Yellow cat syndrome occurs when your cat becomes jaundiced and her skin and eyes take on a yellow tinge. This doesn’t mean that your cat is suffering from liver disease or even hepatitis but it is cause for concern. We’ve compiled some information for you about yellow cat syndrome which will help you in determining whether your cat has this and will also help you when speaking to your vet.
Three Categories Of Yellow Cat Syndrome
There are three major categories of disease that can cause your cat to be jaundiced:
Pre-hepatic – This includes changes to the body that occur in front of your cat’s liver.
Hepatic – Liver disease.
Post-hepatic – Changes to the body that occur behind the liver.
Yellow Cat Syndrome Symptoms
We wanted to make sure you had a list of potential illnesses in each of the stages to be able to discuss them with your vet.
Pre-hepatic: Your cat can be jaundiced because of the following …
- Bad red blood cell transfusion
- Rupture of the red blood cells
- Parasites in the red blood cells
- Drug reactions
Hepatic: Jaundice can occur in her because of …
- Hepatic lipidosis
- Liver inflammation
- Liver cancer
- Drugs or toxins
- Cirrhosis of the liver
Post-hepatic: The following conditions can cause jaundice in your cat:
- Pancreatitis
- Gallbladder issues
- Gastrointestinal problems
Yellow Cat Syndrome Treatment
As you can see from the above lists, it’s important to make sure your cat is diagnosed and treated by your vet as soon as possible. Your vet may decide to do an abdominal ultrasound or even a liver biopsy.
Fatty Liver Syndrome and The Yellow Cat
Fatty liver syndrome or hepatic lipidosis is one of the most common reasons for jaundice in your cat. While there is no known cause of fatty liver syndrome, it is thought that obesity is one of the biggest contributors.
The disease itself will start when your cat stops eating because of loss of appetite. After that, the liver will convert body fat into usable energy. Fat builds up in the cells of the liver and the disease is going full blast.
Fortunately, there’s a high recovery and mortality rate for fatty liver syndrome. If you notice that your cat is looking anorexic, this is the first sign of liver disease. Make sure you get her to the vet right away for treatment.
Does Your Cat Have Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Photo Credit: istockphoto.com
