My cat was just recently diagnosed with hepatic lipidosis. I authorized the insertion of a feeding tube, as I understand that is pretty much the only way to get food into them and get them to come around. Does anyone out there have any experience with caring for a cat with FHL? If so, please share your stories and experience with me. I have never had anything quite like this happen to one of my cats and I am still kind of reeling from the diagnosis.
TIA!
Yes, the feeding tube is critical. It is, however, a fairly treatable condition. It just takes a lot of patience.
I think most cats that are lucky enough to have owners who can financially support them through the disease have a fair to good prognosis. Complications can happen, however most cats end up doing quite well once an esophogostomy or peg tube is placed. NG tubes work well for cases that are not severe, or if a cat will start to eat on its own within a few days.
Good luck, be patient and we will all keep our fingers crossed for you!
my advice: don’t panic yet!
one of our cats was diagnosed with hepatic lipidosis in 1999. he was a rather large boy, and went on a hunger strike while we were on vacation. he was being cared for by a neighbor and had his bff for company…but who knows what goes on in the feline mind. 
he was hospitalized and fed through a ng tube for several days, then began eating again. it was scary at the time, but he came around. we lost him 3 years ago to pancreatic cancer…but his liver was fine. :sadsmile:
My parents (our family) cat was in the hospital for this a few years back. She did come around, and is now looking quite liek she may live forever. Much to my Dad’s dismay… 
He’s the only non cat person in the family. Like PP said, if you can support them throught the period of nt eating, many will come around to do quite well in the long run. Basically the way it works it, cat gets PO’d about life and quits eating. After 3-4 days cat has gotten over being PO’d but now liver is super PO’d, so cat feels too sick to eat, and so forth. Hence vicious cycle, which is why feeding tube is needed to UN-PO liver, so cat feels like eating again.
Super simplified version… hope your kitty is doing well again soon!!
Katherine
Vet Tech
My kitty has this (with complications) and I refused feeding tube. Yes, this makes life difficult but the thought of a feeding tube, for me, just seems to signify the end. I am struggling along - for me it’s a matter of finding what Miss Kitty will eat today. I have wound up force-feeding her on several occasions with the A/D food. It’s not fun, but I do it because I have to. Right now I don’t give a rat’s booty what she eats so long as she eats.
One of my family’s cats had this and she snapped out of it for a bag of those semi-moist little cat treats. She devoured as many of those as we could stuff in her little sad face and that evening she came out to kitchen and ate her regular bowl of food.
Get A/D and try that. Most cats will eat it. It is highly caloric and quite palatable. Also, try to reduce stress in environment.
Jingles for your kitty and for you as well.
FYI, the difference between tube feeding and force feeding is for the cats comfort. Often force feeding will make them nauseous and drooly. Tubes which go directly into their stomach tend to make them feel less ill as they are not smelling/tasting it. Its more for the cats comfort 
But absolutley, if you cat is WILLINGLY eating, A/D or Recovery is a highly palatable high calorie food.
Just becareful with force feeding, as many cats develop a food adversion and thus will never want to eat on their own.
I’ve never had a problem (so far) with cats not eating, but I’ve given honey or maple syrup to a dog to jump start their hunger. Worked every time.
Shiloh and LauraKY, thank you for the ideas. I have plenty of kitty treats put away, since I had put all my cats on grain free diets. I suppose it doesn’t matter just how bad of “junk food” it is as long as he eats! Also, I had offered to Junior part of my iced pumpkin cookie this evening. He was kind of interested though he didn’t eat any, so I will try some other sweet stuff.
Thanks everyone for your stories, ideas, and support.
Shiloh, the friskies “party mix” treats were a smashing success! Junior was thrilled to have them. I was worried about the texture- crunchy- but he chewed them right up and was looking for more. It was by far the most he has eaten in the past week. Thank you so much for the idea!
You are very welcome. I had to do this myself tonight. Miss Kitty has been feeling a bit finicky so I wound up sitting on the floor and feeding her nearly an entire bag of Temptations treats. Oy, :rolleyes: the things we do for our pets.
Your vet doesn’t have you giving any fluids? You didn’t say. If you need any help, just let me know. It’s hard to have a kitty this sick and feel like you’re doing it by yourself with no support.
Shiloh, the regimen I was given was, after the first day of tube feeding with different instructions, was tube feeding three times a day. Mix the can of max-cal with 25 cc of water, and administer 35 cc of the blend by tube. I am to flush the tube before and after with 5 cc of water each time, so I would assume that is plenty of water. I do not have to give fluids per se.
Junior is loving his Friskies Party Mix treats. I had to take him in to my regular vet this afternoon for follow-up blood work to be drawn. I mentioned how hesitant I am to allow my cat to fill up on the treats. I was worried that it is not nutritious enough to help get him healthy at this time, but the tech assured me that him eating anything is the primary goal right now. It broke my heart, but I picked up a bag of Meow Mix to see if he would eat it. Of course, it being the equivalent of feline junk food, he dove right in. Sadly, he wants nothing to do with the $1.50 a can cat food, and that’s a three ounce can no less. He does like the crunchy stuff. I did ask my sister to bring me a small baggie of her cats’ Taste of the Wild dry food, since she mentioned something about it being quite smelly. I have fed that in the past and like it for my cats, but switched off since Junior seemed to really plump up while eating it. I would gladly use it again if I knew he would eat it right now, but don’t want to buy of whole bag to find out he won’t eat it. I had just purchased a bag of Blue Buffalo Wilderness and he turned his nose up at it (I usually feed the BB).
