Hey everyone.. I have a cat that I raised from a newborn. He has been bloated constantly since I found him. I have taken him to the vet multiple times and all they did was diagnose him with round worms and send me home with a dose of deworming medicine and fiberous food. Well I followed the Vet's instructions and nothing changed at all. The one time he looked at normal size, he had vomited a lot and was looking really sick. So I gave him antibiotics. After that he went right back to being his bloated self. He is about 5 months old now. I have looked everywhere for an answer and can't seem to get a straight one from anyone. If anyone can help or give me advice on how to treat it I would appreciate it so much! Thanks..
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Bloated Since Birth
- Thread starter hm101817
- Start Date
Can you post a picture of your kitten, so we have a better idea of what we are dealing with? That would really help.
If I were you, I would consider getting a second opinion from another vet. Is he eating and drinking OK? Playing and acting normal?
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- #5
I have a kitten that is in a similar situation. I got her at about 8 weeks and she had a very large belly. First vet we went to thought worms but she had just been spade and he reasoned that the surgeon would have seen them if there were any, but we did a fecal anyways and it came back negative. Second (and my usual) vet gave us dewormer at each visits for her first two adult vaccine shots but even now at 4 months she has quite the belly. Vet and I believe its just the way she is. She does have diarrhea but she eats, drinks, and plays like a completely normal kitten. I think that some kittens might just have a belly!
I'll attach pictures of her through the past two months to show it, but its never really gone down, she just grew with it! First picture was August 22 at 8 weeks, second was at 10 weeks and last is at 4 months.
I'll attach pictures of her through the past two months to show it, but its never really gone down, she just grew with it! First picture was August 22 at 8 weeks, second was at 10 weeks and last is at 4 months.
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- #7
That is exactly my situation MyheartAshi.. I guess you're right. Some just grow up that way.. I have just been so worried about him, but I just want him to have a long life. I hope that this doesn't catch up to him later in life and kills him..
I understand that sentiment completely!!! I think that in this case it’s a situation where you could spend hundreds and thousands on diagnostics to really be sure everything is okay just to calm the mind. But in the end as long as they’re happy and having a great life with you, that’s all that matters right?
I am however thinking of trying to give her probiotics to see if that helps the diarrhea situation. I’ve heard that it’s supposed to be a very good thing for internal digestion issues.
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Worms don't always turn up in fecal tests. It is quite possible that you could have tests which show negative, negative, negative, positive.
Let's split the difference here...I want to make sure this kitten is healthy, and I want you to be able to relax and enjoy that cutie pie! Let's consider a second opinion, and by a cat specialist. You can find one here, there's a search engine by zip code. Just be sure to choose "Cat Only" and not "Cat Friendly."
ttps://www.catvets.com
When you see them, discuss your worries openly and frankly. Then, if they give you an all clear, just...love that little boy and give him a wonderful life!
ttps://www.catvets.com
When you see them, discuss your worries openly and frankly. Then, if they give you an all clear, just...love that little boy and give him a wonderful life!
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- #11
Let us know how he's doing once in a while!
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- #13
He's doing ok. Same thing, different day lol.. Hoping to take him back to the vet again to see if they can do anything else for him. Just don't have any money right now and going through a very rough time at the moment. Thank you and I will keep everyone posted about him.
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Sometimes worms need a few wormings (not just one dose) to actually be gotten rid of.
"Fortunately, the treatment for roundworms is safe, simple, and relatively inexpensive. The dead and dying roundworms pass into the stool after administration of the anthelmintic or deworming medication. Since none of these treatments will kill the immature forms of the worm or the migrating larvae, at least two or three treatments are needed; they are typically performed at two to three week intervals. Ideally, kittens are dewormed with each visit for booster vaccinations. If your adult cat goes outdoors, you may wish to administer periodic doses of an anthelmintic."
Did your vet mention doing a re-worm?
(Above in quotations credited to https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/roundworm-infection-in-cats)
"Fortunately, the treatment for roundworms is safe, simple, and relatively inexpensive. The dead and dying roundworms pass into the stool after administration of the anthelmintic or deworming medication. Since none of these treatments will kill the immature forms of the worm or the migrating larvae, at least two or three treatments are needed; they are typically performed at two to three week intervals. Ideally, kittens are dewormed with each visit for booster vaccinations. If your adult cat goes outdoors, you may wish to administer periodic doses of an anthelmintic."
Did your vet mention doing a re-worm?
(Above in quotations credited to https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/roundworm-infection-in-cats)
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #15
Actually no.. All she did was give him a dose of it there, then sent me home with another dose to give him about 2 weeks later. She didn't mention anything about coming back for another dose.. I will be returning for more answers though.
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In our experiences with wormy kittens, unless you see worms in the box you need to keep at it.
We always joked that the litter box would get up and run away after a litter of wormy kittens were dosed successfully, because what the kittens leave behind in the box is kind of still live. It's gross to see and deal with, but it's a good thing if the kitten has a worm load!
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Our Andy was a 5-week old feral kitten when he came into our home. We wormed him as soon as the vet allowed. But after he pooped out a big load of round worms we freaked out and wormed him 3 more times. We then became obsessed with breaking the roundworm cycle and since then we've maintained the follow regime without exception (in part to protect our 4 dogs):
- Remove the poop from Andy's litter box immediately after he defecates
- Wipe Andy's butt (and feet) with baby wipes immediately after he goes (yep...really)
- Andy gets a bath every 2 to 3 weeks (true scoop: he actually lets Mrs. Q blow-dry him)
- We change out his cat litter twice a week
- We change Andy's bedding every week
- We started him on Advantage 6 months ago but that stuff gives me the Qreeps...especially after a day of vomiting after the last application (last week)
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I have a very similar problem. We rescued a 4-week old kitten that has a bloated abdomen. We dewormed him every two weeks for a month. We brought him to the vet because his abdomen is not improving and his stool really smells bad (more than usual 
) the vet said we might have administered the dewormer with wrong dosage. So he administered another dose and another after two weeks. No improvement. He advised to deworm for three consecutive days. During this time, we actually saw worms in his stool. We repeat this 3-day deworming the following week. We saw worms again. Another dose after a week. No more worms. Another dose after a week. No more worms. Fecal test shows no eggs or worms. But with all these, no improvement in his bloated abdomen.
) the vet said we might have administered the dewormer with wrong dosage. So he administered another dose and another after two weeks. No improvement. He advised to deworm for three consecutive days. During this time, we actually saw worms in his stool. We repeat this 3-day deworming the following week. We saw worms again. Another dose after a week. No more worms. Another dose after a week. No more worms. Fecal test shows no eggs or worms. But with all these, no improvement in his bloated abdomen.
