Expert: Jessica - 10/28/2011

Question
Hi there.  I had my cat into the vet a couple times in the last week as she has been favoring her left front/paw for several days.  The Doc took blood tests and xrays and found not only a fracture at her neck/shoulder but determined that she had a very small liver.  Can you tell me what possible complications, if any, having a genetically small liver may cause her?  Up to this point - she's 7 - she has been a very healthy kitty so I'm not too concerned yet.  I don't have the exact numbers but her liver and kidney counts were a little low.
Thanks for any info you might be able to provide

Answer
Hi Lori,

Sorry to hear about your kitty! Being born with an under-sized liver isn't necessarily something very worrisome. The workload on the liver may be a little increased, but most cats compensate for this just fine. Over time, the increased workload COULD predispose cats to liver failure, but liver disease is rather uncommon in cats. The fact that her liver values were low would suggest that she's suffering no ill effects at all.

If the vet felt that her liver was shrinking, it may be a different story. Shrinking organs can be a part of the normal aging process, but it generally also indicates that they are becoming less functional. Again, cats compensate for this a great deal and function at 100%, even when organ function drops greatly. Usually, the organ will become harder and of an abnormal texture, as well. As with people, this is an unfortunate part of getting old for cats, and some kind of organ failure (usually kidneys) is encountered by many cats as they approach 10 years of age or older.

I recommend having your kitty's organ function monitored once a year until she's 10, and twice a year thereafter to keep on top of her health. Antioxidants and medications are available if she does develop liver problems. I have had great success reversing liver failure with a medication called ursodiol.

Best wishes!

Jessica