Comment
So we know that stress, loss of appetite and obesity can lead to feline hepatic lipidosis. My book on cat health diagnosis informs me that the cat has to be starving and suffering from anorexia. The disease can be secondary to other issues such as hyperthyroidism, diabetes mellitus, urinary tract conditions and upper respiratory tract infections. If a cat can’t keep her food down they may suffer from the disease.
It would appear, without knowing better, that what seems to be the relatively high prevalence of this cause of death in Brazil may be partly due to a disconnect between human caretaker and domestic cat companion. It is not easy to glean from the internet the sort of relationship that a Brazilian person typically has with their cat. Obviously there will be a wide variety of relationship but it would appear that on average the relationship may sometimes be too loose and the domestic cat is treated as too independent and perhaps fed undernourishing food or food that is unappetising. My gut feeling is that this disease may, in part, be caused by poor cat caregiving, without being critical of Brazil or their cat owners.
Although, I may be unfair because feline hepatic lipidosis is an extension of other diseases which of itself will make it more commonly encountered.
Study title and authors: Causes of Death of Domestic Cats in a Veterinary Hospital of Minas Gerais State, Brazil: A Retrospective Study World Small Animal Veterinary Association Congress Proceedings, 201 — A.A. Medeiros-Ronchi; S.C. Rodrigues; T.A. Moreira; F.G.O. Nascimento; W.T. Blanca; R.R. Souza
