Have them check for hyperthyroidism. Then see about the biopsy. Any time a
cat is sick from anything the readings from there blood work gets thrown out
of whack. Older cats have higher chances of having a hyperthyroid and
becoming diabetic. Watch for any changes in your cats behavior he is getting
older and so his body is not as resilient as when he was young.

Shadow Walker

"Paul Smedley" wrote in message
news:K0vd2l7kiMNz-pn2-92lw2Y2h3Ycv@study...
Hi All,
We've only just found this newsgroup from searching google groups
looking for information on cats with liver problems.

We just took out 10 year old male desexed cat to the vet last Thursday
due to an abcess on his ear that was causing his face to puff up. He
was prescribed Clavulox antibiotics to help with the infection.

Whilst at the vet, my wife mentioned that he always seems to be hungry
recently, and despite increasing his food (now two sachets of wet food
per day instead of one) he has lost some weight (5.3kg in mid-April -
4.9kg now).

The vet asked a few questions then checked his throat area looking for
an enlarged thyroid and also looked for signs of jaundice, suspecting
hyperthyroidism - couldn't see anything so suggested a basic blood
test for $A40 which we happily agreed to for peace of mind.

A couple of hours later, the vet rang us to say that Henri has
problems with his liver, and that they need to do more blood work.

The first blood test results were as follows:
ALKP = 157 U/L - reference range 14-111 = HIGH
ALT = 878 U/L - reference range 12-130 = VERY HIGH
UREA = 13.89 mmol/l - reference range 5.71-12.85 = HIGH
CREA = 352 umol/l - reference range 71-212 = VERY HIGH
TBIL = 47 umol/l - reference range 0-15 = VERY HIGH
TP = 85 g/l - reference range 57-89 = NORMAL (just)
globulins = 54 g/l - reference range 28-51 = slightly HIGH

This apparently provides evidence of liver & kidney disease that takes
priority over checking T4 for hyperthyroidism.

Next blood tests were Complete Blood Count - that basically show his
white/blood cells are normal.

Final set of blood tests show that ALB, AMYL, Ca & PHOS are in the
middle of the NORMAL range
CHOL = 10.79 mmol/l - reference range = 1.68-5.81 = VERY HIGH
GLU = 3.59 mmol/l - reference range = 4.22-8.06 - slightly LOW.

His urine specific gravity is 1.023 with some evidence of particulates
and bilirubin but no red/white blood cells in the urine.

He has also tested negative for FIV.

Apparently hemolytic disease causing jaundice, diabetes causing weight
loss despite normal appetite have been ruled out, as have leukemia &
mcyoplasma hemofelis.

The vet is suggesting the most probably causes of liver problems are
neoplasia (cancer), hepatic lipidosis, cholangitis,
cholangiohepatitis, FIP or amyloidosis, and is suggesting biopsy or
fine needle aspirates of the liver, preferably with ultrasound
guidance to differentiate causes.

Most of the above suggest that a sympton of the cat not eating, or
having other noticable signs like the coat being in poor condition,
however, as mentioned, Henri appears fit & healthy - he's just always
hungry!

Has anyone seen a similar condition in their cat?

Thanks for reading,

--

Paul, Julie & Henri.