My vet told me that the most common cause of this disease is lack of food (that is, my cat had stopped eating). Just like humans, when cats don't take in enough nourishment, their bodies start to use up fat reserves. However, unlike humans, cat livers are not very efficient at processing fat. So it accumulates and enlarges the liver. The longer the cat goes without eating, the larger the liver becomes.
To this day, neither my vet nor I know why my cat stopped eating for that period of time. Food and water were always readily available. Speculation is that it was due to stress, but for the life of me I can't think of how that could be it. Let's face it, cats generally have it pretty easy, especially indoor cats. They eat, they sleep, they play. Wish my life were as uncomplicated as that!
The course of treatment was to get food into my cat. The options were to force feed her or surgically implant a feeding tube. The vet techs tried the force feeding approach, but that didn't work out at all. My normally mild-mannered kitty fought tooth and claw. So we had no recourse and a feeding tube was inserted into the side of her neck.
For the next three weeks, I fed my cat 4 times per day through the feeding tube using a syringe. She was on this special food and on these special medications. She slowly gained back the weight she had lost and her liver slowly began to shrink. Once she began eating on her own again, the feeding tube was removed. Her liver is now fully recovered.
After all the x-rays, ultrasounds, surgery, medications, special food, and follow-up vet visits, the bills neared $5000. Sure, I could have just adopted another cat for $25 at the animal shelter. But when I adopted her, I made the commitment to care for this creature for the rest of her life. If I didn't at least try to save her life, I wouldn't have been able to look myself in the mirror.
Friends who have or had pets understood. They were sympathetic to my plight. Friends who don't have or never had pets thought I was nuts. Indeed, to this day, I have not even told my own mother that I had spent that amount of money on an animal. She comes from a generation and place where animals = food. The whole concept of a "pet" is foreign to her.
But I grew up in a different time and place. Where I live, pets are valued companions. They are humanized and for the most part, treated with respect. They are, after all, living creatures, not inanimate objects to be disposed of when they become inconvenient.
My cat is not just a cat. She is part of the family. She is not replaceable.
