Male Cat Tummy is Hard and Underfed

Hello al i am new to the group!

But I recently just
Got a kitten I would say he is around 4-5 months. I am currently fostering him because he is very underweight. But I noticed his stomach is very hard. I have not experienced that before my first cat had a round swollen tummy and she had worms. But this is different completely the person I found this kitten from found him outside and took him in when he was super tiny. I haven't noticed any bowle movements but he's only been with me for 1 day, the previous owner noticed he went to the bathroom, #1 and #2.

Any suggestions as to what might be wrong? I don't have a lot of money for procedures but if it's what needs done I will go to the vet.

Also what should I feed this cat if he needs to gain weight? I currently have him on dry food for kittens like my other cat. How long will it take him to gain his weight once I start feeding him the appropriate stuff?

The age is around the one to receive internal antiparasits treatment anyway.

What else do you feed the kitty, except dry food? Milk? Cheese? Canned fish? Other "treats"? 

Does he feed and drink normally?

Poop?

How long it will take to gain weight - depends on the breed mix and individual, on the health status etc. Difficult to say, but I dare to say that time is of low relevance, the problem is to continously gain weight, no matter how much. Keep pace and stay healthy.

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It is very risky to advise on health of a cat, without a proper vet consultation.  I am very much afraid the only solution is to visit a vet. As far as I heard, in some places there are vets who visit the cat at home and from what Ive heard here on the forum, they are less expensive.

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Shop around 3 -4 vet cabinets may allow you to select the most convenient one.

Low-cost options (but risky) is a vet student or a shelter vet.

Well he has had his round of treatments already he no longer has worms in his poop.

Yes he has had bowel movements regularly. I have not been feeding him anything but cat food. As my cats only have cat food and they never have human food. The only time they would receive a treat is if I were training them or rewarding them for something. He drinks water only as well.

I can go to a vet it's just that was the last thing I wanted to do but I'm just not sure what could be wrong with him.

It doesn't seem like he is blocked or anything.

Perhaps it is the way he are? "Rounded"?

Could you compare with other cats same age, more or less similar breed?

Another thing I may suspect is not efficient de-worming. How do you know he has no worms?

Or some "not-allowed food" left somewhere and you forget about it, and the cat found it.

I would think another deworming is in order. It usually takes 2-4 treatments due to the life cycle of the parasites. For food, I would feed him a good canned kitten food 3-5 times a day and have dry food available 24/7.

He is currently taking heart guard. The vet says he doesn't have worms. So I'm not sure that it's that...

It's not round at all just extremely hard. I would say the cat is around 5-6 months old.

He doesn't have worms, he's on heart guard medicine, I show no worms in his poop either. Plus he's had 4 doses of the treatment.

Plus I am very strict where my cats can and can't go. There is no way the cat could have gotten my food at all.

So that's not what it is either.

E emilyle96
Since the kitty is using his litterbox and eating, let's back up and look at his overall behavior. You're on day 2 or 3 with him now, correct?
He's probably confused/scared and might be hiding a lot. It sounds like you've had other cats and know they have a range of behaviors. If he isn't blocked up and doesn't act like he's in pain, why not wait another day and see how he behaves. He's very lucky to have landed with you, as you are very aware of what's supposed to happen. Give him a little space, see how he eats and drinks, then reassess his condition. I'd probably feed him canned food so he gets enough water with his calories.

This sounds just like Rocket. Hard little round tummy since kittenhood. No worms, x-rays show nothing. When Rocket is relaxed it isn't as obvious but when she tenses up it feels like a little ball in her abdomen. After multiple vet visits and the vet saying nothing is wrong I have settled on the assumption she tenses up the muscles and it feels different then my other cats. She is the one who dislikes being picked up and screams bloody murder the few occassions its necessary (flea medicine, vet visits, and "what is in your mouth" moments) so it isn't hard to imagine she gets tenser than the other two in those moments.

I would like to stress again the probability of human error. Just the fact the vet says something  does not mean it is 100% sure.

I am not saying the vet is not professional. I am only saying that all humans makes errors. And there is very little scientific knowledge about the cats biology.

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Once I have do to a lot of blood tests on my own. Searching a certain bacteria, to treat further on. Despite all efforts and repetitions, tests were all negative. But my physician told me to go take the pills against that bacteria. And it was successful! I asked why. He said: "Because blood tests are not done by the Pope!"  

Yes we are on day 2 now.

But that's what I was thinking just let him get comfortable!

Thank you

Hmmmm that could be it but not so sure it's because he tenses up. He loves to be held and I've seen him when he tenses up and it doesn't feel any different...

Well yes I understand that and he is taking the pills. The previous foster home he was in had him on the pills for 2 months because that's how long she has had I'm and I still have him on these pills as well.

If it were a parasite it usually would've been gone in a month or so with continuous treatment. And yes the previous foster owner is very good at continuing pills and such. So there is no error there.

If hes stomach is hard try to give him chicken liver cook it for 2-3 minutes. This food caused diarhia with every cat ate it if you cook it well done it wont cause diarhia. Im not vet but this advice based on my humble experence i think it wont harm your cat also human food is far better than cat canned food and cheken legs and liver are not expensive. To gain weight feed him good food like beef mince 80% lean cooked but that beef is expensive .