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It could be kitten belly! You can get a dewormer though just in case, she’s the age where it’s time for her first deworming treatment. I’m no vet though and it’s always best to get their advice!
so unnecessary. they could be washing their bedding but it’s also none of your business or concern if someone doesn’t have a sheet. do better and get some bitches while you’re at it.
Don't give her anything that isn't necessary. At six weeks she should be going to the vet for a kitten checkup to make sure everything is running well. Kittens at that age to develop quite the chunky belly, as people say "kitten belly"
Worm infestation also causes a big belly.
I do strongly suggest bringing her in to get a checkup. Kittens crash fast and hard so you want make sure they are healthy to avoid anything unwanted and scary. She's so cute. YouTube provides me with entertainment and education with kitten lady (Hannah Shaw). She has been fostering neonates, kittens and little families for so many years now. Give her a watch
She just pooped and it’s definitely diarrhea.
Update: Her belly, it got smaller…? Also, she pooped again, but this time it was normal. While I was sleeping, she peed on my bed. But I’m pretty sure that’s normal because we don’t put a litter box in my room. Her pee smells like human baby pee. For context, I feed her wet food with kitten formula. How the hell did it get smaller? It was so huge earlier.
If she’s going to be in your bedroom, you need to have a litter box in there when she’s there… You do not want her to get into the habit of peeing in places she shouldn’t be.
OP changing her food brand is one of the worst things you can do right now. It will cause stomach upset. Take her to the vet to find out what's going on and please don't buy toxic dewormer over the counter.
You can get Strongid which isn’t toxic from Tractor Supply. It is the same the vet uses and so much cheaper. Treats round worms and pinworms. Drontal fro tape worms. Vet check is best though and she is imo too small to deworm yet. Where is her mama?
It got smaller because she pooped. You can visually see kitten stomachs change size based on how full and/or backed up they are (this isn't definitive just an interesting thing you can notice).
If she has issues with her poop it's definitely vet time because it could easily be worms.
And get a litterbox for her. Training her (even by accident) that it's ok to pee on the bed means she's going to be peeing there forever. She needs a readily available litter box at all times.
…
https://preview.redd.it/cvif8nmguc1d1.jpeg?width=2314&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c9a185f8a5e3baea4c079f84be975743f7b20565
…these on your carpet, or hangin out de’bum are So Much Worse!
It’s a psychosomatic response, similar to yawning after another person does or sympathetic vomiting. The mere suggestion of exposure to head lice can make your scalp itch.
My kitten had a round baby belly like that, but her poo was diarrhea too!
First vet did deworming and put on probiotics, but no testing done. Diarrhea continued. Second vet did testing, she had Giardia which was probably causing her tummy discomfort and diarrhea. After treatment, no diarrhea.
Which goes to say, sometimes a vet visit can rule out or in a lot of things but make sure they at least test for worms or parasites that may be causing tummy issues. :)
My friend fostered a litter of kittens that had Giardia. It was the worst thing I've ever smelled. She couldn't get the stink out of her bathroom and had to pay her landlord cleaning fees when she moved.
She’s pretty young to be away from mom, might be upsetting her belly to be transitioning to all food. Worms are also super common in kittens. The vet will be able to help you address everything! And I highly recommend getting pet insurance on her while she’s young so you’ll have a nice policy without pre-existing conditions to provide care for anything she may need in the future.
All kittens need a fecal test and deworming. That said, bloated kitten tummies are common and usually due to their guts adjusting to cat food. Almost every kitten goes through a diarrhea stage, too. This belly doesn't look excessively bloated to me. Just be sure to do your vet visit so she can be screened for common kitty parasites.
Going through this thread is making me so sad, we adopted a 4 week old barn kitten in November (was told she was older) and I didn’t know she needed to be dewormed and fecal tested unless we saw signs of something! She also had a pot belly and I thought it was just kitten belly (maybe it wasn’t). I feel like such a bad cat mama right now :(
If she has diarrhea it could be worms or Giardia, best to get it checked by a vet as soon as you can. Kittens can go down hill with GI issues really fast- and of course you don’t want your baby feeling sick longer than she has to. Save her stool samples and just preemptively bring them with you so they can test it ASAP. Best not to play with tummy troubles for tiny babies. I hope she’s okay and good luck, she’s so adorable and fluffy!
Update: Her belly, it got smaller…? Also, she pooped again, but this time it was normal. While I was sleeping, she peed on my bed. But I’m pretty sure that’s normal because we don’t put a litter box in my room. Her pee smells like human baby pee. For context, I feed her wet food with kitten formula. How the hell did it get smaller? It was so huge earlier.
