5 Facts about Feline CCHS

Feline CCHS (cholangitis/cholangiohepatitis) is an inflammatory condition of the hepatobiliary system (liver/gallbladder). Oftentimes, cats present to the vet with vague symptoms such as anorexia, lethargy, vomiting and a more specific sign - icterus or jaundice (yellow-tinged mucus membranes).

This condition is more common in cats than in dogs.

There are different forms of this disease - a neutrophilic form (called "suppurative") and a non-suppurative form, which can be lymphocytic or lymphoplasmacytic. While a hepatic biopsy is needed to definitively, fine needle aspirate/cytology and culture can be helpful in some cases.

If a cat has the suppurative form, they can respond well to antibiotics and symptomatic treatment. The non-suppurative form more often requires long-term management, and they may have episode of acute disease that requires in-hospital care.

It can occur in association with pancreatitis and/or inflammatory bowel disease - this is often referred to as "triaditis"

References

1)Veterinary Partner. Veterinarypartner.com

2)Tilley, L. P., & Smith, F. W. (2005). The 5-minute veterinary consult: Canine and feline. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

3)Yin, S. A. (2010). The small animal veterinary nerdbook. Davis, CA: CattleDog Pub.