Its great that hes eating something…thats a start!!! Eating something is better than nothing. Some cats with hepatic lipidosis can go months without eating at all 
Of course, they won’t eat anything that might be good for them! :rolleyes: But I abide by the words of my vet who told that he didn’t give a fat rat’s ass what my cat ate, so long as she ate.
Glad to hear your kitty seems to be off to a good start.
pm coming
Shiloh,
I responded to your PM…
Update…
Just wanted to let everyone know that Junior is still doing well. I had made an appointment earlier this week to have his feeding tube removed, however when I got home from work yesterday, I noticed something wasn’t quite right as he ran over to me. Yes, the feeding tube was no longer in place! Actually, it was lying in my bedroom doorway! A few calls later to make sure I really didn’t have to do anything other than remove a few sutures, and Junior is offically off support. I will off course make sure to keep on hand his favorite treats just in case, but I really think he is doing well- on his way to being fat and sassy again! (Okay, we’re going to keep an eye on the weight, but I fully encourage sassy!)
Thank you everyone for your good wishes and advice, as both were much needed!
If he’s well enough to rip his feeding tube out, well then, I guess he’s recovered!:lol: Glad to hear the good news!
P.S. I got a quote of nearly $2k for feeding tube placement for my cat. At that price, hell, I could afford a round trip ticket to PA, a taxi to your vet and have them place the tube! :rolleyes:
My beloved kitty is having a hard time right now. I’ll try to shorten the story but we’ve run the gammut and have been to the vet three times in a week and a half. Started with head cold and suspected constipation. Now kitty won’t eat or drink and I’m force feeding and administering SQ fluids. Also in the mix have been b-complex, steriod, appetite stimulant, laxatone, 2 enemas this morning, etc. Still no poop, though I don’t know how that’s possible, and kitty won’t eat or drink on his own.
Though he’s definitely not himself, he’s in fairly good spirits and he’s not painful so we don’t suspect an obstruction, but who knows. If he’s not better and doesn’t poop by Monday he’ll need to go back to the clinic and exploratory surgery might be in order. :sadsmile:
Here’s where I’m baffled though…he shows interest in food, i.e. chicken, turkey, etc. and acts like he’s going to gobble it up, but he’ll chew it a few times, spit it out and lose interest. That’s what I don’t get…he’s showing great interest in his favorite foods initially but when he starts to chew it up, he’s over it.
We’re trying to avoid surgery, but this can’t go on forever. We need a diagnosis. I’m force feeding and giving fluids to try to keep his liver and kidneys going but that’s making both of us very unhappy…mostly I’m unhappy b/c he’s unhappy.
TIA for advice.
ETA: Just got back from the grocery where I got more stuff to include in his “buffet” including some Party Mix. He did in fact crunch on a couple of pieces but it’s hard to tell if he actually ingested anything. He did ingest a couple of new soft treats I got him. So our other cats and dogs don’t disturb him, he’s locked in the spare room again tonight with his buffet (treats, “kitty milk” canned food, water, etc.) and his litter box. Praying he eats and poops tonight!!
AEM74,
I didn’t update a lot through my cat’s ordeal with the feeding tube, but I had made a change food-wise after the Friskies Party Mix. Try Temptations cat treats, you can find them pretty much anywhere. One of the websites that I looked at while going through this situation is run by a vet. She even recommended the Temptations treats and that you could crunch them up and sprinkle over the canned food, since cats really seem to like them. You could also try Purina FortiFlora, which is a probiotic for cats. I did not have good luck with it, but other people said their cats went crazy for it. It is just a powder that you can sprinkle over their food.
Good luck to you and your kitty!
Food is essential for HL kitties.
As for Squish’s comment about owners who can afford feeding tubes…
In my hands this is the cheapest route!! Get the tube in, switch to all “oral” meds and send them home as soon as they are hydrated. Usually 24-48 hr in the hospital. Vs days and days and days while trying to syringe feed, etc.
Shiloh: What sort of feeding tube were they putting in? In my hands it is 30 minutes of anesthesia, prep, a few instruments (cold pack, not necessarily a large sterile surgery pack), the tube and some suture. What else was in the estimate of $2K?
Feeding tubes are not “the end” in this case. They are a treatment for a treatable condition until kitty starts eating on his own again. Totally different from the anorexic, terminally ill, ain’t gonna get better kitty. HL cats are healthy but something made them stop getting enough calories in them. Address that and get calories in and life goes on, and tube comes out.
And I much prefer esophogostomy tubes. Nasal tubes only allow liquid food, and I have seen critters cough/vomit/regurg them back up. PEG tubes have to be left in place 10 days before removal, even if cat is eating again. E tubes are quick and simple to put in, can come out the next day if cat is eating again, large bore so semi-solid food can be fed, etc.
I love them. And so do the cats, and the owners.
Oh, as for them coming out, there is a trick (or 2) that a lot vets don’t know. 1 is to use a “chinese fingertrap” with the “purse string” at the insertion site. The other, and most vital, is to secure the tube to the wing of the atlas (right behind the cats head) and be sure the suture is anchored in the periosteium. If I can pick the cat’s head up by the suture and not have the skin come up, I know it is secured. Then tie the tube to it. Otherwise they DO come out. As you found out.
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