Liver Diet for Cats

Liver disease is common in older cats, and can take many forms. Hepatic lipidosis, inflammatory diseases, toxicity, cancer and birth defects can all cause the liver to work at levels insufficient to sustain a healthy cat. Many liver diseases are uncurable, but all benefit from quality nutritional support specifically tailored to take stress off of the failing organ. Your veterinarian will recommend the diet she believes is optimal for your cat's particular condition, but knowing why that diet is necessary can help justify the high cost and inconvenience of a prescription diet.

  1. About the Liver

    • The liver is responsible for filtering toxins and waste from the blood, and regulates the levels of various chemicals that enable other organ systems to function. It makes bile and enzymes that are necessary for digestion, as well as certain hormones. Hepatic lipidosis occurs when a cat suddenly stops eating, causing the liver to be overwhelmed as fat stores begin circulating in the blood. In other cases, a deformation called a liver shunt causes the blood to bypass the liver entirely and run throughout the body unfiltered. These conditions, along with the various tumors and inflammation that can affect the liver, make it clear that if the liver is working too hard or not hard enough, serious problems can occur.

    Protein

    • Protein is vital to cats. As true carnivores, it is imperative that cats eat a large amount of animal-based protein and a lesser quantity of plant-based protein. For cats with liver disease, the quality of the protein is important and the quantity depends upon the disease. Cats with hepatic lipidosis need a high-protein diet to combat the anorexia that comes with the onset of the disease, and cats with liver shunts need a reduced-protein diet to reduce risk of aggravating associated neurological symptoms. No matter the amount, proteins should be all meat-based. Byproducts, meals, mashes and grains do not supply the necessary support for a cat afflicted with liver disease.

    Carbohydrates

    • Wild cats eat a diet comprised of about 3 to 5 percent carbohydrates, yet many commercial cat foods contain 35 to 50 percent. Cats lack amylase, an enzyme in the saliva of other mammals that begins the digestion of carbohydrates, and they do not posses other enzymatic pathways that are necessary to the process. The result is that the cat becomes full of food that his body cannot use, instead of food that will assist his body functions and reduce strain on the liver. Liver-support diets generally contain a much lower carbohydrate content than commercial foods.

    Fats

    • Dietary fats help lubricate the digestive tract and keep the skin and coat in good condition. However, when the liver is not functioning properly, fats will not digest correctly because bile is not being produced efficiently. Prescription liver diets include L-carnitine, which assists the liver in the metabolism of fats, so the cat can continue to reap the nutritional benefit of fat without straining the liver.

    What to Avoid

    • Not all vets are well-versed in nutrition, so many owners consult a separate veterinary nutritionist to determine the best diet for their ailing pet. Any quality liver-support diet should not have grain as the first ingredient, and the protein source should not be byproducts. Although certain byproducts are very high in protein, they have been rendered and processed at very high temperatures, which causes them to lose much of their nutritional value. Muscle meat is the best food for cats with liver disease.