Kitten with lumpy belly

antisockcat

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Jul 3, 2016
Messages
26
Purraise
9
I have a 10ish week old kitten who was found in a parking lot almost a month ago by my sister. Mimzy had a round, taut belly when originally found that got softer and a bit smaller after getting dewormed.

She is now much bigger, very curious and active. The thing that concerns me is that I can feel many soft ridges, about the size of a pen in diameter, under the skin of her belly. They're not visible but easily felt.

The vet mentioned that she might have a tapeworm. She was too small for the test last time, so she will probably get tested at her next appointment on Tuesday.

Could the ridges be me feeling her intestines due to a tapeworm or other digestive issue?

Her stool has been consistently solid all along, despite her being very gassy for the first week. (You wouldn't think such a tiny kitten could produce such a big smell!)


This picture is from yesterday; I can't find a good pic of her belly from her first days with us.

I don't think her belly is oversized anymore. Her ribs and hips seem thin in comparison, but I think that's reasonable for how quickly she's grown.

I don't think Mimzy's in any danger, but will definitely be asking the vet about this. I just wanted to know if anyone out there could provide me with an answer as to whether this is normal!
 

stephanietx

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 1, 2005
Messages
14,772
Purraise
3,491
Location
Texas
I wonder if they are blood vessels that you're feeling.  Regarding tapeworms, if she's ever had fleas, she's probably got tapeworms.  Has she been treated for intestinal parasites already?
 

DreamerRose

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 11, 2015
Messages
8,744
Purraise
11,085
Location
Naperville, IL
If she has a tapeworm, there will be eggs in her stool. They look like grains of rice, and a cat will avoid the litter pan because of them. My cat went in the bathtub, where it was very easy to see the rice-like eggs.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #4

antisockcat

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Jul 3, 2016
Messages
26
Purraise
9
She's had two doses of oral dewormer (I don't know what exactly off the top of my head) for roundworms. The vet said they would test again at the next visit.

I thought of blood vessels, but do they really get that big on a kitten? Though maybe since I can only feel them and not see, I am imagining them as bigger than they really are, like a fisherman and the one that got away. And if it is blood vessels, why can I feel them? Hmm.
 

handsome kitty

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 10, 2014
Messages
6,193
Purraise
1,062
Location
Newark CA
You need to check with your vet.  Not all dewormers kill round worms and tapeworms.  I doubt you are feeling tape worms.  They are long and thin.  You will be likely to see them wiggling out the kittens but.  eewwww.

Are you treating the kitten for fleas yet?  He might be too young for flea treatment yet.  Again check with your vet.  Advantage II is good, so is Revolution.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #6

antisockcat

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Jul 3, 2016
Messages
26
Purraise
9
I haven't seen anything unusual in her stool so far, and she hasn't had any issues using the litter box. I will start checking more thoroughly.

She had a lot of fleas at first. We bathed her with Dawn soap and pulled off many with tweezers. The vet said they seemed to be gone (3+ weeks ago, two days after her being found), and she got a dose of Revolution just in case. We haven't seen any sign of fleas since.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7

antisockcat

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Jul 3, 2016
Messages
26
Purraise
9
Mimzy's vet appointment got moved to today and I got an answer: the lumps are her intestines!

She is growing so fast that she doesn't have much body fat even though her belly looks big, which is why they're easily felt. And she is confirmed parasite-free. What a relief!
 
Top