Help with my poorly kitten

[Cooper Rose]

hey,
So after months of excitedly waiting I finally got my lil Bear yesterday lunch time!

when I went to collect him I noticed his tummy was a lot larger than the other kittens.
When I asked the breeder she said that he'd been to the vets the day before for a check up and his final injection and a worming tablet and the doctor said it was normal and he was just a bit bloated.

After returning home I started doing some research because it started getting bigger after every time he ate, and obviously stumbled into the FIP posts, his tummy looks even bigger than some of the ones I've seen on here, he was he runt of the litter anyway so he's incredibly small and skinny for his age.

He is 12 weeks old, plays occasionally...but mostly sleeps and doesn't seem to have much energy, he's pooed twice and they were normal looking but with quite a bit of mucus... I booked an appointment at the vet straight away today, the vet gave him a good exam and said the likelyhood of it being FIP is slim as the tummy is hard, his temp fine, no other health symptoms, and is only just 12 weeks and it's usually a little older when kittens start showing symptoms?

She said it could be due to an upset tummy and we have a scan on Tuesday to get a better look, and some digestive care food to try until then.
I just can't get the FIP out of my head because I've never seen a tummy so large before, and I'm terrified to lose him already

Has anyone's kitten ever had a tummy this big from constipation/stomach issues without it being something really serious?

 

[Xandria]

Hugs. You're doing the right things by going to the vet. Hopefully others more knowledgeable will chime in with their suggestions and experiences.

Try not to stress too much if you can. Sending healing and calming vibes.

 

[Toa and Ross]

Sending lots of calming vibes. My boy Toa had a very big tummy too when he was a little kitten. He was very low in energy, slept a lot, had diarrhea and didn't eat well. I thought he had FIP too. Now we're two years later and he's running around like a maniac sometimes, although he still the most lazy one of my crew. And still has a big tummy.

Good thing you're going to the vet to let him exam. But don't forget kittens sleep a lot, specially in new situations or when they're growing.

 

[Catzzzmeow]

Welcome to Sphynxlair. You are doing the best thing and partnering up with your vet. Try not to panic. I know whenever anyone reads about FIP and see a big belly we panic along with them. They can get very bloated bellies especially after eating. Our boy is now 7 months old and he still bloats after eating. Is your vet running blood tests? That will definitely help to diagnose and did you reach out to your breeder for support as well? We are all here for you and will remain positive!

Patti

 

[Cooper Rose]

Thank you, this makes me feel a bit better! This is his tummy now, it's just not going down it's so big and he's so bloody tiny it looks so uncomfortable for him. How long did it take for your lil one to get better? And at what age did he start peeking up a little?

 

[Cooper Rose]

Hey!! Thank you, I've very proud to be a part of this community
Because he's so small for his age and so young the vet said she didn't want to put him through tests as of yet, they have a poo sample and we're having a ultra sound on Tuesday. I will suggest blood tests on Tuesday if there's nothing found

Welcome to Sphynxlair. You are doing the best thing and partnering up with your vet. Try not to panic. I know whenever anyone reads about FIP and see a big belly we panic along with them. They can get very bloated bellies especially after eating. Our boy is now 7 months old and he still bloats after eating. Is your vet running blood tests? That will definitely help to diagnose and did you reach out to your breeder for support as well? We are all here for you and will remain positive!

Patti

ey!

 

[Toa and Ross]

@Cooper Rose Looks like my boys tummy at that time. It took my boys 6 months before he perked up a bit. It turned out he was allergic to grain and chicken which made his tummy being irritated all the time (and that made him get a floated tummy). As soon as I gave him other food he became a happy playful boy.

Hopefully it will be something like this for your little Bear too. Bloodwork and poo example are a good start to see what's going on.

 

[Hairless Blessing]

Welcome to sphynxlair, good to have you.
Best thing you could have done, you did. Taking him to the Vet.
The Ultra sound will hopefully rule a lot of things out.
I would have blood work also. Remember, If your not satisfied with the diagnosis
you get you can always get a second opinion. Prayer's for your baby.
Let us know what you find out.

