We have three barn cats and two indoor cats and also have a stray that visits us regularly for food. All of our outdoor cats are over six years of age and one of our indoor cats is around seven as well. For a few years now our cats have shown signs of swollen bellies, sometimes larger then other times. They are hard to the touch, like it is filled with water. I've done research and I know about FIP and heart failure and blockages, but I just can't figure out what this is. FIP is said to be fatal, but our cats are doing quite well. They rarely show signs of any sickness besides the swollen bellies and sometimes loose stool. They are all of good weight, they usually have a good appetite, we try to give them the best cat food we can afford, and they aren't lethargic. They likely have herpes, which is found in most cats in our area, but they rarely show any signs of sneezing or coughing.
Our cats outdoors gained weight after they were spayed/neutered but it can be hard to tell if they are over-weight or swollen. Our cat that was spayed first is the least swollen and has the brightest coat while the two others, neutered/spayed a year or two later, have larger stomachs and sometimes get dull coats and the sniffles during cold weather.
The only times our cats have needed antibiotics is after an injury.
I was interested in knowing what it is that our cats have because of this. We lost one of our younger boys to a chronic illness that would steal his appetite at times and he would get pale gums. He vanished one day and we never found him.
Our cat that lives in the basement sometimes looses weight when she needs wormed but she also will sometimes throw-up for seemingly no reason. She doesn't have such a swollen belly, though at times she will have it for a few days or weeks. She has always been thin, sometimes she gets too thin and we feed her extra until she regains her weight. She has a great appetite and shows no other symptoms of illness that I know of. Our other indoor cat, who gets free run of the house (as he doesn't cause allergies) is our youngest and shows no signs of herpes or a swollen belly and is very healthy.
All of our cats are neutered/spayed, though two of our females had litters before this happened.The stomach swelling issue did not appear until after the cats were fixed and wehn they started to gain some weight.
Thank you so much for any advice.
Tabby. She doesn't like me to touch her so I'm not sure how bad her belly is. However, in this photo she is a little over-weight as well as fluffed up against the cold.
Here is Tiger-tail. You can see how he has a slightly rounded stomach. he loves to cuddle so he wasn't sitting still for a photo. : )
Our cats outdoors gained weight after they were spayed/neutered but it can be hard to tell if they are over-weight or swollen. Our cat that was spayed first is the least swollen and has the brightest coat while the two others, neutered/spayed a year or two later, have larger stomachs and sometimes get dull coats and the sniffles during cold weather.
The only times our cats have needed antibiotics is after an injury.
I was interested in knowing what it is that our cats have because of this. We lost one of our younger boys to a chronic illness that would steal his appetite at times and he would get pale gums. He vanished one day and we never found him.
Our cat that lives in the basement sometimes looses weight when she needs wormed but she also will sometimes throw-up for seemingly no reason. She doesn't have such a swollen belly, though at times she will have it for a few days or weeks. She has always been thin, sometimes she gets too thin and we feed her extra until she regains her weight. She has a great appetite and shows no other symptoms of illness that I know of. Our other indoor cat, who gets free run of the house (as he doesn't cause allergies) is our youngest and shows no signs of herpes or a swollen belly and is very healthy.
All of our cats are neutered/spayed, though two of our females had litters before this happened.The stomach swelling issue did not appear until after the cats were fixed and wehn they started to gain some weight.
Thank you so much for any advice.
Tabby. She doesn't like me to touch her so I'm not sure how bad her belly is. However, in this photo she is a little over-weight as well as fluffed up against the cold.
Here is Tiger-tail. You can see how he has a slightly rounded stomach. he loves to cuddle so he wasn't sitting still for a photo. : )
