SPONTANEOUS OCCURRENCE OF HEPATIC LIPIDOSIS IN A GROUP OF LABORATORY CATS

Clinical signs consistent with hepatic lipidosis occurred in six obese adult laboratory cats, housed in a group cage, 6 to 7 weeks after cha nging their diet from a commercial to a purified diet. The affected ca ts lost 30 to 40% of their body weight in this time period. This rate of weight loss is compatible with little or no food intake. For treatm ent, 5 cats were tube-fed three or four times daily with a high-fat li quid diet supplemented with L-citrulline and choline. All cats tolerat ed the diet, which contained 35% protein on an energy basis. Substanti al voluntary food intake resumed 12 to 16 days after initiating treatm ent. The sixth cat was euthanatized. These observations suggest that 6 to 7 weeks of anorexia, associated with 30 to 40% weight loss, can in duce hepatic lipidosis in obese but otherwise healthy cats, and confir m that with appropriate management the prognosis for cats with hepatic lipidosis is favorable.