 

[Catzzzmeow]

See what your vet says after blood tests and titer test results.

 

[celsei]

How is his tummy from the bottom? If it's distended he might have a weak abdominal muscle wall (muscle wall usually keeps the tummy, organs and everything tucked in tightly, when it's weak they can sort of press out). Just flimsy muscle they should grow out of, if they get a hernia where there's an opening and one spot is particularly distended this can usually be fixed by surgery. Sphynx are prone to bloating though, especially kittens and especially after they're eating. They're very gluttonous kittens and can eat huge amounts. One of my kittens had a huge tummy that went out to the sides like that after meals and because they eat so often and much it stayed most of the day. I think he was eating especially fast/big amounts because he was also the runt/at least a smaller one and was used to others eating his food because they were fed together. When they eat fast they also get air trapped in there increasing bloating. He's around a year now, gets less boated but still a bit of a round tummy and no problems otherwise.

Also what consistency is his poop and is he pooping regularly? It should be firm liquid means stomach irritation and if he hasn't pooped for a while he could be constipated

 

[celsei]

Oh from the health exam it sounds like it's fine, if it feels hard it's not filled with fluid and the muscle wall is strong enough to keep organs in. Missed the poop part as well, mucus means an irritated tummy as well so extra bloating would be normal for that and that on top of normal sphynx baby bloating (especially in contrast to a skinny runt body) would make it pretty big already. What is he eating? Try limited ingredient grain free wet food to reduce irritation, sphynx often have food sensitivites. He's also probably stressed after the move. Oh and when you first get them they are normally more sleepy than playful, he is tiny and has a lot of growing to do so needs to sleep a lot. As long as he doesn't seem uncomfortable/has appetite and poops and pees okay I wouldn't worry too much. He should perk up in a few weeks. I don't think you need to worry about FIP from the sounds of it

 

[celsei]

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[Cooper Rose]

Thank you so much for this info, its really reassuring, His original owner had him on natures menu chicken kitten food, so I fed him that yesterday, but today the vet gave me some nutritional kitten food and some probiotic powder to sprinkle on. He is a very small guy for 12 weeks old, in comparison to his brothers and sisters he's tiny, so I am hoping that the bloating just looks extream because of his very tiny body, but I'll know for sure in the next week after the vets, thank you again!

Oh from the health exam it sounds like it's fine, if it feels hard it's not filled with fluid and the muscle wall is strong enough to keep organs in. Missed the poop part as well, mucus means an irritated tummy as well so extra bloating would be normal for that and that on top of normal sphynx baby bloating (especially in contrast to a skinny runt body) would make it pretty big already. What is he eating? Try limited ingredient grain free wet food to reduce irritation, sphynx often have food sensitivites. He's also probably stressed after the move. Oh and when you first get them they are normally more sleepy than playful, he is tiny and has a lot of growing to do so needs to sleep a lot. As long as he doesn't seem uncomfortable/has appetite and poops and pees okay I wouldn't worry too much. He should perk up in a few weeks. I don't think you need to worry about FIP from the sounds of it

,

 

[Cooper Rose]

I've attached a couple of pictures of his tummy from today so u can have a look at each side, I think it seems a little better, but don't know if that's just wishful thinking.
Last night he was sick and had a real runny poo, but it was his first day on the vets new food.
Today he's had 3 normal firm healthy poos and he seems to be a little more interested in having his eyes open! He's eating so much food aswell

How is his tummy from the bottom? If it's distended he might have a weak abdominal muscle wall (muscle wall usually keeps the tummy, organs and everything tucked in tightly, when it's weak they can sort of press out). Just flimsy muscle they should grow out of, if they get a hernia where there's an opening and one spot is particularly distended this can usually be fixed by surgery. Sphynx are prone to bloating though, especially kittens and especially after they're eating. They're very gluttonous kittens and can eat huge amounts. One of my kittens had a huge tummy that went out to the sides like that after meals and because they eat so often and much it stayed most of the day. I think he was eating especially fast/big amounts because he was also the runt/at least a smaller one and was used to others eating his food because they were fed together. When they eat fast they also get air trapped in there increasing bloating. He's around a year now, gets less boated but still a bit of a round tummy and no problems otherwise.

