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Need to know if its normal for a 5 month old kitten to have a fat pad underneath her belly, closer to her hind legs. It's visible like a hanging pad of fur and when touch, feels like loose fatty skin?
she hasn't been outside, has she? i ask, because she's old enough to have had a 1st heat...Originally Posted by tutti_bella
Nope, her spa day is scheduled early next month.
Maybe she's been inviting boys up while you're away? (Imagine kitties meowing over an intercom to each other!)Originally Posted by tutti_bella
She's an indoor cat only - and we live in a high rise on the top floor ... so, nope, no chance for any hanky panky. LOL
Originally Posted by strange_wings
If you're concerned about her putting on too much weight this young, and it becoming a problem later, you could try measured out scheduled meals - if you don't do that already. It might actually be easier to get her used to that as a kitten instead of waiting till she's older.
That would be really too funny!Originally Posted by strange_wings
Maybe she's been inviting boys up while you're away? (Imagine kitties meowing over an intercom to each other!)
I thought she should be fed kitten food up till a year old?Originally Posted by laureen227
or maybe switching her over to adult food? [assuming she's still getting kitten food]
that's traditional... altho Cable, Java & Firefox ate adult food solely far earlier. [witih adults in the same household, me the sole feeder, & gone all day, i didn't have much of a choice!] didn't seem to affect them - Java's the longest, but Cable weighs more. & Firefox seems to be growing just fine [9 months old now].Originally Posted by tutti_bella
I thought she should be fed kitten food up till a year old?
I have one of these! It never filled with anything and is just a hole in the abdominal muscles. It used to be a little wider then the size an adult thumb (when I was little) but has shrunk to only being about the size of my finger tip now. If I purposely force my stomach out it looks like a little bump above my belly button.Originally Posted by anmccleod
She could have an umbilical hernia, this is caused by momma not removing the umbilical cord like she should, it leaves a small whole, and as kitty grows it leaves her with a hole in the lining of her belly. The hernia can either 1) fill with fat or 2) fill with an intestinal organ (extreme cases only!)
Our big boy Bijou has a rather large spay sway and believe me, he hasn't been spayed.Originally Posted by JellyBella
A "spay sway" isn't really due to the spay. It's a natural feature of many cats. Theory I've heard is that it provides protection for delicate organs should another cat "bunny kick" them in the abdomen. If you've ever seen a real cat fight you'll know why they have extra padding on their bellies.
I wouldn't worry unless she no longer has a visable waist or you can't feel her ribs.