My cat's cholesterol is too high, what should I do?

This morning, I saw my 9 year old cat Hercules limping.  I quickly took him to the vet and ran blood test.  His cholesterol is 325, too high, everything else is normal.  The vet said the limping might be caused by high cholesterol, which made his blood circulation bad, plus he is too fat.

Does anyone have experience with limping cat or high cholesterol?  I'm not sure if I can trust his words cuz he is a new vet...

Does anyone know what brands of canned food has low cholesterol?   What type of food should I feed him?

Thanks in advance.

This is going to be a really downer post, so a warning to you in advance. I'm sorry you cat is ill!

I had a cat who started limping all of a sudden when he was 8 years old. He had cardiomyopathy (a heart condition) which caused a thrombosis (a blood clot thrown into his bloodstream), which caused lameness in his back legs. He was also overweight. While the vet checked his heart during the first office visit, he didn't hear a heart murmor. That didn't show up until about 4 weeks later, when his lameness was progressively worse.

Your post throws a lot of red flags in the air for me. High cholesterol by itself isn't going to cause him to limp. Heart problems from high cholesterol could cause a thrombosis and cause him to limp. Male cats between 8-9 years old are in a prime age for this problem, particularly if they are overweight. I would suspect that first, particularly if he is limping in his back legs.

Changing his diet to lower his cholesterol is a very strange thing for a vet to prescribe for this problem. Not that it will hurt him, but that isn't the thing that could turn things around for him quickly if he has a heart condition. My cat went downhill quickly because the initial diagnosis was that he somehow hurt himself when he jumped off of something. While we could have started him on heart medication, we didn't run enough tests during that visit to identify his real problem. By the time we identified his heart condition, the lameness was irreversible and we lost him a few weeks later.

Provided that this is a heart condition, there is medication available to treat this condition as long as you can catch it in time. High cholesterol suggests a heart issue. If your vet is very new and isn't comfortable treating your cat for this, I suggest you ask for a referral to another vet.

Please keep us posted on how he is doing?

Thanks for the reply and advice.  Hmm... This makes me very worried now.  I will schedule another appointment.

  What other symptons does your cat have?  

You mean heart condition caused high cholesterol or the other way around?  I think I'm kinda too nervous to think clearly now....

Is x ray or ultrasound needed for detecting the problem?  Or the vet only need to s hear it?

My regular vet will be back at night, so I will go to him.   In the meantime, I'm researching about heart condition.

Or is it possible that his joints are stiff because it is cold?  (yeah, I'm trying to comfort myself.)

OK, in the " trying to comfort yourself" arena, yes, it's possible that cold can cause a cat with arthritis to hurt more.  BUT, since the blood test must have shown high cholesterol, it sounds like there is still an underlying issue.  And my understanding is that there is a different blood test that can be run to determine if there is an issue with the heart, see http://www.idexx.com/view/xhtml/en_...et-probnp.jsf?conversationId=89627&SSOTOKEN=0, plus a chest x-ray can show any abnormality.

I don't blame you for being nervous and looking for any way to comfort yourself .  I would definitely talk to my regular Vet and if your baby needs to be put on medication, the sooner the better.  There are other folks here on this site who live with cats who have heart disease, and they are doing well



Keep us posted!

I really didn't want to scare you, but I did want you to take this seriously.

I didn't have a cholesterol test for my cat so I don't know whether or not he had it, nor do I know whether that triggered his heart condition. I do know that when a human has high cholesterol, they have a higher risk for heart disease. The 2 are related. Some heart conditions in cats can lead to a thrombosis, which can cause a cat to go lame in their hind legs. I was speculating a logical progression, and because I am speculating, its very important to push your vet a bit harder to get to the bottom of this. My cats only 2 symptoms were lameness in his back legs and eventually they found the heart murmor. I probably had a CBC run at the time (I usually do that) and that was normal. He's been gone for 6 years and I don't recall all the details.

On the flip side (to comfort you), it could be arthritis settling in, or he might have taken a hard landing when jumping off of something. The high cholesterol may have nothing to do with his lameness. Even more reason to get more information from your vet.

