Kitten with bloated stomach?!?

Hi all,

My cat has 3 kittens, all 3 weeks old exactly. One of them is quite small compared to the others...and has a VERY bloated stomach...It started about 4 days ago and I just thought "oh she just had a big feed"  but it just hasn't gone down much at all, I am very concerned...She is still her happy little self, tries to walk although because of her big belly she finds it hard to get her back legs to stand, she seems to want to play with the other two and all seems fine. AND she still wants to feed? I have been trying to monitor her so she doesn't feed for awhile as she is biggg. Any advice? why is she bloated? I am really worried! please help.

K kia kat

Many kittens have that fat little belly when small, which disappears as they grow. Please do not keep her from feeding though.

She also may have worms, which is a very common cause of bloating. It is simple to cure, but you'll want the vet to worm all the kittens. Please do not use over the counter products.

Can you post a picture of her?

Kia Kat said:

 
Hi all,

My cat has 3 kittens, all 3 weeks old exactly. One of them is quite small compared to the others...and has a VERY bloated stomach...It started about 4 days ago and I just thought "oh she just had a big feed"  but it just hasn't gone down much at all, I am very concerned...She is still her happy little self, tries to walk although because of her big belly she finds it hard to get her back legs to stand, she seems to want to play with the other two and all seems fine. AND she still wants to feed? I have been trying to monitor her so she doesn't feed for awhile as she is biggg. Any advice? why is she bloated? I am really worried! please help.

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Its good she wants to eat, it means she isnt in direct pains... A good news.   Is she eliminating properly? - You perhaps do not see it, mommas use to eat the wastes, but still...

If you suspect she may be gas-filled, so simeticone, the same as for babies.  With orphans, you add a couple dropps in the flask. With kittens having momma perhaps let her lick off the same amount of your fingers..  Or give very carefully with a dropper in the corner of the mouth, tummy down, head up.

Worms are also possible - most kitten has it and should be dewormed.  Best is if you can suitable advice from your vet.  there are preparates which can be used already on 3 weeks old.

Chances are it's nothing, I foster kittens and my current batch of 4 week old babies have pretty round bellies (looks like they ate a small tennis ball!), while one seems slim and trim comparatively speaking.  Please don't panic, and please don't limit their nursing - just keep an eye on things.  

I hope the little one will be okay. I am posting the link of your original thread here so others can read that too.

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/323798/is-labour-soon

Hi everyone,

I want to thank you for your replies! So I went to the vet this morning as soon as they opened and a vet examined her. He did an ultrasound on her to see if there was any fluid in her belly but there wasn't so that was good, the next step was to x-ray her to see if she was constipated....annnd the x-ray showed huge amounts of GAS. She didn't just have it in her stomach but it is all through her intestines! So not very good news for her, however the vet was very helpful. He wormed her and gave her an injection to help contract the intestines so she can hopefully pass all that gas! I also bough more worming stuff for the other kittens and will worm them today. So far so good, kitty is nursing, only time will tell thought. The vet said we have done everything we can and if she gets worse then the best thing to do would be to put her down. which would be very sad but I have hope she will pull through!

Please pray for my little one

Will keep you guys updated!

Put a kitten down for gas? I've never heard of that. She seems healthy and happy from what you say. I figure she'll outgrow it. She's probably just swallowing air when she nurses.

I think Stefan mentioned it above, but infant Mylicon works great. It's simethicone, and will help break up her gas. Give her a couple of drops 2-3 times a day for now. You can find it in the baby aisle at your pharmacy or grocery.

Let us know if Mylicon helps!

The vet said it may be painful to nd it could be something she is born with, like an internal damaging...He said wait a few days but if it gets worse obviously it will eventually get too much for the kitten, that's why he suggested to put her down if it get's bad because she is really bloated. I will try the Mylicon if she doesn't appear to be getting worse. Thanks for the advice though

K kia kat

Can you go ahead and try the Mylicon? It can't hurt and will only help.

Is she still eating, playing, and eliminating normally?

sarthur2 said:

@Kia Kat

Can you go ahead and try the Mylicon? It can't hurt and will only help.

Is she still eating, playing, and eliminating normally?

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I have been trying it for the past 4 days and she doesn't seem to be getting any better, I will continue it though, like you said it can't hurt. I hope it is slowly helping her

Kia Kat said:

 
I have been trying it for the past 4 days and she doesn't seem to be getting any better, I will continue it though, like you said it can't hurt. I hope it is slowly helping her

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Also she has been eating and tries to play with the others, as for eliminating, mum licks for a while so I assume yes.

When you say she does not seem to be getting any better, do you mean her tummy still appears big and round?

It sounds like she eats, eliminates, and plays normally at present. Is she gaining weight and growing like the others?

sarthur2 said:

When you say she does not seem to be getting any better, do you mean her tummy still appears big and round?

It sounds like she eats, eliminates, and plays normally at present. Is she gaining weight and growing like the others?

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No, she is not growing any bigger like the others, in fact lately she has not been looking good and her stomach is actually getting bigger, she seems weak and I feel she is in pain. Her stomach is so hard and is bulging. I feel like the medicine isn't working because the gas is in her intestines and not her stomach.. She is 4 weeks old today and she is still the size of a 2 week old kitten. The others play too rough with her so I have put her in a separate box and mumma still feeds her and the others just at different times. I feel she will die soon or I will have to do the right thing by going to the vet to euthanize her because she is not well it is very sad.  

Can you post photos?

K kia kat

She may have FIP or a blockage. Your vet can perform an x-ray or ultrasound to see what is really going on. Knowing more will help you to make an appropriate decision, especially if you suspect she is in pain. FIP is incurable; a blockage may be curable. There is also the possibility of a bacterial infection, which antibiotics would help.

I'm so sorry you are dealing with this. Please see your vet soon and keep us posted!

Hi sarthur2

I said earlier in the thread that I went to the vet and he did an ultrasound and found nothing, then he did an x-ray to see if there was a blockage but found gas build up in her intestines. However it does not matter now as she sadly passed away last night.

I picked her up and she was so skinny, I could feel her little bones, she was so frail. I feel so bad that I couldn't save her. It seemed as if she wasn't taking any nutrients from her feeds. Poor little thing... There was something clearly internally wrong with her.

The other two kittens are fine and growing like normal.

So sorry she passed. Poor baby. I agree that she had something genetically wrong. Good the others are doing well though.