My cat's belly is distended, but she eats fine. Should I worry?

Worms can cause abdominal distention. Some pets can also have a very slow metabolism and she may be taking in too many calories. I recommend to have her stool checked for worms and a physical exam. The doctor can calculate exactly how many calories she needs to achieve a healthy weight based upon her body structure of it’s not parasites. I hope this helps.

Hi there. It's possible that she's simply gaining weight as she gets older, especially if she's not as active now as she used to be or if she's getting more food than in the past. But, an enlarged abdomen could also be caused by heart disease, liver disease, FIP (feline infectious peritonitis), or an abdominal tumor of some kind. These things are less likely if she is acting completely normal, but to be on the safe side, it would be a good idea to have her seen by a vet when you are able to. He/she can palpate her abdomen to check for any abnormalities, and may recommend x-rays or other testing if there are any concerns.

Any firm swelling in the belly should be looked at by your vet to confirm this is not an enlarged organ (kidney, liver, spleen, etc). I would have Buttercup examined in the next week or two to confirm and air on the side of caution. Often-times a cat will act completely normal if there is organ enlargement, until things progress, so we want to check this out for sure. I hope that things work out well for your pet Buttercup moving forward. Take care!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is hard to know what you are referring to by swelling up. If you mean that her belly gets distended then that could be normal to some extent after eating. If this appears to be severe or marked, then she should be evaluated by a veterinarian as other possibilities would have to be considered. However, of this happens just after eating then I would be suspicious that this is due to that and not anything serious. Good luck and have a great day!

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! From the X-rays, I can see that Mara's abdomen appears to be filled with fluid. It is obscuring his liver and intestines from being seen and there may even be a small amount in his lungs. Unfortunately it is impossible to tell what the fluid is from the x-ray alone. His blood work shows some abnormalities with his electrolytes, which may be if he is not eating or from fluid in the abdomen. Mara also has a high white blood cell count, these are the cells that are responsible for fighting off infections and increase if there is one present. Your vet can run some additional diagnostics, and perform a tap and remove the fluid as well as a blood test to determine if Mara is infected with FIP, a mutated form of a common virus that cats are exposed to. I hope this helps!

There are a few things that could be causing Chunnu's belly to be larger than normal. First, if she is having heart or liver problems, this can cause fluid to backup into the belly. This fluid can usually be diagnosed with x-rays or ultrasound, and if there is a large amount of fluid it can easily be removed. However, the fluid will usually come back in a matter of days or weeks unless we cure the underlying cause. Another potential cause for a large belly is intestinal parasites. I recommend that Chunnu have a good dewormer or have her stool tested by a veterinarian. The other potential cause is that she is gaining weight in fat. As cats age, they started to shift more weight to the belly and can appear bigger there than when they were younger. If she is eating well and her activity is normal, you could just continue to monitor her belly from home, or see your vet for re-evaluation.

Bloated abdomen could be to different causes. It may be due to an organ enlargement (spleen, liver for example) or it may be due to an accumulation of fluid which can be easily sampled and analysed. Depending on the nature of the fluid this may be the consequence of an heart problem, liver problem or possibly the presence of a tumor. The lump on the head should be analysed as well (if not done already).