Eddie says: This is a guest post by Jackie Fox, an entertainment attorney and former bassist for The Runaways. We're so glad to hear that Xena's feeling better!

I’d never heard of feline hepatic lipidosis before Xena was diagnosed with it. I’ve had Xena for almost 5 ½ years, ever since I adopted her and her sister, Cleo, as kittens. [Eddie says: No relation to my sister Cleo!] Earlier this year I added another kitten to our household, and I was so focused on integrating the cats that I didn’t notice that Xena had become stressed and stopped eating. By the time I did, she’d lost over a third of her body weight. It had only been a few weeks, but her liver was already severely damaged.

During rapid weight loss, the body metabolizes stored fat, which is transported to the liver for processing. Cat livers do this very slowly, however, so fat sometimes accumulates in the liver and damages it. The condition is called hepatic lipidosis, or fatty liver syndrome, and is unique to cats. Stress is just one cause. Diabetes mellitus, pancreatitis and cancer are among the others. The main symptoms are anorexia, weight loss, lethargy, vomiting and jaundice. The fatty liver makes the cat feel sick, which makes the cat eat less, which causes more fat to accumulate in the liver, and so on.

As soon as I noticed Xena’s weight loss and anorexia, I took her to the vet. Blood tests showed elevated liver enzymes and she was admitted to the hospital for a liver biopsy and insertion of a feeding tube directly into her stomach. Without a feeding tube, a cat with severe hepatic lipidosis has maybe a 10% likelihood of survival. With a tube, the survival rate jumps to 90%.

Xena was in the hospital for four days after which she was allowed to come home. She required round-the-clock food and medications through the tube and had to wear a sweater to keep her from pulling the tube out. The tube was kept in place with safety pins and all I can say is -- Frankenkitty. Cleo wouldn’t go near her. The tube couldn’t come out until Xena was eating regularly on her own and putting on weight. Some cats do this in few days, but for others it can take a few months or even a year. Fortunately, I’d found the kitten a new home while Xena was in the hospital and, with the source of her stress removed, Xena soon started eating again and the tube could come out.

I am happy to say that Xena has fully recovered and she and Cleo are best buddies again. The bad news is that the total cost of surgery, hospitalization and medications was over $5,000. I was lucky to have had enough savings to pay for Xena’s hospitalization and the ability to stay home and care for her. The alternative would have been putting her down, which would have been devastating.

Rapid weight loss, excessive vomiting, loss of appetite, and jaundice (a yellowish tinge in a cat’s skin, eyes, ears or gums) are signs that cannot be ignored. If caught in time, feline liver damage is reversible, if not always cheap. And if caught early enough, a feeding tube might not be necessary. When in doubt, take your cat to the vet immediately. You just might be saving yourself $5,000. And more importantly, you might be saving your cat’s life. Max's House has more information on feline hepatic lipidosis.

Photo by John A. Ryan at Insight Imaging.