Why is my cat's belly large, always hungry, but not pregnant?

Hi and thanks for your posting. Kittens are frequently born with roundworms they get through their mother's during pregnancy and through nursing. A pot belly appearance can indicate an intestinal worm infection. The good news is deworming Meena is not complicated and requires just a few rounds of deworming solution you can obtain from your veterinarian. A fecal test is run before and after treatment to confirm Meena has cleared the infection. During the course of deworming treatment, you may see worms passed in the stool. I would schedule an appointment with your veterinarian soon so she can get dewormed. I hope this helps and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Snowy. I recommend that she sees a veterinarian as soon as you are able. It is worrisome that her belly changed so dramatically in such a short time frame. If there is no chance of pregnancy, I worry about intestinal parasites or even fluid building up in her abdomen. Based on her exam findings, her veterinarian may recommend fecal testing or even x-rays of her belly to determine the cause of her symptoms. I hope this information helps!

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.

"Mama" is a very pretty girl! :) I agree that her abdomen definitely looks enlarged. It's possible that she could be pregnant, but the enlarged belly could also be caused by something else such as an abdominal tumor, heart or liver disease, or FIP (feline infectious peritonitis). Cats are only pregnant for 64 days on average, so if her belly has been swollen like this for more than a few weeks or so, I would be very concerned that something else is wrong. The best way to find out would be to take her to the vet for an exam - he/she can palpate her abdomen and may also recommend x-rays or ultrasound to help determine for sure what's going on.

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is hard to say what the cause of the rounded abdomen may be without examining Binx first. If she is not spayed and has interacted with a male cat, she may be pregnant. Other options include a parasitic infection, mass or tumor, or abdominal fluid due to Feline Infectious Peritonitis or another cause. A good exam with Binx's veterinarian is needed soon in order to determine the cause of the rounded abdomen. It is good to hear she appears normal otherwise, but I would take her in to see her vet to have her evaluated.

This could be a pyometra. A pyometra is an infection of the uterus that is fatal without treatment. With a pyometra, the uterus fills with pus, and that can cause the belly to get big. Have Peekaboo seen by a vet now.

That could be caused by an accumulation of fluids in the abdominal cavity caused by FIP (feline infectious peritonitis). A check up and single radiograph (or sometimes only clinical examination) could confirm this clinical suspicion and give you treatment options. Unfortunately the prognosis for this disease is poor. Differential diagnosis could be represented by parasite infestation. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.