Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Fatty tissue and blood changes in kittens with yellow fat disease
By Fytianou, A et al.·Published in Biological trace element research·2006·Aristotle University of Thessaloniki·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Blood alpha-Tocopherol, selenium, and glutathione peroxidase changes and adipose tissue fatty acid changes in kittens with experimental steatitis (yellow fat disease): a comparative study between the domestic shorthaired and Siamese breed.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 20 domestic shorthaired and 20 Siamese kittens developed yellow fat disease (steatitis) after being fed only cooked sardines for four months. Symptoms were noted in some kittens, with domestic shorthaired kittens showing signs earlier than Siamese kittens. Blood tests revealed lower levels of vitamin E in the kittens eating sardines, while selenium levels were higher. The study suggests that Siamese kittens may have a natural resistance to developing symptoms of this disease due to better antioxidant defenses.
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Abstract
Twenty domestic shorthaired (DSH) and 20 Siamese (S) kittens were allocated into 4 breed-specific groups, of 10 kittens each, that were fed exclusively cooked sardines (F groups) or commercial feline canned food based on oily fish (C groups) for a 4-month period. Clinical signs were scored every 15 d along with body weight recording and blood sampling for the measurement of alpha-tocopherol and selenium (Se) concentrations and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity. Subcutaneous adipose tissue samples were obtained per month to determine its fatty acid composition. Steatitis, reproduced in all 20 F-group kittens, was accompanied by systemic signs in 5 DSH and 6 S animals. The severity of the disease reached its zenith at the second week in the DSH-F-group kittens and the fourth and sixth week in the S-F-group kittens. alpha-Tocopherol plasma level was significantly lower in F groups compared to their corresponding controls, whereas the opposite was true for Se and red blood cell GSH-Px activity. In conclusion, the results of this study have shown that although the morbidity rate is not different between the two breeds, the delay of Siamese cats to develop symptomatic steatitis is presumably attributed to an inherent resistance as a result of the long-standing evolution of more efficient antioxidant mechanisms. Also, the changes in fatty acid composition of the adipose tissue lipids are associated with the progression of the age, breed, and diet and probably with the inflammatory changes of the adipose tissue.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17028379/