The liver is one of the largest organs and is considered the body's great laboratory and warehouse. In it they synthesize a lot of enzymes, proteins, etc., being the largest detoxifying organ, it stores glycogen (essential for glucose balance), etc.
Hepatitis is defined as the inflammation of the hepatic tissue and therefore of the liver. Although it is not as frequent a pathology in cats as it is in dogs, it must always be taken into account when making diagnoses in the event of non-specific and general symptoms, such as weight loss, anorexia, apathy and fever. There are also more specific symptoms, such as jaundice.
In this article on our site we will give you the keys to analyze the cause of hepatitis in cats as well as thesymptoms and treatment of the disease.
What causes feline hepatitis?
Inflammation of the liver can have multiple origins, so we will review the most common and frequent causes:
- Viral Hepatitis: Has absolutely nothing to do with human hepatitis. There are certain specific viruses of the cat, which can cause hepatitis, among many other symptoms. Thus, the viruses that cause feline leukemia and feline infectious peritonitis can lead to hepatitis, because the viruses destroy liver tissue. These pathogens do not only destroy liver tissue, so they will affect other organs of the cat's body.
- Hepatitis of bacterial origin: More common in dogs, it is rare in cats. The causal agent is Leptospira.
- Hepatitis of parasitic origin: It is most frequently caused by toxoplasmosis (protozoa) or filariasis (blood parasite).
- Toxic Hepatitis: Caused by the ingestion of different toxins, it is also very rare in cats, due to their eating behaviour. It is usually due to the accumulation of copper in the feline liver.
- Congenital hepatitis: It is also very infrequent and is usually diagnosed accidentally, looking for other pathologies. It is in the case of congenital liver cysts.
- Neoplasias (tumors): They are more common in older cats. The tumor tissue is destroying the liver. Most of the time they are not primary tumors, being metastases of tumors generated in other organs.
What are the most common symptoms of feline hepatitis?
Hepatitis usually gives different symptoms, depending on whether it manifests itself acutely or chronically. An acute failure of liver function often results in sudden onset symptoms.
The most frequent symptom is usually loss of appetite and lethargy The accumulation of toxins in the body affects the nervous system, and associated symptoms may be observed (behavior changes, abnormal gait and even seizures), known as hepatic encephalopathy. Inactivity and a state of sadness are common.
Another symptom would be jaundice It is a more specific symptom in liver disease and consists of the accumulation of bilirubin (yellow pigment) in the tissues. In the case of chronic hepatitis, weight loss and ascites (accumulation of fluids at the abdominal level) are observed.
What is the treatment for feline hepatitis?
The treatment of hepatitis is usually associated on the one hand with its origin, but since most of the time it is unknown (idiopathic) or is caused by viruses and tumors, they are symptomatic treatment and nutritional management underway
Nutritional management consists of changing the cat's diet (which will be an additional problem, since it is not so easy to do) adjusting it to the disease. It is based on reducing the total amount of protein in the diet and increasing its quality.