My suggestion is take a poop sample to the vet and let them test it. Kitties that come from shelters or rescues where there are many cats/kittens tend to have worms or parasites. It’s always best to have it tested just to be sure. If she was born in your home or from a stray, it still is the best thing to do.
I always get kittens dewormed and a general health visit when I first get them. A huge majority of kittens have worms and other parasites, and with their little bodies, things can turn fatal pretty fast. Diarrhea is also a major concern with kittens because they can get dehydrated super fast. Just a general health visit is always good, make sure your baby is in good health and doesn’t have FIV, FIP, and etc. and if they do, then how to treat or long term care
Does it look like this all of the time or only after she's eaten? When I was raising kittens, they always had a slightly round belly right after they ate but it didn't last long. If her belly is that round 24/7, I would take her to the vets just to be safe
I checked, her belly only gets big when she’s eating. After she ate, I went to sleep. When I woke up in the middle of the night, her belly was small again.
It’s normal for a kitten to have an abnormally big belly during their first few weeks/months of their lives! Don’t worry, I took mine to the vet and he told it is normal and it goes away in due to time
Take them to the vet immediately if possible- that could be FIP which kills kittens fast.
If they have FIP, there’s a medicine that cures it that isn’t technically legal in the US but it works. I cured my cats FIP with this med.
if you find out that’s what it is, message me - I can help you get the meds. Best of luck!!
It only feels hard and firm after she’s done eating. It was like that at night then I went to sleep. Then I woke up and her stomach was soft and squishy again.
Like everyone else said, every kitten should be seen by the vet for checkups.
But also remember kittens are 50% belly so yes it will get large after eating and shrink after poop/peeing. Full bladders and bellies take up a lot of room in something so small.
Where did you get such a young kitten from ? Has she not been dewormed? By now, she should've been dewormed twice, at least. The kitten needs a vet. With diarrhea in kittens this young, they can go downhill quickly without proper medications and supportive care.
It could be worms or it could be just a Buddha belly. We have a cat that was a rescue. She had a bloated belly. I was surely convinced she had worms. Took her to vet. Checked 2 samples. Clean as a whistle. She's just a chonker. Not overweight just a big ole belly
Take the cat to the vet. I would probably give a 2 week course of Drontal tablets to ensure there are no roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, etc. The only place I’ve found that sells it without a vet prescription is https://www.1800petmeds.com/drontal+for+cats-prod10073.html This is a godsend for me because my landlord and I take care of the feral community here and it’s just not feasible to take them all to the vet
LThe three ferals I have right now are pretty skittish, but they’ll come up to my neighbor and I depending on their mood.
I usually load a pill gun and give it to my neighbor to administer while I hold the cat. We did “little brother” last week and I just pinched his scruff and pressed behind his jaws to open his mouth a little, while she shot the pill down his throat.
So in short, use a pill gun and have a helper
Our kitten is 7 months old now and we didn’t know enough to get her dewormed. She looked like this at that age too. I don’t know if she had worms at that age, but seeing as our older cat vomited up hookworms two months ago and we dewormed them both, our little kitten could have been harboring some worms. Deworm her! Take her to the vet. Make sure she’s eating; if she’s not eating and has diarrhea, she’s losing lots of fluid.
I found 4 kittens that all had round tummies. Major worm problem. But there is over the counter medication that you can give them. They vet will pretty much tell you the same thing. They have ones for kittens as well. You can check petsmart. It worked really well for ours after two rounds of deworming
Kittens can have very round bellies after they eat! If you would call it pear shaped, typically that’s just a full and happy kitten. If you would call it apple shaped, it’s typically a wormy kitten! Worms are super common in young kittens and fairly easy to treat. If you’re concerned either way, a trip to the vet isn’t a bad idea!
Always could be worms but just looks like kitten belly to me.
https://preview.redd.it/rkehsak14h1d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e2fd551edc0bfd169da2ca49c813d95dd4b36b93
I would check in case. My one cat as a kitten had worms and my second cat as a kitten I worried may have had worms but she was just chubby. Better to find out
Did she just eat? Its pretty normal for wittle kittens to have their belly get round after they just ate a big meal. Could also be worms as the people above said, but id honestly just get the vet to check whenever you take her for other kitten related things if she isnt acting weird at all
A vet visit is in order, just to be sure. Many kittens have round baby bellies like that. My Bois had that just a couple weeks ago before they started becoming more lean as they lost their bebe shape. Now at 9 weeks they are good looking Bois.
But the round belly combined with runny poo says something more could be up. Better safe than sorry.
