Cat Hepatitis advice - please don’t judge

[Gord0n]

Very worried about my cat. He’s 2 year old and recently started urinating dark strong smelling urine around the house. The vet gave him a long acting antibiotic twice and it’s cleared up the urinating but now the cats stomach has swollen up and I brought him back to the vet today. The vet sedated him and said he has ascites and enlarged liver / hepatitis - keeping him in overnight. I’m worried about him - it sounds serious. Is this something a cat can recover from?

And what’s making the whole thing worse is that I’ve also got an awful feeling I am responsible for this. In August we went away for a few days and the cat accidentally got locked in my sons bedroom. 4 days without food or water. We have 4 cats and My grandfather visited twice every day to put out food but didn’t realise the cat had been trapped in the room and figured he just missed him. They are all indoor outdoor cats.

He was very stressed on our return - carpet torn to shreds and of course we felt absolutely dreadful for him and showered him with all his favourite things. He seemed to bounce back and has been his normal playful self up until now. Has this stress caused this? The poor thing

[booktigger]

While going without food for a few days can cause liver issues, it normally shows quite quickly, did you tell the vet about it? The liver can regenerate, so one of the better organs to have an issue, but it does depend on the underlying cause.

[Mollycat]

The liver problem that can be caused by having no food for 4 days is hepatic lipidosis, it's usually a very urgent crisis and doesn't just sort itself out, so if he was alive and well the day after you got home, he didn't have it. It can't be delayed for 6 months, anyway, so it isn't that. You're just still feeling awful as any of us would. I hope you've forgiven Granddad!

The liver is a very important multifunctional organ that as Booktigger says regenerates very well. It can be serious when something goes wrong with it but your cat is in good hands to get to the bottom of it and treat it. Whatever exactly it is because -itis just means inflamed or infection, so hepatitis is inflammation of the liver. Unlikely to be stress.

Did your vet explain what ascites is? A build-up of fluid in the abdomen. It has so many possible causes and only one of them is a liver issue. Either way your cat does have something serious and the vet is keeping him in to try and find out what so that he can get the right treatment as soon as possible.

[Gord0n]

Thank you for your replies. I hadn’t told the vet about this, to be honest I was completely ashamed that something like this happened and I’m still haunted by the thought that it could have been so much worse for the poor fella. I thought it may be a factor when reading about different liver conditions online and have been torturing myself thinking I am responsible for his condition and his pain. Your comments have eased that feeling so thank for taking the time.

It’s almost time for the vet to open so I’m going to call for an update. I know how serious his condition is - yes the vet explained the ascites being a rather serious condition but that it was likely caused by the liver issue. I really hope this is something that can be cured. He is so young and active and so so adored by us all.

With regard to grandad, of course he is forgiven - we have 2 black cats, brother and sister, and he can’t tell the difference. In fact we didn’t tell him what happened because he would have been so upset.

[Mollycat]

Well, the internet must always be treated with caution but it is an incredibly valuable resource for learning about medical conditions. It's how I came to be reading up on hepatic lipidosis and liver issues more generally, when my own cat 'crashed' in November 2018, and even found a link that would explain a high reading that my vet pronounced to be random. She is fine now.

Sending you a big warm virtual hug, can't believe you have been carrying this guilt for months. Take special good care of you and please keep us updated when you know more?

[voliviavv24]

On the Internet I read that the liver problem that can be caused by having no food for 4 days is hepatic lipidosis