I keep smelling cat gas ....

coaster

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... around the house. First time I smelled it I thought one of the cats had an "accident." Nope, they're all using their litterboxes like good little kitties. Well, the latest incident happened this afternoon and the two boys were in the basement, so I have to conclude that Mellie is the culprit. My Mellie is passing gas!! So, my question is, and honest, it's really a serious question: are there any health conditions that might cause a cat to fart? Googling keywords for this topic is likely to bring up an awful lot of irrelevant hits to sift through, so I hope some of the good members here can answer that.
 

melmo

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I have never heard or smelled, a cat fart. I googled it and someone mentioned that cats who eat wet food, have stinker farts than cats who eat kibble.
Wheather it is true or not, I have no idea.
 

ktlynn

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There are serious conditions that can cause this, one of which is Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome.

If Mellie hasn't been to the vet lately, or had bloodwork done recently, consider getting him in for a check-up. It'll be worth the peace of mind to rule out anything serious.
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by KTLynn

There are serious conditions that can cause this, one of which is Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome.

If Mellie hasn't been to the vet lately, or had bloodwork done recently, consider getting him in for a check-up. It'll be worth the peace of mind to rule out anything serious.


I have only had this issue with IBS or food intolerance...

Have you recently changed foods or flavors of food?
 

xocats

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Your girl is definitely having some kind of digestive upset.
Has she had any behavior changes..
lethargic etc?
If you have changed her diet recently, that might be the culprit.

If it were me, I would have her checked by my vet just to be on the safe side.
~~~~~~~~~~~``
PS...I just read that article from the above link.
Very informative.
"Borborygmus, which is the rumbling noise made as gas moves through the gastrointestinal tract", how is that for a name?


Mellie
 

violet

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Originally posted by xocats:
If it were me, I would have her checked by my vet just to be on the safe side.
Ditto. And, Tim, when you do that, please ask your vet to do an X-ray to check for thickened intestines. If by any chance Mellie has thickened intestines, you'll want to know about it so you can start treatment right away.

And one other thing, since the subject of IBS/IBD keeps coming up in this thread. A few years ago I realized that a cat can be diagnosed with this disease without showing any alarming signs such as chronic vomiting or diarrhea or severe weight loss. Sometimes all one notices is some (not even very significant) weight loss or signs of indigestion which can be a rumbling tummy, bad breath, flatulence and belching.

Since experts seem to agree that diet can play a role in this disease, starting with the food and using anti-inflammatory medication for a while can work wonders for a cat.

This article takes a very serious look at IBD.
http://www.peteducation.com/article....1+1322&aid=304

Another good article:
http://www.cfa.org/articles/health/ibd.html

And one more:
http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/ibd.html

I do hope Mellie doesn't have IBD.
 

laureen227

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my Java had terrible gas as a kitten. it developed into diarrhea - i took her to the vet. she had a bacterial intestinal overgrowth. it took 2 rounds of antibiotics + a round of a probiotic to eliminate. this treatment also eliminated the gas, too.
 
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coaster

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Originally Posted by sharky



I have only had this issue with IBS or food intolerance...

Have you recently changed foods or flavors of food?
I feed her premium wet, perhaps a half-dozen different brands of various flavors; she's a "recovering carb addict" and I don't want her to get locked into any one kind of food.
 
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coaster

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Originally Posted by xocats

"Borborygmus, which is the rumbling noise made as gas moves through the gastrointestinal tract", how is that for a name? :
That must be one of those words that sounds like what they label ... there's a term for that .... escapes me at this hour.

Thanks every for the links.....some light reading to do later today.
 

xocats

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Originally Posted by coaster

That must be one of those words that sounds like what they label ... there's a term for that .... escapes me at this hour.
Onomatopoeia ... another fun word.


Just as you have with Mellie's diet, I was rotating Sadie's wet food, thinking I was doing what was best for her.
In her case, she ended up in the hospital last month with IBS and possible pancreatitis.
Her symptoms were not gas but vomiting.
She has always had a sensitive tummy so maybe food rotation was not the best diet for her.

If Mellie's digestive system is becoming sensitive to so many different kinds of foods, you might want to cut back to a less complicated diet to see if that helps.

Wishing your sweet girl a happy tummy day.
Mellie
 
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coaster

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Lei, you mean she was getting sensitized by rotating foods? I thought it was the opposite: you got sensitized by eating the same thing over and over? Did I get that backwards or is Sadie just an exception?
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by coaster

Lei, you mean she was getting sensitized by rotating foods? I thought it was the opposite: you got sensitized by eating the same thing over and over? Did I get that backwards or is Sadie just an exception?
In general rotation is less likely to cause allergies , jury never covered other issues
 

xocats

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Originally Posted by coaster

Lei, you mean she was getting sensitized by rotating foods? I thought it was the opposite: you got sensitized by eating the same thing over and over? Did I get that backwards or is Sadie just an exception?
Originally Posted by sharky

In general rotation is less likely to cause allergies , jury never covered other issues
Sadie probably does not have food allergies....
I was rotating her wet food for nutritional purposes.
Her vets think that she is sensitive to foods that are high in fat...
usual, but that's my Sadie.

So far, she is doing quite well back on lower fat food.

Good luck with Mellie's challenge Tim.
 

ronit

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My oldest cat, CRF, sometimes farts... smells horrible.. hehe
but is just once in a while depending on what she ate... the less quality food she eats the stronger her fart smells. She eats only wet food. My other inside cats do not fart, some strays I feed (not so good quality dry food) fart as well...
I would start changing the diet to a good quality ingredients food and if it does not help then check with the vet.
 
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