You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.

Inflammation of the bile ducts (cholangitis) or of the bile ducts and liver (cholangiohepatitis) are common diseases in cats

Inflammatory diseases of the bile ducts and liver are common in cats and 3 types are recognised on histopathological examination of biopsies :

• Suppurative - most often involves bacterial infection with E coli and anaerobes
• Lymphocytic - probably immune-mediated disease
• Lymphoplasmacytic - probably immune-mediated disease

These diseases result in fibrosis and cirrhosis eventually.

Clinical presentation of these diseases is the same :

• They occur in adult cats
• Anorexia
• Depression
• Intermittent vomiting
• Jaundice - sometimes
• Weight loss - malnutrition may be present because of reduced bile secretion into the gut lumen, as bile may sludge and the ducts may be partially or completely blocked

Diagnosis is suspected based on presenting signs and :

• Increased ALP, ALT and bilurubin

Diagnosis is confirmed on liver biopsy examination.

Concurrent diseases are often present including :

• Pancreatitis
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Extra-hepatic bile duct obstruction

Treatments that have been recommended include  :

• Antibiotics eg cephalexin  15mg/kg/twice daily for 4 weeks 
• Predisolone (for non-suppurative forms) - 1-2mg/kg/day orally (split into 2 doses) for 1-2 weeks
• Dehydrocholic acid (if no extrahepatic obstruction) - 10-15mg/kg by mouth 

In cats Triad syndrome has been recognised which is an immune-mediated disorder in which inflammatory cells infiltrate three organs concurrently  : liver, pancreas and intestinal tract resulting in cholangitis, pancreatitis and/or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). 

Updated January 2016