Why is my kitten bloated, eating a lot, and passed a stringy worm?

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Kittens often seem to have bloated bellies. Sometimes it is just their immature anatomy, sometimes it is internal parasites, especially roundworms. If she is eating a wet kitten food, she is probably getting a fair amount of liquid every day. You usually will not see such a young kitten drinking water consistently. It would be a good idea to take the kitten to your veterinarian for a fecal analysis & proper health check. They will determine what, if any worms the kitten has, & administer the proper medication. Take care.

A bloated belly in a kitten is usually suspicious of a high worm problem, but there are other possibilities. If she has a thin layer of muscle in her belly, then this can cause it to appear bloated. It can also happen with liver, spleen and other organ enlargement; and also if their is excessive fluid in the abdominal cavity. Considering there are many possibilities, it's best to have Astrid evaluated by a veterinarian. They may suggest an x-ray, or ultrasound to find the cause of this. I hope that helps and all is well with Astrid.

It is possible Coco has intestinal parasites. You would need to submit a stool sample to your veterinarian for confirmation. A physical exam would be recommended to rule out other causes. If intestinal parasites are diagnosed, your veterinarian can dispense or administer the appropriate dewormer. It may need to be repeated in 2, 4 and 6 weeks. He should be eating a quality kitten food. Fish alone is not a balanced diet for a growing kitten. Discontinue the milk as well since it may cause stomach upset.

I would be more inclined to think that your kitty is obstipated (inability to defecate). As the pet gets backed up there is no where for the ingested food to go, so the cat vomits it back up. Also the stomach will be firm and distended with feces that collect in the colon. Cats that cannot poop for several days will also get full anal glands, this causes irritation of the bum and scooting. Your poor kitty needs to be take to the vet to likely have an enema placed to relieve the impacted feces right away. I would recommend taking kitty in to your local vet by tomorrow at the latest. I would caution against using over the counter enema's because most contain phosphate, and this component is toxic in cats. I would agree that intestinal parasites are still a possibility here, but obstipation would be my first concern. Your vet can easily distinguish which one is the cause of your cats current state by just feeling her belly and doing a rectal exam. I hope your kitty gets better soon!

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!

Ivy's stomach looks pretty normal in your pictures. If she plays less than usual, eats less than usual, urinates or defecates less than usual, or otherwise seems sick, I would recommend taking her to the vet.

If your kitten is active, playful, and eating and drinking, then I'm not too worried. Your kitten may have overeaten and his GI tract might be working hard on digestion, or there could be intestinal parasites or gas causing the GI sounds. If he is otherwise happy and active, I'd just monitor for now and mention it at his next kitten visit, and bring in a fresh fecal sample for your vet to check for parasites. However, if he's lethargic, vomiting, or not eating, then this should be checked immediately. Hope this helps!