Whatever you do at this point, it might be better if you ask your food question within the Cat Nutrition forum, where people who are more knowledgable about food may be able to better answer your specific question. Some people who monitor that forum may not see your post in Cat Health.

to get you through this.

mrsgreenjeens said:

OK, in the " trying to comfort yourself" arena, yes, it's possible that cold can cause a cat with arthritis to hurt more.  BUT, since the blood test must have shown high cholesterol, it sounds like there is still an underlying issue.  And my understanding is that there is a different blood test that can be run to determine if there is an issue with the heart, see http://www.idexx.com/view/xhtml/en_...et-probnp.jsf?conversationId=89627&SSOTOKEN=0, plus a chest x-ray can show any abnormality.

I don't blame you for being nervous and looking for any way to comfort yourself .  I would definitely talk to my regular Vet and if your baby needs to be put on medication, the sooner the better.  There are other folks here on this site who live with cats who have heart disease, and they are doing well :cross:




Keep us posted!

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I was going to post about this test - this is what caught Jcat's Jamie HCM early and probably saved his life :nod: - x-rays in different angles along with it, will give you a great idea of how the heart is doing too :nod:

Thank you for the advice.  I'm still waiting for my regular vet to come back.  I noticed Hercules limping right after his nap after dinner, and then in the morning.  He still can run, the limp is only notisable when he walks.

I actually noticed in the past few months, he seems reluctant to jump very high.  He used to do summersault in the air, but after he gained weight (since last year), he couldn't land too well, so he just stopped doing it, but he never limped until now.  

As I was waiting for my regular vet, I rang the first vet asked him if it was possible that Hercules had heart problem.  He said He listened with his FINGERS, and he didn't hear anything major.  He seemed unhappy because he felt I questioned his diagnose. 

space1101 said:

His cholesterol is 325, too high, everything else is normal.  The vet said the limping might be caused by high cholesterol, which made his blood circulation bad, plus he is too fat.

Does anyone know what brands of canned food has low cholesterol?   What type of food should I feed him?

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What are you feeding Hercules now? High cholesterol in cats tends to be more related to high carbohydrate intake (can also indicate liver or metabolic issues, but you'd probably see some other lab results out of whack). Weight gain is also often a result of excessive carbs in the diet, so if you're feeding kibble I think it would be a good idea to switch to a low carb canned food instead. 

Sugarcatmom, he eats mostly grain free canned food and commercial raw.   He actually gained weight after quitting kibbles, I don't know why.   Do you think maybe canned food has much higher fat than kibbles?   The blood test was done about 30 minutes after he ate nature's variety rabbit canned.  I'm not sure if it would elevate cholesterol level that much....

The first vet even told me to switch to hills low fat diet....sigh...

Please excuse me for popping in for just a moment. Not trying to interrupt!

I had to find some answers for this problem some years ago.(I did.)   So I looked around again now to see if there was any new information available. Not really, the basic info is still the same. And, according to current info - just like the articles stated years ago - an elevated cholesterol level does not predispose cats and dogs to heart and blood vessel disease. It's different for them than it is for us humans.

Anyway, space 1101, I'd like to ask you, do you have a copy of the most recent complete chemistry profile and CBC (complete blood count) for your kitty? If not, please get a copy of everything for yourself as soon as possible because you will need to look at all the numbers yourself. There are several values to check/doublecheck.

Also, were any abdominal X-rays done to do a basic check on liver, kidneys, etc?

What about a chest X-ray?

Did your vet do a fPLI test?

Did your vet do any tests to check for arthritis and possible spinal problems that could cause limping?

Several possibilities need to be ruled out, so you need a very thorough step-by-step approach.

If everything checks out all right I have to agree with the vet that suggested a low-fat diet. That would be the way to go.

You'll find some good, basic information in the articles below and you and your vet can do what's necessary to find/rule out some of the possibilities.

(I would definitely insist on the fPLI test because that's a very important rule-out.)

http://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/endocrine/c_ct_hyperlipidemia

http://www.nativeremedies.com/petalive/ailment/cats-dogs-high-cholesterol-remedies.html

Just one more thing. I would urge you to get additional help from a good holistic vet who is experienced in dealing with this problem.

Holistic vets (I recommend using the advanced search)

http://www.holisticvetlist.com/

Hi violet, thanks for the information.  I will try looing into holistic vets.   Is  high level of cholesterol dangerous for cats?

