Stomach Distension & Ibd Preparedness?

Anoxia

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 17, 2019
Messages
53
Purraise
48
Hello! These questions are pretty food-oriented; I was not sure if my questions should go in health or in nutrition, so I hope this is okay!

1. I usually feed my kittens 3-4.5oz each sitting. I've read multiple times in this site that they should be fed until they're full and walk away; however, the few times I've done that, Henri* inflated like a balloon (artist's rendition attached). She did not appear uncomfortable; she continued to be a wild ball of energy, was playful, inquisitive, and looked normal after she pooped. I had expected the food to give her a pot belly, so the extended sides shocked me. This is my first time having cats, and I was wondering if it was cause for alarm or if their stomachs are just like that?

* Juno does not like wet food. I'm working on building her tolerance for it but at present she doesn't eat enough in one sitting to get an inflated stomach, if that is something cats get. Neither of them get an inflated stomach on dry food.

2. I read that introducing kittens to novel proteins and textures while they were young could help with pickiness as they aged; in addition, I wanted to see if I could find something Juno would like better than the standard chicken or turkey pate. I bought a ton of cans for them, but after that I read about cats with IBD and how some users regretted introducing so many proteins. I was hoping to hear other people's perspective on whether it's worth it to proceed with the introduction, or if I should stick to what they're willing to eat until a change becomes necessary?

Thank you!
 

Attachments

dan32

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Feb 1, 2009
Messages
374
Purraise
74
Location
Penn-Jer-Del
I would think about 1 1/2 oz. of canned food per serving per animal would be more like it. That would be about 1/4 of a 6 oz can or 1/2 of a 3 oz can. Probably an equivalent amount of dry food would be about 1/8 to 1/4 cup.

Does the tummy swelling in your eager canned food eater go down a few hours after eating or does he/she stay blimped?
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #3

Anoxia

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 17, 2019
Messages
53
Purraise
48
Thank you so much for your feedback; that's good to know! I have heard of hungry cases where a kitten has eaten sometimes 9oz per sitting, but I didn't retain what point of development they were in; Henri (the eager beaver!) is currently 4 months, and the most she's eaten so far in one sitting that led to blimping was 6oz: she seemed a little nauseated but after two concerning sounds (not quite gagging, but also not quite burping), she appeared settled and did not vomit.

The swelling does go down, thankfully! I have never seen it last longer than a poop cycle.
 

dan32

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Feb 1, 2009
Messages
374
Purraise
74
Location
Penn-Jer-Del
Wow, 9 oz. is a big 6 oz. can and a half of a second. That's a lot for a little kitten!

I have had cats for decades and my guys eat 3 oz. (1/2 a can) per day divided into two servings (1 1/2 oz. or 1/4 of 6 oz. can.) They do get some supplemental kibble, but I dole it out sparingly - maybe 1/8 cup daily. I think that kibble is very fattening...

That maintains their weight pretty much without them getting tubby. You will see over time if what you are feeding is too much, but then that was your question in the first place. My vet is always after me to keep them not-too-fat lest we encourage diabetes.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5

Anoxia

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 17, 2019
Messages
53
Purraise
48
I agree it sounds like a lot; I'm glad my kittens' habits appear to be more affordable, haha!

I've heard it's more difficult to get a cat to lose weight than to gain, so I'll definitely keep an eye on it when they get older, thank you! To clarify since weight was mentioned, do you feel that the bloating has to do with overfeeding?

When I spoke with my vet about it he wasn't worried since she was regularly eating, eliminating, and playing, and had been dewormed at the adoption center; I was still concerned because the weight seemed to be distributed closer to the ribs rather than the stomach (I looked up a picture of cat anatomy and realized they were closer to the center than I would have thought based on people!) or the lower belly/hips.

For additional information, the first time it happened a little over a month ago was when I tried to entice Juno into wet food by taking away their free-fed dry and simply coming by with wet food every 2 hours. After I stopped (Juno made it clear she was not interested and Henri made it clear she was ready to pop, so I put their dry back before the day was over) and Henri had a bit of time to settle, she did look closer to the well-fed kitten I had expected (image attached).

The second time was within this week or last, and was the 6oz in one sitting I mentioned; it was right before bed and the belly was gone by the time I woke up.

With the usual 3-4.5oz per meal there is no significant bloating.

The closest thread I could find about it was in 2017: Swollen Kitten Belly? It seemed to come to similar conclusions that I did in that it seemed to be associated with wet food instead of dry, but I would prefer to continue to move towards wet if this kind of inflation is to be expected with hungry babies.

Thanks again for your response, and for taking the time to read this text wall!
 

Attachments

Top