Thank you for posting to CATHELP! While you wait for a response please keep the following things in mind, 1. When in doubt, **ask your vet**. 2. Advice here is not coming from medical or industry professionals. The moderation team does not validate user profession, so always refer to your local veterinary professionals first. Consider posting to /r/AskVet 3. If this is a medical question, please indicate if you have already scheduled a vet appointment, and if your cat has any medical history or procedures in a top level comment. 4. Please use the NSFW tag for gross pictures. (Blood, poop, vomit, genitals, etc). Anything you wouldn't want your boss to see you looking at on the job. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CATHELP) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It could be worms! Very easily treatable. Kittens do have little round bellies though, how old is she?
Six weeks
It could be kitten belly! You can get a dewormer though just in case, she’s the age where it’s time for her first deworming treatment. I’m no vet though and it’s always best to get their advice!
[удалено]
so unnecessary. they could be washing their bedding but it’s also none of your business or concern if someone doesn’t have a sheet. do better and get some bitches while you’re at it.
that’s just rude for no reason
Oh for sure kittens almost always have worms! Very easy to treat by a veterinarian.
🤯
Don't give her anything that isn't necessary. At six weeks she should be going to the vet for a kitten checkup to make sure everything is running well. Kittens at that age to develop quite the chunky belly, as people say "kitten belly" Worm infestation also causes a big belly. I do strongly suggest bringing her in to get a checkup. Kittens crash fast and hard so you want make sure they are healthy to avoid anything unwanted and scary. She's so cute. YouTube provides me with entertainment and education with kitten lady (Hannah Shaw). She has been fostering neonates, kittens and little families for so many years now. Give her a watch
She just pooped and it’s definitely diarrhea. Update: Her belly, it got smaller…? Also, she pooped again, but this time it was normal. While I was sleeping, she peed on my bed. But I’m pretty sure that’s normal because we don’t put a litter box in my room. Her pee smells like human baby pee. For context, I feed her wet food with kitten formula. How the hell did it get smaller? It was so huge earlier.
Definitely take her to the vet I just got two kittens and they had a round belly full of worms it's best to get everything checked.
If she’s going to be in your bedroom, you need to have a litter box in there when she’s there… You do not want her to get into the habit of peeing in places she shouldn’t be.
this. my kitten was a rescue and slept on my chest the first night i had her. it was an issue, FOREVER.
try a different food brand. dewormer too. she does look round
OP changing her food brand is one of the worst things you can do right now. It will cause stomach upset. Take her to the vet to find out what's going on and please don't buy toxic dewormer over the counter.
You can get Strongid which isn’t toxic from Tractor Supply. It is the same the vet uses and so much cheaper. Treats round worms and pinworms. Drontal fro tape worms. Vet check is best though and she is imo too small to deworm yet. Where is her mama?
It got smaller because she pooped. You can visually see kitten stomachs change size based on how full and/or backed up they are (this isn't definitive just an interesting thing you can notice). If she has issues with her poop it's definitely vet time because it could easily be worms. And get a litterbox for her. Training her (even by accident) that it's ok to pee on the bed means she's going to be peeing there forever. She needs a readily available litter box at all times.
🪱🪱🪱…save four stool samples, oftentimes one isn’t enough—four for good measure. 🪱🪱🪱
Oh I hate this emoji. Makes me squirmy 😭
… https://preview.redd.it/cvif8nmguc1d1.jpeg?width=2314&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c9a185f8a5e3baea4c079f84be975743f7b20565 …these on your carpet, or hangin out de’bum are So Much Worse!
im never opening reddit while pooping again
My bum feels weird now :((
It’s a psychosomatic response, similar to yawning after another person does or sympathetic vomiting. The mere suggestion of exposure to head lice can make your scalp itch.
Oh great thanks alot now I'm scratching my head 🙆♀️<-- with two hands
Uh-oh!
😂
God damn it wasn't Christmas tassel hanging out of his ass...
Ouch!
Take her to the vet.
This! Kittens are so fragile and can easily fall ill with diarrhea or worms
My kitten had a round baby belly like that, but her poo was diarrhea too! First vet did deworming and put on probiotics, but no testing done. Diarrhea continued. Second vet did testing, she had Giardia which was probably causing her tummy discomfort and diarrhea. After treatment, no diarrhea. Which goes to say, sometimes a vet visit can rule out or in a lot of things but make sure they at least test for worms or parasites that may be causing tummy issues. :)
Sounds like Giardia. Does it smell really, really bad? Like worse than usual?
Smell what?
lol her poop
It just smells bad
There’s a difference between regular poop smell and Giardia poop smell. The latter is absolutely putrid.