The blood test at the first vet looks normal except cholesterol.  I went to the regular vet yesterday, and did X ray for chest, lung, liver, kidney, spine, and ultrasound for heart.  Everything is normal, but we all forgot to check if he has arthritis.  I have to ring the vet again on Monday.  The problem is that he is the kind of vet who only treats life and death problem, so I wonder if he will help me with arthritis.   He even told me cholesterol level of 328 is not too bad, he would worry if it went over 400 or 500.    

I noticed that Hercules walks abit better during the day, still slowly, but his limp is obvious at night after dinner.   I tried to remember his behavior in the past few months. I remember he was getting afraid to jump too vigorously because his legs coudln't support him as well as before.  I also noticed that he walks more freely on the bed than on hard floor.   The limp happened almost overnight after one dinner nap.  

Does anyone think it sounds like arthritis?   Would cosequine help?  Has anyone experienced something like this?   

If everything in the heart, lungs, x-rays, ultrasounds, CBC, etc, is normal.... I would definitely consider Arthritis, especially since he is 9 and obese.
I would, still, do that blood test we posted..... Just to be extra sure. Is there the possibility that he pulled a ligament, or hurt himself and you didn't see exactly when it happened?

I like Hyaluronic acid for Arthritis.... I would also think about going all raw on him - it will probably help him to lose weight :nod:

Basically a problem with cholesterol is just a sign that there is a problem somewhere that requires attention. Normally, with elevated cholesterol the first thing to do is look at the liver, kidneys and pancreas. Certain blood values, elevations, or just high-normal values can be very important clues. And a seemingly confusing combination of elevations, even if ever so slight, can point to the organ that needs help. The situation that produces these changes in the blood values doesn't have to be dire. In fact, early on it is far from life-threatening. There is plenty of time, especially for a holistic vet, to get to work and bring about improvement.

As I said, it's incredibly important for you to get copies of all the blood work results and go over all the blood values with a fine tooth comb, with special attention to high-normal values. Don't skip this very important step. What you need to look at is the following: BUN, creatinine, glucose, ALT, alkaline phosphatase, amylase, lipase, thyroid function. Thyroid function by itself is very important. Amylase and lipase can also give very important clues. Etc. Even more important is the result of the fPLI test I mentioned in my earlier post. Be sure to have that test done.

In addition to all this, the diet is also very important. Most importantly, the fat content of the diet. Some foods are much higher in fat than others. And the protein sources in the foods. For example chicken and fish might be much better choices in this situation than beef and some organ meats.

Essential fatty acids might be very helpful.

Kitty's weight. Extremely important because added weight puts extra stress on the joints. So a slow, careful weight-loss program is always important whenever arthritis is suspected.

Also, since food sensitivities can play an important role in arthritis, generally a grain-free diet and no potatoes can be very helpful for cats and dogs.

Incredibly, a high-fat diet and the food sources such a diet is coming from can also have a negative effect on arthritis, so one more reason for trying to find a diet lower in fat for your baby until everything can be sorted out.

I'm not sure that trying Cosequin and other remedies would the right thing to do at this point. I would not want to mask symptoms in any way, I would want to work on all the important details first and see what happens, what the results are.

Since you said "I have to ring the vet" this must mean you're in the UK and not here in the US. If so, the list of holistic vets we have won't be helpful to you. Please do your best to find one anyway. From what's I've read you have some excellent ones over there.

So, anyway, yes, definitely check for arthritis and possible disk problems to see where you are with that.

But keep in mind, we are talking about two different problems here.  High cholesterol is the original problem, you need to concentrate on that.  The possibility of arthritis is a whole different problem.  However, diet changes, etc, will most likely be very helpful for that as well.   

Carolina, thanks for the suggestion.  I'll try to suggest cardiopet test to my vet, I wonder if that is like electrocardiogram.     It's possible that Hercules has hurt himself because he likes darting and jumping.   He walked a bit more stiff in the past 2 weeks, and the limp is very notisable at night,  He walks stiffly, but would still run when excited by something.  

I was thinking about how to get rid of those fat under his skin.    Hopefully I can find low fat commercial food as well.   I wonder if I can add some veggi in the food..

