One Cat Has Lump On Stomach, Other not eating, Might have Hepatic Lipodosis. I'm a nervous wreck ove

Hello everybody, I'm new to the forums so I figured I would say hi first of all. I debated whether or not to make an account and post, but I'm so emotionally overwhelmed I decided to give it a shot. I'm about to break down and cry again because I feel helpless and don't know what to do. I guess I decided to post for some possible advice and maybe to find support.

It started when I took one of my cats in on Monday because I felt a small lump on her belly. The vet couldn't tell what it was and he suggested I have her spayed and at the same time he will remove it and send it out for a histopath. (She's 8 years old). I was so upset over finding the lump on Pumpkin's belly, I failed to notice one of my other cats wasn't eating (I don't know how long this has been going on). I realized he had been hiding, he felt very thin like he had lost weight and he was peeing outside the litter box. He has not been acting like himself.

I took him in today and they took x-rays and did a blood test ( I can't remember what they call it) to send out to get checked. I won't get the results til tomorrow morning. The vet didn't say much, gave me two prescriptions for antibiotics and an appetite stimulant. He ate a very tiny bit of food when I got home but after that he wouldn't touch any food. I think he has hepatic lipodosis. The problem is I don't know what to do now. I went out and bought a syringe feeder and clerk at the pet store recommended Bio Active Care (Replacement Milk for Kittens). He's down to 15 pounds, he was at 19. I'm not sure how quickly he lost that much weight and I feel horrible for just noticing recently.

I know I have to get him to eat something, I can't just leave him like that. I started with about 10 mLs of the Replacement milk, not even sure how much I should give him and force fed him that. A couple hours later, I did about 15mls (whole syringe) of canned Wellness mixed with room temperature water and force fed him. I repeated the same thing again about 2 1/2 hours later. Its been about 1 hour since I fed him that. I'm not sure if I should continue force feeding him and what I should feed and how much. I feel so guilty looking at him and I feel so helpless. All he wants to do is lay down and sleep. I'm scared I'm going to lose him. I feel terrible putting him in the other room away from me. I'm trying to keep the other cats away from him and minimize his stress, but is this the best course of action? If anybody has any experience force-feeding cats that were suffering from hepatic lipodosis, is there any advice you can offer?

My other problem is I have to go out of town for the weekend, I'm leaving Friday Morning and I won't be back til Monday Night. I cannot cancel this trip and it's tearing me apart. I had to schedule Pumpkin's surgery for Tuesday of next week instead of this week. I feel like I should try to get it done before I leave and board her at an overnight vet/emergency clinic, but that's going to be extra money. I'm so paranoid about the small lump that I want it removed as soon as possible. Will putting it off til I'm back from my trip make too much of a difference? I really don't know what to do .

As for Oreo, if it is Hepatic Lipodosis, I wanted to have a feeding tube put in and have him boarded at this same place for the entire trip since they have medical boarding. I have nobody reliable to watch him and monitor his feeding. I'm really worried about him and don't know what else to do.

I tried to word my post as clearly as possible, but when I'm upset it's hard for me to focus and type coherently.  I'm having a hard time eating and sleeping and I can't concentrate because I'm so worried. This is all very expensive and I really don't have the money for it, but I'm trying to do the best I can. I don't know what else I can do. I don't want to lose either of my cats, but I don't even know If I'm making the right choices and it scares me.

I had a kitty with hepatic lipidoses and he did survive.  If you can afford it having a feeding tube put in and having him stay at the clinic for a few days would be a very good idea.  That's what I did with my kitty and I had no issues with the feeding tube.  I have seen a few people here who had several issues initially with the tube, my kitty may very well have had the same issues but he was at the clinic and they took care of them.

Hi Denice, thank you so much for answering. I have a couple questions for you. Did your vet hesitate to diagnose hepatic lipidosis or did you just come to that conclusion based on the bloodwork? Did you just have bloodwork done for your kitty or did they suggest you have an ultra sound done to? My vet suggested an ultrasound because he wasn't sure, but it's so expensive I'm not sure what to do.

Patches had some jaundice which is definitive for a liver issue.  He did have blood work done.  The main number the vet looked at was the ALT which measures an enzyme that liver cells release when they die.  

He had an ultrasound but that was more to find the cause of his lack of appetite.  Hepatic lipidosis is diagnosed with a combination of symptoms the main one being anorexia and liver enzyme numbers.

Thank you again for your reply. I took Oreo in this morning and they did an ultrasound and thankfully didn't find anything. They put a feeding tube into his neck and he is being cared for 24/7. He will remain there until Tuesday next week. I'm still really worried about him and Pumpkin, but I'll try to relax and hope for the best. Thank you again for helping.

Updates: the mammary tumors on Pumpkin turned out be benign, most likely caused by the cysts the vet found on her ovaries. She has since been spayed and the tumors removed so this should no longer be an issue. This was a huge relief to me considering 90% of mammary tumors found in cats are malignant.

As for Oreo, he has had a tube in his neck for almost two weeks now. I try to syringe feed him twice every 4 hours. I think he's gained a little bit of wait back, but it's hard to tell. The yellowing coloring seems to have gone down at least. He still doesn't want to eat and the whole situation is very overwhelming and stresses me out especially since I just started a new job.

I know it varies, but how long did it take your kitty (for those who have dealt with FHL)  to start eating on his own again? How long til the kitty completely recovered? I'm willing to keep doing this however long it takes for him to get better, I was just curious how others dealt with it.

Recovery from hepatic lipidosis can take a long time and there is nothing that can be done to speed it up.  Patches had a feeding tube for a month but I think his recovery was actually faster than average.  Is your kitty on any medications?  There is a supplement called Denamarin which I think is very good.  It contains Sam-E and milk thistle.  It's a pill with a protective coating so it breaks down in the intestines rather than the stomach so it has to be swallowed whole.

