Poor lost kitty :(

I found a fairly young kitten (maybe 3 or 4 months) under the deck this morning. She is a little on the thin side, and was a little dehydrated when I found her, so I brought her inside, set her up with some food and water and a warm place to sleep. Having picked her up and handled her, I have noticed that that her stomach feels a little firm and bloated. She is otherwise in good condition (coat good, albeit a little dirty, eyes are clear, breathing fine, healthy appetite, etc.) other than being a little thin, so I was wondering if anyone could offer up an explanation for the bloated and firm tummy?

It could be that she was so hungry she has a starvation belly like you would see in starving children. It could be that the kitty is pregnant. It could be a number of things. It was very nice of you to take the kitty in . Are you planning on keeping the kitten? If so it would be a good idea to make an appointment with a veterinarian for an exam. Again I think it was great that you took the poor kitten in.

Quiet said:

It could be that she was so hungry she has a starvation belly like you would see in starving children. It could be that the kitty is pregnant. It could be a number of things. It was very nice of you to take the kitty in . Are you planning on keeping the kitten? If so it would be a good idea to make an appointment with a veterinarian for an exam. Again I think it was great that you took the poor kitten in.

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I would like to keep her, but we would like to see if we could track down her owners. She is a very sweet and affectionate wee thing, but it wouldn't be right to keep her if she belongs to someone else. It is very cold and rainy here at the moment, and it would be downright cruel and inhumane not to take her in and give her somewhere warm and dry to sleep for the time being. I'l call the veterinarians in the morning to see when I can get an appointment to have her checked out. She is quite thin, which led me to believe that she hadn't had a good meal in a while and was starving and needs a few days worth of good meals, but I am not a veterinarian so it would probably be best to get her looked at :-)

Quiet said:

 
It could be that she was so hungry she has a starvation belly like you would see in starving children. It could be that the kitty is pregnant. It could be a number of things. It was very nice of you to take the kitty in . Are you planning on keeping the kitten? If so it would be a good idea to make an appointment with a veterinarian for an exam. Again I think it was great that you took the poor kitten in.

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 I agree!  It could also be parasites.  One thought is that you give the kitty some homemade pedialyte to help balance her electrolytes and correct that dehydration.

And I salute you for taking it that poor kitty - so many people would feel sorry yet do nothing but you have chosen to do the right thing!! 

catsknowme said:

:nod:  I agree!  It could also be parasites.  One thought is that you give the kitty some homemade pedialyte to help balance her electrolytes and correct that dehydration.

And I salute you for taking it that poor kitty - so many people would feel sorry yet do nothing but you have chosen to do the right thing!! 

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I couldn't just leave her outside - much too cold for a small, hungry and thirsty baby! I have had a little press of her tummy and it's still bloated but not as firm as it was earlier in the day. Hopefully this means she's already on the way up. She has been passing a lot of gas since she's been with us. Is that normal?

When a kitty is given a different diet than she is used to, they need time to adjust (symptoms of gas can occur). However, as the above experienced folks mentioned, it could very well be a parasite, not unusual in kittens. Give her a week to adjust to you and the diet. If she's still having symptoms of any kind, it would be helpful to have a vet checkup (useful anyway to determine general health, future vaccinations, etc.). Keep up the good work, "Mom" and enjoy your new family addition (assuming no owner is found)!   

The chances that she is owned is very low.  Given her age she is almost certainly a stray, although this shouldn't stop you from trying to find an "owner".  As others have said the bloat may be due to several things,a common cause would be worms.

At the vet, besides an exam, she needs de-worming, vaccinating, testing for FIV/FeLV.  If you can bring a stool sample so much the better. And this would be a perfect time to microchip her, a guarantee that if she ever became lost in the future and ended up at a shelter that she wouldn't be euthanized.

Congrats on the rescue!!!!

i would also say great that you took the poor thing in. It sounds like it was abandoned and stray. I hope you decide that it is a permanant guestin your home! Unfortunately, there are so many out there that desperately need homes and this one sounds like he or here she was very lucky to have found you.
I would definitely take kitty to the vet to see what's going on. The fact that it's eating well is a very good sign and as stated could be pregnant or have worms or bloated it could be anything really. Best of luck!

Thanks for the advice everyone :-). Kitty is doing really well today, and has very much enjoyed her meals today. Her tummy is less firm and swollen today, so hopefully it had something to do with starvation. Will be booking her in to the vets soon to get her a good look over :-)

  Wonderful news about kitty!!! Thank you for the update.  Hopefully it was just that she gulped her food & got gassy - if her previous meal hadn't been for a while, perhaps that is what happened. I didn't think of it last night because in my experience, that happens more often in dogs than in cats or horses, but it does happen.  

You are an answer to every cat lover's prayer - I help care for several feral colonies and such happy stories as yours are too, too rare. But each and every happy rescue reaffirms my faith that it can and does happen.  Makes me feel that every hope, every effort and every prayer is not in vain 

Great news!

Hi

Terrific that you are being a kitten hero.

Wanted to ask what you are feeding the kitten and make sure you aren't giving her any milk. It can cause gas and upset in a kitten's stomach. Many people do not know this and that is probably do to the media showing all these cats drinking saucers of milk since the beginning of time. Anyway great job rescuing the kitty.

Quiet said:

Hi

Terrific that you are being a kitten hero.

Wanted to ask what you are feeding the kitten and make sure you aren't giving her any milk. It can cause gas and upset in a kitten's stomach. Many people do not know this and that is probably do to the media showing all these cats drinking saucers of milk since the beginning of time. Anyway great job rescuing the kitty.

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Kitty is currently eating kitten wet food and water, which is always gratefully received.

On closer inspection, kitty seems to be a boy kitty, so I assume that it rules out pregnancy as an explanation for the bloated abdomen! Our newest addition is very happy young man, and will never turn down a cuddle.