My cat has a swollen spleen and bloated belly. What could it be?

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).

There are many different issues that could be causing her abdomen to swell, ranging from fluid build up to organ enlargement or tumours. Unfortunately there is no way to shed any light on what is causing it without taking her to a vet for a thorough examination. They may need to run some tests also.

I'm sorry that Sylvester is anemic! It is very concerning that his belly is bloated, as this can be a sign of internal bleeding or accumulation of fluid. I recommend having him seen by a vet immediately, or as soon as possible to determine what the cause is. Your vet can perform an ultrasound of the belly and remove some of the fluid. I hope all is well!

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!

Depending on which infectious disease we are talking about, generally speaking yes spleen can react and become enlarged, eventually with localized enlargement (mass like lesions). Ultrasound and sample of the spleen can eventually differentiate it from tumors and other type of lesions.

I’m very sorry to hear that Olive isn’t doing well. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough information here for a diagnosis. Some follow up questions I have based on this information would be: -did the vet look at a blood smear to confirm lack of platelets? Nearly absent platelets would make me worry about immune mediated destruction. -what was the composition of the abdominal fluid? -has the heart been evaluated? -was there normal blood protein/albumin/globulins? I’m sorry I can’t provide a specific answer for you but this bloodwork points me to more questions. It sounds like Olive needs additional testing, and you may want to consider referring to a specialty hospital. But I’d start by checking the abdominal fluid and blood protein composition. Based on the age and breed, I’d be a bit worried about FIP. Hope this helps. All the best to you and Olive.

I understand you are concerned about FIP. The reality is, if you don't have money for a veterinary visit (and in many cases even if you did), FIP is typically fatal and untreatable. The best thing you can do is separate your sick cat from your healthy one and see how things transpire over the course of the next few days. Typically, cats with FIP, regardless of the form, will be inappetant and not wanting to eat anything at all. The worst form of it will cause massive fluid buiid up in the chest / abdomen and result in difficulty breathing. The other form typically produce clinical signs that are both ophthalmic and/or neurologic, plus several other non specific clinical signs (a couple of which include what you are descrbing). Overall, FIP would not be near the top of my list. I would definitely make sure all three cats have been tested for leukemia and AIDS however in order to rule both of these life-threatening conditions. While not as rapidly fatal as FIP, both conditions can carry poor long term prognosis. It sounds like the one cat with a fever and swollen belly might benefit from pain management and a recheck for the presence of worms. While dietary indiscretion could be an issue, it is not likely to cause a fever unless an infectious organism was present in the food. Hope this is more helpful than my previous response.