Hypervitaminosis A is a painful, crippling bone disease in cats caused by feeding liver-heavy diets, and is entirely preventable through appropriate nutrition.
Hypervitaminosis A represents a preventable welfare tragedy caused by well-intentioned feeding practices. Owners who feed cats raw liver, often believing they are providing nutritious, natural food, inadvertently create vitamin A toxicity that destroys their cat's quality of life. The bone changes produce progressive, painful stiffness that makes movement agonizing and eventually makes grooming impossible, leaving cats unable to maintain hygiene or reach their hind end. The psychological welfare impact of being unable to groom - a fundamental feline behavior - compounds the physical pain. Once established, the bone changes cannot be reversed, only halted by dietary correction. The lesson is that even well-intentioned nutritional interventions require understanding of feline nutritional needs - cats have specific requirements that differ from other species.