tablets "hepatosyl" to give him and some other tablets to help his skin which is dry and jaundiced. I've also bought a syringe to give him some water as he doesn't seem to be drinking, coupled with the fact we have just moved so he isn't going out.

We are still uncertain what is going to happen, we have to take him back tomorrow for the vet to look him over. It's really stressful though as he doesn't seem keen on eating his food with the tablets crushed in (we are using extra fishey stuff) and he hisses everytime I try and put water in his mouth...

Has anyone else had a cat with liver problems, my first reaction was to bawl my eyes out and I was going to have to have him put to sleep, but he still seems relatively lively and the vets mentioned that the liver can regenerate itself... One minute I'm optimistic and the next I feel really sick and sad

Firstly hi and welcome Cheetsey,Sam/Pam I'm afraid i have no medical advice to give you,sorry. But totally understand how you must be feeling in the circumstance that you are both in, it sounds optimistic that his liver with your care could well recover and even if not if he's happy and in no pain and able to live with medication well that has to be goodWe have cats that we sometimes have to medicate with tabs and trust me a scared cat can be just as dangerous as an angry cat,ours won't take them lightly either,i usually scruff our worst cats firmly by the scruff of the neck and hold them in a way that they have to tilt their neck and gently push the tab in the middle of their mouth on top of the tongue(so they can't hide it or hold it to spit it later)if i don't manage it 1st time i leave them and try again later-so far so goodIt's only natural for your head to be in bits and to feel up and down,take as much of the positive from your trusted vets opinion and go with that,Sam will more than likely surprise you in no time and he'll settle into his new home and be getting up to all his old tricks and probably invent new ones,as long as he is getting some water don't worry to much as he'll get hydration from his food,to check if you need to rehydrate him just scruff his fur near his neck,if it's slow to fall he needs hydrating if it falls as your skin does he's fine-this way you only have to hydrate him with a syringe when you have to thus less distress for him,hope i've helped a littleBear in mind also that vets are like doctors in that they mostly give you the worst case scenario til they've all the facts,a standard practice

Hi
thanks for this, we took him back to the vet tonight and it's still inconclusive. They have sugested we leave him on the antibiotics and liver stimulants for the next week and then look at having him scanned. One minute they were positive, the next they were talking about making a decision if he takes a turn for the worst while we are away at the weekend and he is in the cattery..

Hi there,

Not a Cat I'm afraid but out late Scottie Dog had Liver Disease he lasted 12 months after being diagnosed by the vet with daily visits to the vet for an injection. Looking back I think perhaps maybe we kept him going a couple months longer than what we should have.

No doubt totally different for a cat.

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Fiona.

“Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching?”

Our female Siamese was diagnosed with liver problems about 18 months ago when she was badly jaundiced. She lost a load of weight and we thought we might lose her. In the end we got her to pull through (big vets bill) and she has been more or less okay until recently. I am a real dab hand now at cleaning up cat sick (shares in Bissell) and her poo is runny. The problem we have is that she is a hyper nervous cat and going to the vets is a major trauma for her (we didn't get her until she was three and she had never been handled). When she was treated initially her blood levels were raised so much they thought there was something more serious but it was just caused by the stress.

Following another blood test we have decided to put her on monthly steroid injections, (the vet wanted to send her away for more tests, which for her would be too traumatic) which means a monthly vet visit but it can't be helped as we can't get her to have tablets. Food is monitored so that she doesn't eat the other cat's biscuit, which she does throw up immediately. I think the key seems to be to stop her gorging because she is hungry which makes her sick immediately. I got her some 'intestinal' biscuit food, which has made her poo more normal (I got tins of it as well but she will not eat it) plus she has developed a liking for Sheba cat food. Otherwise she is very lively and happy. The liver is supposed to repair itself so I am crossing my fingers, although she is 14.

All you can do is your best and if the worst does happen you know you have not let them down.

sorry to hear about your cat, the liver can repair itself to a certain degree unlike the kidneys. There are special foods and supplements that can help the liver cells regenerate and reduce toxic damage to the cells. Ask your vet about these if you are not using them already they can greatly improve your pets condition by providing the correct nutrients to help the liver repair itself. It does also depend on the underlying cause for the disease as to wheter symptoms persist. Hope she is feeling better
I have a cat that has just been diagnosed with kidney failure who unfortunately has a poor prognosis so the outlook should be brighter for your kitty.

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