My kitten has a swollen stomach

Hi, friends,

When a week ago I was out of town, my husband has found an almost dying kitten on the street and brought him to a vet. The baby is about 3 weeks old, weighs less than 1lb. He tested positive for leukemia antibodies, as his mother is an alley cat. The vet also dewormed the kitten. I returned three days ago and met this tiny, gentlest creature. He was very weak at first, but now is getting more energy, eats like a horse, runs, plays, and his coat is getting fluffier even during these couple of days. However, I noticed that he has a huge swollen belly. I read all this horrible info about FIP in kittens. I am not sure why the vet did not mention anything to my husband (he did take $200., though) about the baby's stomach, but I am worried. My question is: if the kitten has worms, which could be a reason for bloated belly, how long does it take after deworming for his belly to return to normal size. I am realistic, but I may just want to have a hope for this baby to have some life. He does not show any symptoms of illness now, in fact he seems to get healthier, but should I still prepare my husband for the worse? 

Your advise would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you so much.

It's been quite a few months already now, but I *think* I remember when we got our 5 week old feral kitten at the beginning of this year that our vet gave her two doses of dewormer, a week or ten days apart. So maybe it could be that your little one just needs a second dose to get rid of them all?

Wishing all the best to you, your hubby, and the little one!

While FIP can't be completely ruled out, it is more common in kittens 6-12 months of age. With your kitten's age, it's much more likely to be parasites; or, possibly the kitten needs to poop?? Is the kitten able to go to the bathroom on its own? A 3 wk old kitten would still need to be stimulated to poop/urinate. This is done by rubbing the genitals with a warm cloth or by placing the kitten under gently running warm water and gently taping the genitals with your finger.

As for as how long will it take for a parasite to clear up, that all depends on the type of parasite and the severity of the infection.

Did the vet do run a fecal?

Thank you soooo much. 

My husband told me that the vet did give the baby 5 dosages of deworming, one per day.  It has been a week since. But the belly is huge. I am just hoping that parasites are what it is. We have lost 2 cats due to old age and illness, but this baby has something special about him, he is so tiny and helpless, all of him sits on my husband's palm. It is just scary to think that he might get this fatal disease.

Thank you very much, indeed.

Lachobba78 said:

 
Thank you soooo much. 

My husband told me that the vet did give the baby 5 dosages of deworming, one per day.  It has been a week since. But the belly is huge. I am just hoping that parasites are what it is. We have lost 2 cats due to old age and illness, but this baby has something special about him, he is so tiny and helpless, all of him sits on my husband's palm. It is just scary to think that he might get this fatal disease.

Thank you very much, indeed.

Click to expand...

He may need additional de-worming. If he is eating and running around he does NOT have FIP.  If he did he would be mortally sick and you would be totally aware that he was in terrible condition.

When Little Girl was a kitten, she had that big pot belly.  She was infested with worms, ticks, fleas, you name it.  She was so sick that she didn't want to eat her food.  Even as she grew, she still has that big belly appearance.  She is about to turn 7 and is still active and carefree!

Thank you for saving this kitty's life!
If she is severly malnourished, her stomach will be bigger in proportion to the rest of her body, especially right after she eats.
She might need more de-worming--and additional testing to make sure all parasites are identified.