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Category: Feline
Hyperbilirubinemia
Icterus, jaundice
AffectedAnimals:
Any age, sex, or breed can be affected. Obese cats that suddenly stop eating are more at risk of developing jaundice resulting from a syndrome called feline fatty liver disease, or hepatic lipidosis.
Overview:
The whites of the eyes of a cat with jaundice often are more yellow than they are white; the animal's skin and gums may develop a yellowish tinge as well. These changes in color result from deposits of bile pigment entering the cat's tissues, a common occurrence among animals with jaundice. Unfortunately, this yellowish hue is not as serious as the possible diseases that can be associated with it, including kidney damage, liver disease, and disorders of the nervous system.
Clinically known as icterus, jaundice occurs when the cat's body has too much of a substance called bilirubin, which comes from red blood cells that have been processed by the spleen, the liver, and by bone marrow. In a normal cat, the liver will absorb, metabolize, and excrete this bilirubin. Jaundice results when too much bilirubin is being produced, when the liver is not able to adequately process the bilirubin, or when the bilirubin cannot be excreted.
Jaundice is not a disease but a symptom caused by a wide range of feline diseases that result in too much bilirubin being present in the body. Some of these diseases can be fatal. When the underlying illness is severe and irreversible, neither it nor the jaundice can be treated.
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