Feline cholangitis: a necropsy study of 44 cats (1986-2008)

Forty-four cats diagnosed with moderate to severe cholangitis at necropsy are described. The population comprised 0.86% of all feline necropsies performed during the 22-year study period. Liver specimens were classified as acute neutrophilic cholangitis (ANC), chronic neutrophilic cholangitis (CNC), lymphocytic cholangitis (LC) or chronic cholangitis associated with liver fluke infestation (CC) based on the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) classification scheme. ANC (seven) and CNC (33) comprised the majority of cases. In contrast to previous descriptions, overlap was seen in clinical findings between ANC and CNC subtypes. Results suggest that liver enzyme activity may not predict degree of inflammation. Severity of inflammation varied between liver sections in individual cats, underscoring the need to obtain biopsy samples from multiple sites. Inflammatory bowel disease (50%), pancreatitis (60%), or both (32%) commonly accompanied cholagitis. We conclude that cholangitis is not a common cause of feline mortality. Most cats that succumb to cholangitis have ANC or CNC, and concurrent disease contributes to death in many.