My kitten has a pot belly appearance, is it normal?

Question

Okay! So three weeks ago I got a stray kitten from the streets. He is around seven weeks old and is a male. Eight days ago, he began to stop eating and would throw up worms. He was sick for two days before we took him to the vet. They said he had a infection of roundworms and hookworms and gave him medication. He came back home all better. However, he started to eat too much. He would cry from hunger and ask me to feed him. I thought it was okay since he had lost weight from the worm infection, so I fed him more than usual. Three times daily. One and a half can of wet food for kittens. Two days ago, I began to notice his pot belly.

His belly is neither too hard nor too soft. Also, aside from that, he has no other symptoms. He is eating back to normal, pooping and peeing, and his behaviour is the same. He is as playful as always. However, I'm still worried because I've heard about FIP, and I'm scared he might have it. Can someone tell me your opinion? Ill take him to the vet next week since he had an appointment for his second dose of deworming and vaccinations. But I'm scared he might be sick...

Answer 1

The reason why you have a second dosage of deworming is because it usually takes 2 dosages to kill all of the worms and get them out of the kitten's body. This is especially true if your kitten came from outside or was a stray before coming to a shelter. It is very normal for kittens to have worms.

Now, FIP Is a different story. Vets likely won't test your kitten until he's about three or four months old. Even then our best tests of FIP are not always conclusive. Cat's with FIP can still live normal lives, and it's not likely any other cats you will get it. The vet will tell you to keep the litter clean (a couple times a day), make sure the kitty gets lots of play time, and look for lethargy symptoms.

Likely, your cat still has worms and the worms need time to pass through your kittens system. So be sure to keep your appointment and express your concerns of FIP to your vet.

BTW. You have a beautiful black kitty! Thank you for taking care of this kitten and giving her a happy home!

Answer 2

The main cause of ascites (pot belly) in a found kitten is usually due to parasites, especially with hookworms. Hookworms feed on the blood of the kitten, thus resulting in a lost of oncotic proteins (such as albumin). These proteins are needed to keep water inside blood vessels, without them water sometimes slips out into abdominal cavity.

An adecuate antiparasitic treatment requires two doses of albendazole and praziquantel (or any other de-wormers) at a 10-15 days interval. This is because the first dose kill the adult worms, but not the larvae. After 10 days larvae become adults so they become sensitive to the drugs.

FIP is a mutation of Feline Corona Virus, most cats have this virus (at least in my here in south america). But it is unlikely (i.e. I've never seen it, or heard or read about it) that a cat will develop FIP without being immunodepressed by some other pathology. Usually FIP is seen in cats with FeLV or FIV. I really hope this is not the case.

Bottom line: check with your vet. A simple blood work should be enough to shed some light

Answer 3

In the first photo - what is that area, in the middle of his body, that has no fur?

It looks like a wound or some sort of damage.

If that is really how he looks, he needs to see a vet.

It could be the photo, lighting, angle, etc. but it almost looks like an incision through which you can see internal organs.

Did he have ringworm? That could cause an area like that but you only mentioned hook and round worms.

Ringworm is actual a fungal infection and is contagious to other animals, including humans. Treatment for ringworm is different than for internal parasites.

If that area that is visible in the first photo is real, that is, it is really like it does in the photo, I'm concerned about the cat's condition.

If that really, looks like, that I'd want a vet to check it but you said he has been seen by a vet recently.

I'm not sure about this but if one of our cats had a spot like that and the vet disregarded it, we would take him or her to a different vet.

That area in the photo scares me.

Answer 4

My kittens had big bellies when I first got them. They were about 8-10 weeks old. Took them to the vet and they had Giardia (and ringworm). Belly swelling went down a bit after that. I'd call the vet and ask them, again. For this test, you will have to bring a stool sample. They will give you the right container - don't worry!