Causes
Obesity is known to increase the risk of Feline Hepatic Lipidosis, however, there is no known official cause of the disease. Severe anorexia usually precedes onset of the disease, but it is unknown why the animal stops eating in the first place. One of the reasons a cat may stop eating is separation anxiety. Prolonged boarding, such as when a cat is being moved long distances, can be problematic to the health of the liver if the boarding facility is not trained to recognize the symptoms and is not watching the weight of the cat. When the cat has no energy from eating, the liver must metabolize fat deposits in the body into usable energy to sustain life. The cat liver however is poor at metabolizing fat, causing a build-up of fat in the cells of the liver, leading to fatty liver. At this point the disease can be diagnosed.
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