The first vet prescribed Denosyl, which I believe is the same thing as Denamarin. Currently, he's not taking them because the second vet said I should just tube feed him for now. I'm going to call the office and ask about it when I call to put in an order for more prescription food.

So I just spoke to the vet and she said to start giving him the Denosyl again as long as he can keep it down and doesn't vomit. I really hope it helps, Thanks again for your response.

I hope Oreo is doing better!  I'm sorry you're going through such a rough time.  My girl cat got very sick about 6 years ago and had a lot of problems-including 2 emergency surgeries.  I was an absolute wreck caring for my girl.  In the meantime, my boy, who's nicknamed Pumpkin by the way, stopped eating and became really sick.  I think he was traumatized over my stress and all the attention I gave my girl cat.  He got really, really skinny.  I think he lost about 5 pounds--normally about 17 and got down to about 12 or so.  Then, I thought I was going to lose him. I don't recall exactly what my vet did for him.  However, he slowly started to eat again. He got his health back.  

It's really hard, but try not to stress.  I think our fur babies internalize our stress.  If you're calm, he will be more calm.  Hang in there and keep us posted.    

I'm really glad your cats got better and thank you for responding. I'm trying very hard to stay calm and not upset him. It's honestly hard to tell if he's getting better, I think he's gained weight, but not very much. He won't eat on his own still, but he doesn't vomit up his tube-fed food thankfully. He's just so tired all the time. I figured that was normal since he's weak from being sick, but I feel so helpless not being able to do anything for him.

Don't be so hard on yourself!  It's not good for you or Oreo.  Give him lots of love and attention.  Tell him how much you love him and how important he is to you. I remember telling my boy how much I cared about him and asking him to get better for me.  I think a lot of emotional reassurance will help motivate him to get better.  I think my boy may have stopped eating since he believed he was not as important as my other cat as I was constantly checking on her and giving her medication. Being there for him helps!

As for the food, I would suggest trying a bunch of different foods to see what he will eat.  Keep trying and be patient.  What is Oreo's favorite food or treat?  Try giving it to him.  You can try blending bland chicken breast and pumpkin.  Or you could try tuna or tuna juice on other food.  At the time my boy got sick, his favorite treat was tuna.  So, I gave that to him.  You could also try a food that is mostly liquid with some meat, like Tiki Cat.  I have not tried that, but maybe he would like the juice. Just keep trying different foods to see what he will eat.  Also, keep him hydrated with plenty of liquids.  I read that Vitamin B injections from the vet can help, but I don't know anything about that.  Maybe ask your vet.

 I know what it's like to be a wreck over my fur babies. Hang in there and stop being hard on yourself!  I will pray for you and Oreo. Lots of love to you, Oreo and Pumpkin.    

Thank you for the response Forrest. I'm trying to give him as much attention as I can, but it's still rather overwhelming. I've tried a bunch of different stuff, he doesn't want to eat anything. It's hard to get him to even lick gravy. It's been 16 days since he had the tube placed. I'm pretty sure he's gained weight since his back doesn't feel as bony and the yellow coloring has gone down and his urine is no longer neon yellow. His skin still has a slight yellow tint to it though. Thankfully, he hasn't had a problem with staying hydrated so he hasn't needed extra fluids.

He's still tired and occasionally tries to hide. It feels like I'm not doing enough, that I could be doing more, but I have no idea what. Trying to be Patient though and I'll keep trying. Thanks for all the support.       
Oreo                                                                 Pumpkin

Wow, they are so gorgeous!  I LOVE Pumpkin's colouring. Sending lots of healing vibes for your beautiful Oreo <3 <3

kagami said:

 
Wow, they are so gorgeous!  I LOVE Pumpkin's colouring. Sending lots of healing vibes for your beautiful Oreo <3 <3

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Thank you kagami, I really appreciate it.

Wow what beautiful kitties. Thank you for posting all the follow-up and the pictures.   I was so glad to see that you had the resources to afford veterinary care (or at least borrow for it like most of us.)  It breaks my heart every time I read these posts where the people have no way to get the cat medical care.  It's so important for people to consider that before they adopt a pet.   I ended up pouring quite a bit of money into a stray I decided to get neutered when the vet lost control of the cord and it required a night in the emergency clinic, follow-up visits and two weeks of follow-up care in my home with a giant cone on his neck.  He turned out to be the best cat though! and we love him so much.  To me they are worth every penny but I was blown away by the cost of vet care nowadays.  Anyway, after a few months of vet bills I threw in the towel and bought a high deductible health insurance policy ($1,000) for all three of my kitties.  I thought the premiums were really reasonable given that it doesn't take much to run up $1,000 vet bill.  

xtrinitix, you are most welcome. I think you're doing an amazing job caring for your cats and I can really identify with how you feel. How much you care for your cats really shows and they're lucky to have you. I really hope that they're both well, and that you're well, too. Hugs for you and kisses for the little ones

Oreo and Pumpkin are beautiful! :kitty3: It sounds like Oreo's making progress. Hang in there and keep working at it. You're doing what you can. I think he's going to get better! It's just going to take some time.

You can call your Vet and ask if there's anything else you can try.

Hang in there! Sending lots of loves to you and your babies. :heart4:

I'm so sorry to hear of all your troubles with Oreo, and I know it's so hard not to stress out. Have you tried Gerbers' meat baby food, most cats can't resist it, maybe it would be just one more thing to try. In the meantime I'll pray for you both, bless you for caring so much.

How's Oreo doing? He's so precious.

I hope he' making progress.