drastic weight gain,,,,,

Hello, Our female kitty was always real thin, to the point I had her checked over at the vet. She was "fixed" and since then she has gained ALOT of weight. Vet says some weight gain is normal but she is probably about twice as big around her middle as she was before and she acts like it hurts her to touch her belly. Is this a common problem in female cats? She doen't act much different than she always had eccept when we try to rub her belly, then she hisses and bites. Is there a simple way to tell if she is big because of weight gain or if she is all bloated up from something? I am starting to worry that something is wrong with her other than just weight gain. Tom

I would take her in and have the vet examine her. The weight gain sounds abit drastic to me. I have had many female cats spaded. And I haven't had any gain weight. And the hissing and trying to bite if you touch her belly sounds like it might be painfull for her. Granted many cats don't like their belly's touched. But what your describing sounds like its more then her not liking it. It seems like its painfull.

Originally Posted by Tom W

Hello, Our female kitty was always real thin, to the point I had her checked over at the vet. She was "fixed" and since then she has gained ALOT of weight. Vet says some weight gain is normal but she is probably about twice as big around her middle as she was before and she acts like it hurts her to touch her belly. Is this a common problem in female cats? She doen't act much different than she always had eccept when we try to rub her belly, then she hisses and bites. Is there a simple way to tell if she is big because of weight gain or if she is all bloated up from something? I am starting to worry that something is wrong with her other than just weight gain.

Tom

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Well them usually gain a "pouch" on the belly... Has she always reacted this way when you have touched her there? How long ago was the surgery?? I would also suggest just having an exam by your vet!!

It doesn't sound normal to me, and if she has changed in her attitude too - I would get her checked out.

Absolutely..time for a vet exam, gaining weight shouldn't lead to abdominal tenderness (or whatever it is she's hissing about!)

I dont know if this would cause tenderness...but i do know that thyroid issues will cause weight gain in people...I am not sure if its the same for cats......

I hope your kit is ok.....I hope that the vet can find out whats wrong and fix it quickly.....

good luck.....

I will have to wait for monday morning to call vet, She is a young cat so I hope its nothing bad. This site is the greatest. Tom

I agree with the rest. It is definitely time to have her checked over. Good luck.

I think some weight gain is normal but the fact that she is acting like her belly is tender is concerning. Let us know what the vet says

I would tell her vet's office that she must be seen on Monday. Please don't wait another day.
She could be in pain & not show it all the time.
Cats tend to hide pain. It is a survival mechanism that they use when they are in the wild.
We always need to be extra vigilant with cats.
Please let us know what you find out.

Hi, Angel went to the vet first thing this morning. She looked her over good and didn't see anything to be to worried about. I was suprised she didn't react when vet was feeling her belly. She thinks its a combination of getting fixed and the cheap cat food she was eating with all the fillers, also she was about 8 months old when she got fixed and had her shots so vet thinks she was probably not done growing yet. She was wondering if she got something from the sick stray [tuffy] but she was getting big before tuffy was even here. She thought about giving her a dewormer to be on the safe side but then told me to just watch her close. I thought if they had worms they would get real thin, not gain weight? She also told me to try and catch her going to the litter box and see if everything looks normal. She thinks that maybe now the she is on a good cat food and not eating all the time she might start to loose some weight again. She is very active and high strung so maybe she will work off some of the weight. She was about 7.5 lbs when she was fixed and she was 10.6 this morning, she is a small cat so at that weight she is big around the middle now. Tom

Glad to hear she is fine!!! Usually they do lose weight if they have a bad case of worms! Hope the new food does the trick!!

Originally Posted by emb_78

Glad to hear she is fine!!! Usually they do lose weight if they have a bad case of worms! Hope the new food does the trick!!

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But can't they also get bloated if they have worms though? And big around the middle without being actually fat?

I would do as your vet requested & keep a close eye on Angel's litter habits. As you know, that is always a good idea, because it is an excellent barometer of your kitty's health.

If she continues to gain weight & you cannot figure out why, you might want to call your vet and ask about getting a blood panel on her.

Thanks Tom, for the update. Let us know how she does on her new diet.

Keep us posted!