Violet, I'm still learning what all the blood values mean.   It sound complicated to me ATM, but I'll try to learn.  FPLI test seems to be for pancreas, I looked at the tests we have done, it says  GLU, AMYL, Ca, TBIL are related to pancreas, do I still need FPLI?  Thyroid function hasn't been done yet.  I'll suggest to my vet.  

Violet said:

I'm not sure that trying Cosequin and other remedies would the right thing to do at this point. I would not want to mask symptoms in any way, I would want to work on all the important details first and see what happens, what the results are.

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Do you mean arthritis or other joint problems might be caused by some impaired organs?      The first vet said he a cat has been obese all his life, his joints might not be worn out as badly, but my cat used to jump vigorously, and the extra weight gained in the past one year probably damaged his joints when he jumped.   Let me know what you think.  It's very painful for me to watch him walking slowly like this.   The movement is not smooth during the day, and worse at night.

The cardiopet is a blood test, by IDEXX, just like the blood tests your vet sends out, but specific - I suggest you print out that link and take it to your vet, but he/she should know about it :nod:

An easy-to-use blood test to help assess heart disease in dogs and cats.

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Okay, trying to go step by step here. The fPLI test is the definite test for the pancreas. Amylase and lipase values, even though they can be helpful at times, are not considered completely reliable, especially in cats.

Glucose – very, very important blood value.

 

Calcium – also important, but all the other values are just as important. You want to see ALT, BUN, etc. Basically,  everything.

Did your vet do a thyroid test?

On a low-fat, or relatively low-fat, low-carb diet, fat melts away. You don't even have to worry about it. It happens all on its own.

As for arthritis, it's a fact that a high-fat diet and, most importantly, some food sources such a diet is coming from, can also have a negative effect. This has nothing directly to do with organ function. It's more of a food sensitivity issue. A problem with the liver, kidneys, or pancreas, could, however, at the same time, cause some elevated blood values, sometimes so slight that they get overlooked. If these values are addressed before they become more severely elevated, the diet is significantly changed and holistic treatment is started, the blood values will respond by going back to the normal range. And arthritis can also respond at the same time simply because of the beneficial effects of the important diet changes.

With high cholesterol it is very important to check for every possible underlying cause. Because the underlying cause is the important thing. If nothing, absolutely nothing can be found, then the diet becomes the main, most important issue. And making the necessary changes is much easier than you might think.

Since arthritis is actually an orthopedic problem it would be wonderful if you could take your baby to an orthopedic specialist for an exam and evaluation to find out what exactly is wrong right now.

Also, an orthopedic specialist or holistic vet could show you some home treatments, massage, etc, for instance, that can be very helpful. (There are quite a few things one can do.)

Weight loss and diet change should have a tremendously beneficial effect, so please do everything you can to work with the diet.

Violet, you know this cat is eating a mixed diet of grain free canned and raw, right?

space1101 said:

Sugarcatmom, he eats mostly grain free canned food and commercial raw.   He actually gained weight after quitting kibbles, I don't know why.   Do you think maybe canned food has much higher fat than kibbles?   The blood test was done about 30 minutes after he ate nature's variety rabbit canned.  I'm not sure if it would elevate cholesterol level that much....
The first vet even told me to switch to hills low fat diet....sigh...

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As far as I know, Cholesterol tests should be done fasting this cat might not have a problem with cholesterol at all.
This might be just an arthritis problem IMHO. I would repeat the test after a night of fasting before drawing conclusions there - especially since the cholesterol is not THAT elevated to begin with IMHO.
And yeah... of course the vet will tell you that..... I would rather stay on raw, honestly.... but then it is just me :nod:

Violet, thanks for the explanation.  I'll try to get fPLI and hyroid test as well.  Now I know what you meant by masking symptons.  I'll also try to find a holistic vet.

Carolina, my regular vet also told me on Friday that I could fast him before I check cholesterol again if I really want.  Before I get to any conclusion, I think Hercules still needs to lose weight.  It's a burden for his joints.  Do you think 100% raw would make Hercules lose weight?   Is a wet food or raw with 6 to 9% fat considered alright?  Some canned food like weruva has 1.5% fat only.   I wonder if that is a good choice.

I tried to cut down his daily intake by about 2oz, but he is not happy.  I can't tell if he is hungry or he just wants to eat; he wouldn't leave his dish alone.