Feline hepatic lipidosis can be triggered by various factors, including environmental changes and health issues.

By Karen Commings

Certain illnesses can lead to feline hepatic lipidosis, but environmental changes are often to blame.

When a cat’s food intake drops off, for whatever reason, the resulting decrease in protein intake can trigger feline hepatic lipidosis (FHL), the most common form of liver disease in cats.

Inadequate protein mobilizes fat from the adipose tissue, and the fat then accumulates in the liver. "It’s a vicious cycle," says Ned Kuehn, DVM, MS, a veterinary internist with Michigan Veterinary Specialists in Southfield, Michigan. "When a cat decreases food intake, more fat accumulates, making the cat feel worse and eat even less. This makes the hepatic lipidosis get worse." The cat becomes anorexic, and severe liver failure occurs, often in as little as a couple of weeks. "I’ve seen…

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