My 19 year old cat has suddenly got a swollen abomen. Why?

What could be causing his swollen abdomen?

  • Vetinfo

    By: Rebecca Osterfund El Segundo, CA

    Replied on 04/19/2011

    A suddenly swollen abdomen could be caused by several different diseases. Right-sided heart failure can cause fluid retention within the abdomen. Severe liver, kidney or intestinal disease can also cause fluid retention within the abdomen. Internal abdominal bleeding can also cause the abdomen to appear rounded. An underlying cancerous cause is also always a possibility when dealing with an elderly feline. The only way to determine which disease is causing your pet to have a swollen abdomen is to seek the help of a veterinarian. Blood work and urinalysis will help determine if your pet is suffering from liver or kidney disease. X-rays (also k nown as radiographs) can help detect cancer and free fluid within the abdomen. If fluid is found in the abdomen, a sample may be taken of the fluid via a needle (called abdominocentesis) to determine the nature of the fluid.

More Questions on Anatomy

  • What is the usage of pisiform pad in cats' front feet?

    I wonder why cats have pisifrom pads at the back of front wrists? And why not at the back feet also?

  • The left side of my cats face tilts to the left.

    The left side of my cats face tilts to the left. She has become clumsy and has fallen in down the steps and even in her litter box. Her eyes move left and right. She did not eat for a couple of days. The doctor did test but do not have a clue. Do you have any idea what is wrong

  • Is there cat surgery for a kitten without a rectum?

    My 7 month old kitten that was born with abnormalities-always loose stool, no testicles found during neuter procedure, just informed kitten has no rectum and no anal sphincter.

  • Cat anal incontinence. Can I fix this?

    Hello. Recently our cat Tigger was hit by a car. He had terrible swelling and bruising in and around his bottom and a fractured vertebrae just above his tail. He had no obvious damage internally but the vet said there was more than likely nerve damage as his tail is lifeless now. He has not been able to regain full control over his continence and is dripping urine fairly constantly and the feces comes out randomly and he doesn't seem to have any control over it at all, or even know when it is coming. What can I do to help?

  • See all questions in Anatomy

Please do not use our site to attempt to diagnose or treat your pet. Your veterinarian is the best source of health advice for an individual pet.

Please do use our site to become better informed about the medical problems your pet may have. We will do our best to ensure that information presented is accurate and up-to-date. The most current information will be at the top of each page. Remember that veterinarians often disagree about the best treatments for pets. There are often several perfectly acceptable ways to treat the same condition. Just ask a lot of questions!

For all emergency situations, please contact your local Emergency Pet Clinic or on-call Veterinarian. Answers are not provided in real time. We can not guarantee an answer to every question, nor can we provide timely responses to urgent questions in many instances.