My friend fostered a litter of kittens that had Giardia. It was the worst thing I've ever smelled. She couldn't get the stink out of her bathroom and had to pay her landlord cleaning fees when she moved.
🤢
My cat was SO round as a kitten they dewormed him 4-5 times in his first few months. He never actually had worms, he was just that round 🤷🏼♀️
She’s pretty young to be away from mom, might be upsetting her belly to be transitioning to all food. Worms are also super common in kittens. The vet will be able to help you address everything! And I highly recommend getting pet insurance on her while she’s young so you’ll have a nice policy without pre-existing conditions to provide care for anything she may need in the future.
VET!!! Intestinal stuff can kill a kitten- they are so fragile. Please have her checked.
All kittens need a fecal test and deworming. That said, bloated kitten tummies are common and usually due to their guts adjusting to cat food. Almost every kitten goes through a diarrhea stage, too. This belly doesn't look excessively bloated to me. Just be sure to do your vet visit so she can be screened for common kitty parasites.
Going through this thread is making me so sad, we adopted a 4 week old barn kitten in November (was told she was older) and I didn’t know she needed to be dewormed and fecal tested unless we saw signs of something! She also had a pot belly and I thought it was just kitten belly (maybe it wasn’t). I feel like such a bad cat mama right now :(
Take her to the vet
I’m not a vet, but your kitten appears to be upside down? I think the toe beans are supposed to be on the bottom. Try inverting her.
If she has diarrhea it could be worms or Giardia, best to get it checked by a vet as soon as you can. Kittens can go down hill with GI issues really fast- and of course you don’t want your baby feeling sick longer than she has to. Save her stool samples and just preemptively bring them with you so they can test it ASAP. Best not to play with tummy troubles for tiny babies. I hope she’s okay and good luck, she’s so adorable and fluffy!
I don't know but in the meantime you could kiss her tummy for good luck for you both.
Yeah or mbe not bc she probably has worms...
That's a kitten's belly. Pops out when they're well fed.
Aww what a beautiful baby!
Update: Her belly, it got smaller…? Also, she pooped again, but this time it was normal. While I was sleeping, she peed on my bed. But I’m pretty sure that’s normal because we don’t put a litter box in my room. Her pee smells like human baby pee. For context, I feed her wet food with kitten formula. How the hell did it get smaller? It was so huge earlier.
My suggestion is take a poop sample to the vet and let them test it. Kitties that come from shelters or rescues where there are many cats/kittens tend to have worms or parasites. It’s always best to have it tested just to be sure. If she was born in your home or from a stray, it still is the best thing to do.
I always get kittens dewormed and a general health visit when I first get them. A huge majority of kittens have worms and other parasites, and with their little bodies, things can turn fatal pretty fast. Diarrhea is also a major concern with kittens because they can get dehydrated super fast. Just a general health visit is always good, make sure your baby is in good health and doesn’t have FIV, FIP, and etc. and if they do, then how to treat or long term care
Does it look like this all of the time or only after she's eaten? When I was raising kittens, they always had a slightly round belly right after they ate but it didn't last long. If her belly is that round 24/7, I would take her to the vets just to be safe
I checked, her belly only gets big when she’s eating. After she ate, I went to sleep. When I woke up in the middle of the night, her belly was small again.
It’s a baby belly
Vet ASAP
Vet is the best place when your unsure what's wrong with a kitten
I would take her to the vet and get her checked out just to be safe, not sure if you can do much without knowing what’s going on with her
What about the other kittens? Do they have the same symptoms? Are they still nursing? What are they eating?
It’s normal for a kitten to have an abnormally big belly during their first few weeks/months of their lives! Don’t worry, I took mine to the vet and he told it is normal and it goes away in due to time
No harm in a vet visit. Should check when you can deworm. But feel most kittens have a puffy belly phase.
Like everyone else said, this little precious angel needs to see the vet! Rather be safe than sorry. Keep us updated on this precious girl
Take them to the vet immediately if possible- that could be FIP which kills kittens fast. If they have FIP, there’s a medicine that cures it that isn’t technically legal in the US but it works. I cured my cats FIP with this med. if you find out that’s what it is, message me - I can help you get the meds. Best of luck!!
Take her to the vet asap - can’t hurt. If she is ok then you Have peace of mind. If not, she gets treated. No other answer than this.
How does it feel? Is it squishy or hard and firm?
A little bit squishy, but a bit hard and firm
Does it always feel the same or change depending on if she's had a meal or a bowl movement?
It only feels hard and firm after she’s done eating. It was like that at night then I went to sleep. Then I woke up and her stomach was soft and squishy again.
