Feeding or pathological reasons can cause abdominal bloating in kittens

Kittens are an important stage in the growth and development of cats. They need to supplement various nutrients to maintain metabolic balance in the body. Owners will also feed the cats There are all kinds of foods and nutrients. Generally speaking, the gastrointestinal digestion of kittens is not very perfect in all aspects. Sometimes we will find that the cat’s belly suddenly bulges when feeding. Why do kittens have bloating? What is the cause of abdominal bloating in cats?

Abdominal bloating in kittens is mostly caused by food accumulation. Food accumulation is mainly caused by the weak motor function of the digestive tract of young cats. The contents are stagnant and cannot be moved backward, causing the digestive tract to become bloated. The presence of excess food or feces is characterized by mild or moderate enlargement of the cat’s abdomen.

Cat food may cause bloating in kittens. Since some cat feed contains soybeans, it When a kitten's intestines cannot digest, the bacteria in the intestines will ferment these indigestible substances and produce gas, causing abdominal distension and, in severe cases, diarrhea. If the owner ignores it, it will become an inertia and in the long run, digestion will become difficult. System weakness is inevitable. Indigestion is malabsorption. No matter how much and high-quality food you eat, it will still lead to disease due to the lack of certain nutrients. Cats should also not eat feed that is too high in fiber. In order to reduce costs, these foods incorporate too much fiber, which will shorten the digestion time of the small intestine and speed up the process of entering the large intestine. The result is the same as soybean food. The coliform bacteria will ferment the undigested food. , causing abdominal distension. Since most kittens are greedy, these low-quality feeds, if the palatability is good and the kittens like to eat them, the owner will think it is good feed. As a result, the kittens will eat more, defecate more, and even become soft. The patient has diarrhea, abdominal distension, and malabsorption, and the owner is completely unaware of it.

The above are some feeding reasons. Of course, abdominal distension may also be caused by some pathological reasons, such as ascites. Ascites is caused by peritonitis or hypoalbuminemia or cardiac insufficiency. Cats in When there is ascites, we will see its abdomen expand externally. If we touch the cat's abdomen, there will be a fluctuating feeling, and different levels will appear with changes in body position. At the same time, the cat's appetite will decrease and its breathing will be rapid.

Hirschsprung disease can also cause abdominal distension in cats, which is caused by congenital defects in the nerve plexus within the cat's colon wall or colon motility disorders caused by other reasons. Constipation is the main manifestation of cat megacolon, or bloody stool. The cat will vomit, lose weight, and have a bulging abdomen like a barrel.

Other aspects, such as acute peritonitis, which is caused by bacterial infection and is usually accompanied by an increase in body temperature and vomiting. Or hernia, which can also cause abdominal distension in cats, so clinically, the differential diagnosis of abdominal distension is very important. We can first palpate, and then perform puncture examination to determine whether there is ascites. A white blood cell test can confirm Presence of inflammatory infection.

Some pathological causes require symptomatic treatment after diagnosis. Some kitten abdominal distension caused by feeding requires owners to pay attention to feeding issues. Cats six months and older, the growth rate begins to slow down and the amount of activity will be slightly reduced; at this time, they eat a larger amount per meal, so they can reduce the number of meals per day. Although the cat's size is very similar to that of an adult cat at this time, it will still grow somewhat. Many cat owners will feed their cats different foods when they reach sexual maturity; in fact, cats like to eat high-quality dry cat food; at this time, you can add a little nutritious canned cat food to the dry cat food to suit their needs. Different nutritional requirements due to slower growth rates.

Do not feed human food to kittens, otherwise it will cause unnecessary disturbing behaviors. Feed the kittens home-cooked food or adult cat food (especially weight loss cat food). , or adding additional nutritional supplements such as vitamins to a completely balanced cat food, may cause malnutrition.