Cat Swollen Abdomen

Expectant Persian cat.

If your kitty has a swollen abdomen, it can be for a number of reasons:

Cat Pregnancy

One of the reasons is, of course, pregnancy in female cats. If your cat is a female and has a swollen abdomen but does not appear to be experiencing intestinal distress, and she has been in heat recently, it could very well be that she is pregnant.

Intestinal abnormalities

In other cases, though, a swollen abdomen in cats can be very serious indeed. Swollen abdomen symptoms in cats that are not pregnant often occur because of some sort of blockage. Blockages can occur because a foreign body has been swallowed and has lodged in the gastrointestinal tract (such as a ball or small toy), and they can also occur because a tumor has grown, or because adhesion has occurred after abdominal surgery.

Partial versus complete blockage

Strictures and tumors, such as in Cat Cancer, can be problematic because they can cause intermittent or partial obstruction, such that symptoms “come and go.” For example, your cat may experience weight loss and may have Cat Vomiting or Cat Diarrhea. Most often, tumors occur in older cats, and usually become quite big before they’re discovered; in that case, they are usually discovered because a veterinarian or an owner can feel a mass in the cat’s abdomen. Oftentimes, these tumors are malignant, in which case your vet will discuss treatment options, including tumor removal, with you.

Sometimes, blockages can be complete as well, in which case your cat will suffer from Cat Dehydrated, will vomit continually, and will have marked abdominal swelling. With a complete blockage, your cat cannot pass fecal material or gas through the intestine at all, and it will simply stay lodged there or even “back up” into the digestive tract. Your cat may also have Cat Constipation as well. If the blockage is in the upper GI tract, your cat will vomit his or her food vigorously. If the blockage is in the lower gastrointestinal tract, the vomit may actually appear to be like feces.

Still another condition that cats can often suffer from is something called intussusceptions; this occurs when the bowel basically “turns itself inside out,” much as you would see if a sock were turned inside out.

Getting treatment for abdominal swelling

If you notice your cat has a swollen abdomen, get her to a vet immediately even if she shows no other symptoms or discomfort. It’s not normal for your cat to have a swollen abdomen, and your vet will need to diagnose just why this has occurred. If your cat is pregnant, as described above, you can discuss with your veterinarian the options you have at that point.

If your cat is constipated or has had Cat Hairballs lodged in the lower intestine, for example, it may very well be that your vet can simply give you cat an enema to take care of the problem.

Most importantly, though, if your cat has an intestinal blockage that has occurred because of a tumor, intestinal adhesion, hernia, or structure, surgery is going to be needed. It is imperative that you get reason for this whole management diagnosed and then seek treatment immediately, because not taking care of these problems can result in serious and lasting injury or even death.