When humans brought cats inside as companions, we took on the responsibility of helping them adjust to healthy indoor lifestyles, including weight control. Feline obesity fosters many dangerous health conditions, but none is more deadly than hepatic lipidosis, or “fatty liver disease.”
“Hepatic lipidosis can strike whenever a cat stops eating,” says Edward Moser, veterinarian and a pet nutritional consultant in Chelmsford, Mass. “Sadly, when a chubby cat stops eating, we don’t worry because we think [it] can afford to lose a few pounds. That’s not the case.”
In the time a cat stops eating, it can become ill rapidly, veterinarians say. “People need to be aware that in overweight cats this disease becomes fatal fairly fast,” says Dan Christian, a veterinarian and executive director of the Purina Pet Institute in St. Louis. “Even 24 hours without food can send a fat cat’s liver into this fatal syndrome.”
**For the full article, pick up the January issue of CAT FANCY**
Did you like this excerpt? Subscribe now to read more like it.