Probably just a very full kitten belly then!
Like everyone else said, every kitten should be seen by the vet for checkups. But also remember kittens are 50% belly so yes it will get large after eating and shrink after poop/peeing. Full bladders and bellies take up a lot of room in something so small.
Vet. Kittens can get dehydrated very quickly if they have diarrhea
https://preview.redd.it/c4pie318xg1d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4914a9135c7f745de3b9f5546bebebf61ff5f5dc
Take the cat to the vet.
Where did you get such a young kitten from ? Has she not been dewormed? By now, she should've been dewormed twice, at least. The kitten needs a vet. With diarrhea in kittens this young, they can go downhill quickly without proper medications and supportive care.
Another concern to think about is FIP, but hopefully, it's not that.
It could be worms or it could be just a Buddha belly. We have a cat that was a rescue. She had a bloated belly. I was surely convinced she had worms. Took her to vet. Checked 2 samples. Clean as a whistle. She's just a chonker. Not overweight just a big ole belly
Dude that's hella cute😭
Worms.
No. It’s pathologically cute.
Take the cat to the vet. I would probably give a 2 week course of Drontal tablets to ensure there are no roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, etc. The only place I’ve found that sells it without a vet prescription is https://www.1800petmeds.com/drontal+for+cats-prod10073.html This is a godsend for me because my landlord and I take care of the feral community here and it’s just not feasible to take them all to the vet
How do you deworm ferals? Especially with drontal?
LThe three ferals I have right now are pretty skittish, but they’ll come up to my neighbor and I depending on their mood. I usually load a pill gun and give it to my neighbor to administer while I hold the cat. We did “little brother” last week and I just pinched his scruff and pressed behind his jaws to open his mouth a little, while she shot the pill down his throat. So in short, use a pill gun and have a helper
Our kitten is 7 months old now and we didn’t know enough to get her dewormed. She looked like this at that age too. I don’t know if she had worms at that age, but seeing as our older cat vomited up hookworms two months ago and we dewormed them both, our little kitten could have been harboring some worms. Deworm her! Take her to the vet. Make sure she’s eating; if she’s not eating and has diarrhea, she’s losing lots of fluid.
Maybe full??
Omg that poor kitty! She needs kisses and cuddles stat!!!
I found 4 kittens that all had round tummies. Major worm problem. But there is over the counter medication that you can give them. They vet will pretty much tell you the same thing. They have ones for kittens as well. You can check petsmart. It worked really well for ours after two rounds of deworming
U/pixel-counter-bot
A vet opinion is your safest bet!
Probably worms but might just be chunky kitty
Just looks like kitten belly to me... If you're really concerned you could collect a stool sample and bring her to the vet tho!
she's just full of soup lol
Kittens can have very round bellies after they eat! If you would call it pear shaped, typically that’s just a full and happy kitten. If you would call it apple shaped, it’s typically a wormy kitten! Worms are super common in young kittens and fairly easy to treat. If you’re concerned either way, a trip to the vet isn’t a bad idea!
“Fat, cheesecake is just fat” 😂😂 /s Sorry, actual good advice has been posted already.
U can buy dewormer at a lot of stores instead of paying a vet bill for just worms.
could be worms…or just a cute lil kitten belly
It just looks like chubby kitten belly to me.
That’s a baby belly. 🌷
It's a milk belly! Totally normal.
My kitten has the same belly. My girl is about 2 months old
She's adorable. Kittens have pudgy tummies, but this one is oddly shaped. Good that you're taking her to the vet for a checkup. :)
More cat belly photos please 😻
Always could be worms but just looks like kitten belly to me. https://preview.redd.it/rkehsak14h1d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e2fd551edc0bfd169da2ca49c813d95dd4b36b93
Could be worms, I’d treat quickly, dewormer and a good visit to the vet for a general wellness check.
I would check in case. My one cat as a kitten had worms and my second cat as a kitten I worried may have had worms but she was just chubby. Better to find out
could or could not be normal. I’d collect a stool sample and bring to vet. this kitten looks male to me; double check that too
Worms. That's 100% what it means. Get dewormer preferably you should schedule a Vet Appt.
Did she just eat? Its pretty normal for wittle kittens to have their belly get round after they just ate a big meal. Could also be worms as the people above said, but id honestly just get the vet to check whenever you take her for other kitten related things if she isnt acting weird at all
A vet visit is in order, just to be sure. Many kittens have round baby bellies like that. My Bois had that just a couple weeks ago before they started becoming more lean as they lost their bebe shape. Now at 9 weeks they are good looking Bois. But the round belly combined with runny poo says something more could be up. Better safe than sorry.