Concerned About My Cat's Bloated Belly

klynne11

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My female cat just turned a year old a few weeks ago. She is happy and seems healthy: she is playful, has a good appetite, and uses the bathroom regularly. She is also spayed so we know she cannot be pregnant.

A few months ago, we noticed that her abdomen was bloated and hard to the touch. She is very petite so it is noticeable. It did not seem to be bothering her. We brought her to the vet who did several tests, but all came back negative or inconclusive to what the problem was. She was given an anti-inflammatory and it seemed to get better for a while.

However, it still does fluctuate from being bloated to normal, but when it is bloated she breathes heavily and I'm nervous there is something else wrong that is constricting her breathing. Do you think I have more to be concerned about?

Here's what we know:

Negative for FIV

Negative for leukemia

Negative for worms (Took dewormer several times to be sure)

Blood work revealed slightly elevated liver enzymes and high white blood cell count (Given amoxicillin and an anti-inflammatory medication)

Diet:

She is on a grain-free diet. We feed her a half a can of small Wellness wet food 2X a day and a little bowl of dry food once everyday in between meals.
 

laralove

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Have you tried changing her diet? Perhaps she's allergic to something in one of the brands. I'm totally stabbing in the dark, though. I don't have experience with this, but just based on human allergies and resultant bloating, it seems like it could be a possibility. 

Oh, also, welcome to TCS! 
 
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happybird

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Since all the tests came back negative (thank goodness!) I was thinking possible constipation issues. Especially since the bloating comes and goes. You mentioned that she uses the box regularly, but is she pooping a decent amount every single day? Is the poop hard or clay-like? Maybe she is not moving everything out from her colon and there could be a build up in there.
 
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klynne11

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Thank you for the advice!! We could try to change her diet. When it started, we did switch her to grain fee (but the same brand). We are taking her to the vet tomorrow for a check up on her blood work, so hopefully we will know more, but if it continues, we will give the food change a try.  :)
 
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klynne11

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Thank you for the advice! She does poop regularly but it is hard (some smaller pieces). It is a little difficult to tell since we have a second cat, but his seems a bit more normal from what I've read.
 

laralove

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Hopefully the vet is able to determine the issue. If not, I'd try changing to another grain-free with different ingredients. Is it wet or dry? If dry, you may want to try a wet variety.
 

gigi4224

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Wondering if the vet was able to determine anything or if you have figured out the problem?  I too have a young cat, 9 months old that appears totally healthy except for the exceptionally bloated abdomen!  She looks pregnant.  Had an X ray done and the vet said she appears somewhat constipated.  I had her on Iams dry kitten food, and it's not any better.  She's acting normally, and is fun and playful, but there are days when her tummy appears extra bloated and she seems more sensitive to touch in the area.  I'm at a loss. She's had a CBC blood test, and that came back normal.  Had a fecal test and that was also normal.  She had been dewormed 4 times at the kitten rescue location where we got her from.  The x ray did show that her intestines were filled, and we've added cat lax and I just started giving her wellness canned kitten food. 

Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.  She's a doll, and I just feel so badly for her.  There are times when it appears the bloat goes down some, but then it happens again. 
 
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