Also what consistency is his poop and is he pooping regularly? It should be firm liquid means stomach irritation and if he hasn't pooped for a while he could be constipated

cted

 

[susi794]

His belly looks distended to me. Has he been wormed? It's too early to tell whether he's acting normal or not as the poor little guy has had lots of changes in the last week. You did the right thing by taking him to the vet. If the vet says FIP isn't likely, then just keep an eye on him. If diarrhea, fever, or extreme lethargy starts happening, I'd be more worried, but it sounds like your vet has it under control.
Prayers for the wee baby from me and the gang,
Susi

 

[Cooper Rose]

He has been wormed yes, his last time was two days ago and I haven't seen anything in his poo.
his poo's today have been really healthy and firm and he's not struggling to go, you're right it is hard to tell if he's acting normal as I haven't learnt his personality yet! Thank you so much

His belly looks distended to me. Has he been wormed? It's too early to tell whether he's acting normal or not as the poor little guy has had lots of changes in the last week. You did the right thing by taking him to the vet. If the vet says FIP isn't likely, then just keep an eye on him. If diarrhea, fever, or extreme lethargy starts happening, I'd be more worried, but it sounds like your vet has it under control.
Prayers for the wee baby from me and the gang,
Susi

e

 

[Toa and Ross]

What an adorable little boy he is. He has a real kitten tummy. Maybe still a bit floated but not too bad. Happy to hear he eats the food well and his poops are solid after the one watery poo.

 

[Cooper Rose]

Hey!
So we've just returned from the vets, the bloating is just his organs and gas and the vet says because he's really small and underweight the bloating is looking extra big because of his tiny body!!
So my panic is over for now phewww.

He told me to stop feeding him as much because he thinks the bloating is due to over eating, one can of his special diet food is for a full grown cat, and bear has been getting through a can a day for the past couple of days and still cries for food after!
He has dried food out for him at all times but won't touch it.
I think I'm just gonna have to keep trying different foods (after reading a through threads on here about diet) and find out myself if the bloating is to do with an allergy or intolerance
Thank you for all your help and knowledge!!

 

[Catzzzmeow]

So happy your panicking can slow down a bit. It is always stressful when our babies are having issues. When you do change foods, you have to stick with it for sometimes a week to see if reactions. Also best to slowly switch over to new food gradually.Often they get diarrhea with a food change until their tummy adjusts etc. Keep us updated!

 

[celsei]

Good to hear! Do keep in mind that the usual feeding recommendations are for furcats don't know if your vet has experience with nakeds, sphynxes eat more cause they have a fast metabolism and burn a lot of calories keeping themselves warm. The usual recommendation for kittens is to feed as much as they can eat in a 20 minute sitting 3 or 4 times a day, if he's gobbling too fast and getting gas though try spacing it out in as many smaller meals as you can (4 or 5, they don't have to be evenly spaced if you have work or something inbetween) and also spreading the food out on a wide plate so it takes him more time to get it all.

One of my kittens never acknowledged kibble as food even though he's a huge glutton, but I decided not to feed dry to any of mine anyway due to the abnormally low moisture content (it has around 6%, their natural food has up to 80%). With dry food they need to drink around 300 ml of water a day to keep hydrated enough to avoid a high rate of urinary problems and kidney disease which with the way cats drink isn't really realistic.. anyway point being, he might not understand it's food

 

[Xandria]

What a relief! I know how stressful these little guys can be when you first get them. So glad you have a good vet. Sending you positive vibes!

 

[Toa and Ross]

Pffew what a relief. So happt to read this update. We all know the stress and panic so well. Hope your little one starts perking up and will run like a maniac through the house soon!