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Cat With Occasional Distended Stomach

My cat has had an issue with her stomach swelling lately.  It's happened twice now, but the first time it seemed to go away on its own, given time.  She doesn't seem pained by it; she doesn't seem bothered if I touch or probe her belly gently with my fingers.  Her belly is slightly firm with no obvious nodules or tenderness. She doesn't seem feverish and still eats and drinks as normal.

It does seem to make her very lethargic; she'll sleep in the same spot for hours.  Her behavior otherwise is normal, she still does the same things she usually does.  She'll come around and be affectionate, she doesn't meow excessively or show any signs of obvious distress.  She just waddles around with this enormous belly.

Since this is the second time this has happened over the past few months, it's really starting to concern me.  She can't be overeating because she's a very finicky eater and picks at her food like a bird.
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2054217 tn?1330538434
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
I am so sorry to hear about your loss. I can only hope there were unusual circumstances as normally a pyometra is easily diagnosed and an automatic possibility with an intact female dog or cat (it was my first thought). Sorry again,
Dr. Redford
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Avatar universal
It ended up being pyometra; from the looks of the x-rays, her uterus was so inflamed that you could barely see any other organs, her colon was shoved up against her spine.  It just looked like she had this giant pouch that filled her insides.

In the end, we had to opt for euthanasia.  She was so bad off by the time we got her to a competent vet that her survival rate for surgery was slim.  Still, I'm posting the results here, hoping this may help someone else in the future.
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2054217 tn?1330538434
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
With her being intact I would mostly worry about a uterine disorder. A pyometra or endometriosis etc. I am surprised the tests did not tell you anything. If it was my case I would be recommending exploratory surgery. Likely she will need to be spayed.
Good luck today
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Avatar universal
Bah, goofy enter key and posting by phone.  We did end up taking her in to the vet on Friday, but got no definitive answers, just a bill estimate of over $1100 to run diagnostics.  They wouldn't even give us a basic idea of what they'd be looking for.  

We opted to seek a second opinion, which we will see tomorrow.
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Avatar universal
Dr. Redford:

Thanks so much for your reply!  To answer your questions:  Priss is 6 years old, but has never been to the vet and is an intact female.  She is a completely indoor cat, only ever leaving home once in a carrier when we evacuated for Hurricane Rita.  We don't have mice, so she's never been exposed to any other critters besides our other cat, who is also solely indoors.
Helpful - 0
2054217 tn?1330538434
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Great history, very detailed...I sense a future as a veterinarian in you :)
This will be a little tricky, on the surface it does not sound serious however for it to happen several times it may be a concern. I have a few questions for you: You mentioned she is 6 years old but her last vet visit was 11 years ago. How old is she? Is she spayed? Does she go outside and/or catch any mice? has it been several years since her last vaccine?
There are a handful of possibilities for cats with intermittent distended abdomens and so making an educated guess will need more info. Various organ diseases can cause this, some inflammatory conditions, viral or bacterial infections etc.
Replying to this will send your answers directly to my email so lets chit chat and get to the bottom of it.
Cheers,
Dr. Redford
Helpful - 0

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