Jennifer Sellers
If you see yellow in the whites of your cat’s eyes, take action immediately. This yellowing — known as jaundice — could be an indicator of liver disease and must be taken seriously.
What Causes Liver Disease in Cats?
The liver has a lot of jobs to do in a cat’s body. Some of its work includes metabolizing fats, proteins and carbohydrates, and storing vitamins and minerals. In all, it has more than a thousand duties. And because of its numerous tasks, the liver is prone to damage from a variety of systems within the body. Here are some of the more common causes of liver disease in cats:
- Fatty liver syndrome, which can be caused by rapid weight loss
- Bacterial or viral infections
- Lymphoma
- Poisoning
- Heart disease
- Birth defects
- Advanced age