Cats with fatty liver disease: Delilah's story

Written by Delilah's owner, Heather


Delilah in late July 2008, before fatty liver disease

Delilah is a 13 year old tabby cat. Delilah picked me when she was about a year old, when she showed up at my door step as a stray.

Delilah had not had any medical problems until the fall of 2008. Then there were many life changes for her and myself. I graduated college and began a new job. She began getting sick at the end of July in 2008.

Delilah was a portly cat, and I noticed she seemed listless and reclusive and she had lost some weight. I did not think this was a bad thing to begin with because she could stand to lose some weight. I was very wrong.

I moved to a new residence and noticed that Delilah seemed to get worse. She no longer sat with me, or slept beside me as she used to. She hid under the couch in the living room. I took her to the animal clinic, and broke down in tears because I thought I could have done something earlier.

By this time Delilah was extremely jaundiced. Her once green eyes were now yellow as well as her ears and gums. Delilah was diagnosed with fatty liver syndrome, and I was terrified since I did not know anything about it. My vet seemed very optimistic. Delilah spent a week in the hospital and I visited her every day and she still looked like the sick little cat I had brought in the week before.


One week after feeding tube placement

When she got to come home it was with an extra attachment, her freshly placed feeding tube. Feeding Delilah was stressful and seemed like a lost cause. She also took several different medicines orally for nausea and her liver.

The first week Delilah threw up daily and was only taking in about 20 cc of food through the tube in one sitting. She did not gain weight, in fact she lost more. She was also severely dehydrated when she went back to the clinic.


Two weeks after feeding tube placement

The second week I began to keep a journal of how much food she was getting, what time she would vomit, and if she had gone to the litter box. This provided me some peace of mind because it allowed me to see any progress she made.

My twin and I force fed and pilled Delilah for the next several weeks, and she got weekly trips to the clinic. I would call my vet almost daily to ask questions and often I felt stupid or that I was being over sensitive about everything Delilah did. I fed Delilah 4 times a day, and often she did not get the required amount because she would either vomit or start to push away.

The four feedings were difficult because it meant making time for them. I would get up an hour earlier than I typically did just to prepare the food for her, and try to get it into her before I had to get to work. When I came home from work it was the same routine.

Delilah also took several medications orally. This was not enjoyable for me or Delilah. She took one for nausea, one for her liver, one for acid reflux, one to boost her potassium, and one for constipation (put through the tube).

It wasn’t until Delilah changed medicine for nausea that she began to come out of hiding. She originally was on a medicine called metoclopramide, which she would take about 15 minutes prior to a tube feeding. She switched to a medicine called Zofran or Ondansetron. This medicine was extremely expensive ($50 for 2 pills), but for the difference it made in Delilah I would have paid much more. My vet told me that this drug is used in human patients that are going through chemotherapy. I had high hopes for this medicine.

Delilah also switched foods from science diet a/d to Iams max calorie. This made a difference. Once Delilah began to take Zofran she drank water from a bowl. The next evening she finally ate something on her own. Delilah is not a cat who likes treats or wet food, so I used goldfish crackers from Pepperidge farm. That evening Delilah ate 3 of them and I felt like shouting from the roof of my apartment complex. I was on cloud nine because I knew all the tears and hard work were not wasted and Delilah was going to pull through.


After removal of the feeding tube

I continued to force feed Delilah small amounts and she began eating more. Just in time for Halloween Delilah finally got her tube removed.

In the beginning it was extremely hard, and the vomiting was non-stop. Many nights I thought it was useless, and I was making her last days worse than if I had just let her alone and not tried to force feed her. I cried many nights at the thought that I was going to lose my baby. But with perseverance on my part and Delilah’s strength we made it through the difficult time. So, if you are going through the same with your cat don’t give up! Fatty liver does not have to be fatal if you are willing to put the work into it, and ride the emotional roller coaster.


Complete recovery from fatty liver disease!