Does your cat have a swollen belly? Let's see the causes and solutions together
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Does your cat have a swollen belly? We are not talking about the swollen and soft belly on the sides of the abdomen typical of our friends. We refer to a swollen belly to the touch...
The cat's abdomen houses a cat's vital internal organs. It is lined with a membrane called the peritoneum which keeps the environment sterilized. It can enlarge or swell. This can be due to the leakage of fluids from the internal organs such as water, pus, blood. The abdomen may also have swelling due to air, fat or due to an internal obstruction.
If you notice that your cat has a swollen and abnormal belly, I recommend that you take him to the vet for a visit to allow us to have a diagnosis. Our friends by their nature and survival instinct hide the physical pain and their diseases and often and willingly when we become aware of their feeling bad the situation is now very much.
Here are some main reasons why a cat has a swollen belly:
1) Obesity
2) Obstruction of the bladder (may be due to the presence of stones)
3) FIP infection
4) Cancer
5) Parasites
6) Fluid release from the intestine due to immune problems
7) Pregnancy
8) Trauma
9) Internal bleeding
10) Internal organ failure
Many of these conditions endanger the life of our cat, which is why it is essential to prevent and intervene in advance in synergy with our trusted veterinarian.
The accumulation of fluids in the abdomen can be caused by serious diseases including heart failure, major infections, tumors and bleeding.
It is also worth noting that your cat is simply obese.
If he is sedentary, lives in an apartment, sterilized (tends to gain weight), eats a lot and does not go out, he could gain a lot of weight and this situation could also cause problems for his health and undermine his quality of life.
For example, overweight cats are at risk of diabetes, joint problems and fractures. To intervene effectively on your cat's obesity, it is necessary, with the help of a nutritionist veterinarian, to take care of its nutrition. Encourage him to move by making him run while playing with him. Furnish your home with shelves, shelves, scratching posts and gyms where your cat can let loose in his dynamic games.
A swollen abdomen can also be caused by obstruction of the bladder. One notices this problem, as well as the fact that the cat has a tense abdomen, also due to the fact that it spends a lot of time on the litter box or in a position as if it were to pee, but it struggles and often only droplets come out, sometimes even blood. In this case (as in many others) it is extremely urgent to take the cat to the vet as it is worth his life.
Other times the cat's swollen peace may be due to heart, liver or kidney failure. In this case, the excess fluid in the cat is due to a malfunction or reduced function of the internal organs. In fact, the heart, liver and kidneys all participate in the circulatory system and in the removal of liquids and waste materials.
Another reason a cat might have a swollen abdomen is FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis). Very serious and almost always fatal pathology in cats. It can be presented in two forms: wet and dry.
In the wet form, liquids are formed that pour into the abdomen
In the dry form, they form granulomas that prevent the organs from functioning properly. It can attack the kidneys, eyes, brain etc.
FIP is the result of a mutation in a cat coronavirus. This virus lives in the cat's intestine and can remain silent for the entire life of the cat. Coronavirus is highly contagious and is passed on through feces. Very widespread in the feline world, but fortunately the FIP mutation affects only 2% or 3% of cats with the coronovirus. It is not known why there is this mutation in some subjects. It is thought that it may be due to the high viral load, health conditions, pathologies and autoimmune diseases.
Swollen abdomen in cats can also be caused by intestinal parasites. There can be many parasites in addition to the worms that cause ascites (swollen abdomen), and should be treated with the help of a trusted veterinarian who, through the appropriate analyzes, will understand which parasites are involved and will prescribe the appropriate treatment to eradicate them. Usually with a simple wormer.
It is important to have regular stool tests, especially in kittens
If an unsterilized cat has a swollen abdomen, she could be pregnant. Take her to the vet to check her condition with a follow-up ultrasound.
The advice is to pay attention to your cat, changes in behavior, conformation and habits (if he eats more or less and how much he drinks), if he isolates himself, hides and emits particular vocalizations.
It would be advisable to carry out annual checks by the vet with blood tests and ultrasound scans to always monitor his health because the cat does not show his disease and his not being well until, more often than not, it is too late to intervene for his salvation.