Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Pansteatitis in cats linked to unbalanced homemade diets
By Niza, M M R E et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2003·CIISA-Faculdade de Medicina Veteriná·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Feline pansteatitis revisited: hazards of unbalanced home-made diets.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Two cats were diagnosed with a condition called pansteatitis, which is inflammation of fat tissue often linked to poor diets. One cat group was fed mostly pig's brain and showed no symptoms, while another group that ate mainly oily fish had symptoms like loss of appetite, depression, and painful lumps under the skin. Blood tests showed that the fish-eating cats had higher white blood cell counts and anemia. After changing their diet and receiving medical treatment, most of the cats recovered, except for one from the fish-eating group.
People also search for: cat pansteatitis symptoms · homemade cat food dangers · cat diet oily fish problems
Abstract
Pansteatitis is caused by the consumption of high levels of unsaturated fatty acids and/or the insufficient intake of vitamin E, leading to inflammation of adipose tissue. This disease has been related to fish-based diets. However, non-conventional diets must also be considered. The authors present case records of two cats with pansteatitis, for which diet consisted mostly of pig's brain, comparing them with eight cases of disease in cats eating mainly oily fish. Cats fed pig's brain did not show clinical signs, while cats eating oily fish presented inappetence, depression, reluctance to move and subcutaneous nodules painful on palpation. Cats eating pig's brain did not show any change in blood parameters, while cats fed oily fish presented leukocytosis and anaemia. Histological examination confirmed pansteatitis in all cats, independently of the diet. All animals except one of the cats eating oily fish recovered after medical treatment and change of the feeding regime.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12948502/