A pot belly is a swollen or enlarged belly that can be alarming to the cat’s caregiver. But what does it mean and is it normal for a kitten to have a pot belly?
When is a bloated or pot belly normal?
Kittens have tiny tummies and require multiple meals a day. After a meal, it is normal for a kitten to have a pronounced belly but this will usually go down quickly, once the food and has has moved along the GI tract.
As kittens do not have well developed abdominal muscles, any gas build up in their stomach and intestines can show up as a ‘swelling’. This should be mild and come and go, and the kitten should be otherwise well.
Causes of bloated belly in kittens
Roundworm
Roundworms infection is a common cause of a pot-bellied appearance in kittens. Two species infect cats, Toxocara cati and Toxascaris leonina. Infection with T. cati is most common in cats.
Roundworms feed upon the intestinal contents, competing with the host for food. They are around 3 – 5 inches long with a spaghetti-like in appearance. Both T. cati and T. leonina are found throughout the world.
Roundworm infection is called toxocariasis.
The most common source of infection in kittens is via the mother’s milk (transmammary infection) which is detailed below.
Transmission:
- Direct ingestion (ingestion of eggs via contaminated food, feces, water and environment)
- Transport hosts (ingestion of infected rodents) which is an unlikely source of infection in kittens.
- Transmammary infection (via the mother milk). As we know, roundworms encyst in the tissues of older kittens and adults. Pregnancy can reactivate larvae that migrate to the mammary glands and infect nursing kittens.
Once consumed, the larvae hatch from the egg and can behave in one of two ways.
- In young kittens, the larvae migrate through the intestinal wall and into the circulatory system, passing through the liver where they molt into stage three larvae (L3) and into the windpipe (trachea) where they are coughed up and swallowed, finally taking up residence in the cat’s small intestines. Here, they reach sexual maturity and begin to produce eggs which are shed in the feces. Once in the environment, they develop into the infectious stage containing second-stage larvae (L2).
- If an older kitten or adult ingests an infective egg, the larvae hatch and migrate to organs and muscles where they encyst and become dormant. Some can migrate back to the small intestine, mature and produce eggs. Others remain dormant until activated by pregnancy.
Symptoms:
Treatment:
Treatment of roundworm is straightforward. Several topical products, pastes, chews, and tablets are available to treat roundworm in kittens and cats. All cats need to be wormed, even those kept indoors.
Kitten worming schedule:
- Every 2 weeks from 2 weeks of age until 12 weeks of age.
- Once a month from 12 weeks of age until 6 months.
- Every three months from 6 months.
Food intolerance
Food intolerance is an adverse reaction to food, one of its ingredients or additives. It differs from a food allergy in that there is no immune system IgE involvement. Food allergies typically cause nonseasonal itching, especially around the head and face, swollen and inflamed areas on the face and ears, hair loss due to itching, bloating, flatulence, vomiting, and diarrhea.
A common feline food intolerance that many people have heard of is milk. This is because older kittens and adult mammals lack the enzyme necessary to digest lactose, which is the major sugar in milk.
Symptoms:
- Flatulence
- Bloating
- Abdominal pain
- Diarrhea
- Mucus or blood in the stool
Treatment:
Avoidance of the food where possible. Once weaned, kittens and adult cats have no nutritional requirement for milk. If milk is not the culprit, it will be necessary to rule out other possible ingredients and the veterinarian may recommend a food elimination trial, in which the kitten is fed one type of food (hypoallergenic), to see if symptoms resolve. If they do, the cat is then challenged, by re-introducing it to its normal food to see if symptoms return.
Note: All young kittens MUST have milk to survive. The weaning process begins around 4-5 weeks of age, but before that, their only source of nutrition is milk. It is extremely important that you do not give a young kitten cow’s milk. The best possible milk is from the kitten’s mother. If the kitten is orphaned and a foster mother can’t be found for the kitten then the kitten will need to be given a specially designed kitten formula, which can be purchased from your veterinarian. Cow’s milk is fine for baby cows, but it is not suitable for kittens.
Feline infectious peritonitis
FIP is a fatal viral disease caused when the Coronavirus, a common and mostly harmless virus in cats, mutates to a virulent form or an aberration of the immune response occurs. Kittens are at the greatest risk of developing FIP.
FIP comes in two forms, dry and wet. Wet FIP causes a build-up of fluid in the abdominal cavity.
Symptoms:
- Abdominal bloating due to fluid accumulation
- Difficulty breathing
- Fever
- Depression
- Poor coat condition
- Loss of appetite
Treatment:
FIP is almost always fatal and there is no effective cure at this time. Supportive care and treatment may be provided, but this is a short term solution, and most cats will succumb to the disease.
Intestinal blockage
An intestinal blockage can occur anywhere along the cat’s gastrointestinal tract. Common causes include an ingested foreign object, heavy roundworm or tapeworm infection, twisting of the intestine or telescoping of the intestines (intussusception).
Intestinal obstructions are common in kittens who begin to explore their environment from a few weeks old. Just like human toddlers curiosity can get the better of them and they can chew on lots of things that aren’t cat-friendly such as elastic bands and hair elastics.
Symptoms:
- Vomiting or retching
- Diarrhea or a complete absence of defecation
- Swollen and painful abdomen
- Loss of appetite
- Hunched over appearance
- Lethargy
Treatment:
Most cases of gastrointestinal obstruction require surgery.Â
- Endoscopy to remove objects from the stomach, or an exploratory laparotomy to remove a foreign body that has lodged further down the GIT.
- Surgical resection of dead intestinal tissue.
- Anti-worming medication.
Constipation
Constipation is the infrequent passage of hard and dry stools. There is no set number of bowel movements a cat must take in a day, but one to two is average (or more often in younger kittens). There are many causes of constipation which include dehydration, congenital defects (Manx syndrome, imperforate anus), obstruction, dietary (not enough fibre in the diet), neurological disorders, certain drugs, pelvic abnormalities, a mother cat or carer who does not stimulate the young kitten to defecate, and idiopathic (no known cause).
Symptoms:
- Painful defecation, straining to pass a stool
- Small, firm feces which may contain blood or streaks of blood
- Crying in the litter tray
- Frequent genital licking
- Abdominal pain
- Swollen belly
- Lethargy
- Hunched over appearance
- Vomiting
- Decreased appetite
Treatment:
The goal of treatment is to address the underlying cause where possible. In addition, it is necessary to treat constipation which, can include:
Stool softeners, laxatives, and increasing water consumption. Severely constipated kittens will need veterinary intervention.
- Enema or manual extraction of the feces.
- Rehydration with intravenous fluids.
Note: Cats who strain in their tray producing nothing will not always be constipated. Oftentimes, urinary issues such as cystitis or an inability to pass urine can be confused for constipation by the owner.
Toxic milk syndrome
Toxic milk syndrome is a life-threatening condition in which kittens develop septicemia (bacterial infection of the blood) due to an infection in the mother (such as mastitis or pyometra), which reaches the milk, or contaminated kitten replacement milk. Kittens between 0-2 weeks are most commonly affected.
Symptoms:
- Failure to thrive
- Bloating
- Diarrhea
- Listlessness
- Crying kittens
Treatment:
Do not allow kittens to nurse from the mother if she has septic mastitis, it will be necessary to bottle feed them with a suitable kitten milk formula. Always sterilise bottles and wash hands thoroughly before feeding kittens. Discard unused milk.
Fluids will be necessary for severely dehydrated kittens.
The mother and kittens will be put on a course of antibiotics to treat the infection.
Feature image: SunRay BRI Cattery RU, Shutterstock
Author
-
by
-
