Beloved kitty''s belly feel hard?

[aliciagirl]

With the recent adoption of a sweet little rescue girl cat, it made me notice how my other boy cat''s belly is hard and feels maybe bloated or something compared to hers. Granted, he is a big (fat) cat and is much bigger than her. She''s very thin, even after living here a month, and barely has a belly that you can feel at all.

Should I be concerned about his fat hard belly? He was my parents indoor/outdoor cat until Sept, when I took him in with me because he didn''t like the outdoor part of his living arrangement. As far as I know, he''s always been fat and hard-bellied.

Should I be concerned? He''s been to the vet, right before I brought him here to live with me, but not since he''s moved. Should I make him an appointment? And how do you find a good vet in your area?

 

[AmberGretchen]

aliciagirl - that''s so nice you to take in your parent''s indoor/outdoor kitty - I"m sure he will be much safer and healthier living indoors

Amongst my three kitties, we have one with a hard tummy, one with a soft one, and one in between. I think if he has always been like that I wouldn''t worry, but it couldn''t hurt to call a vet and ask. A hard belly can be a sign of worms or other issues, and definitely better to be safe than sorry.

In terms of finding a good vet in your area, I would ask everyone you know - friends, co-workers, etc...for recommendations. And then google the vet by name, to make sure there aren''t any complaints or issues with them. After you''ve taken those steps, I''d just call around and see who you feel comfortable with - make sure they treat your kitties well, that they answer all your questions, etc...

 

[GossamerAngel]

If he''s eating normally, drinking water, making his business, and basically acting in what you would think is a normal way for him, I wouldn''t really be worried, especially if he''s already been to the vet and has gotten a clean bill of health I mean, if you''re particularly concerned, take him in for a more targeted checkup, but off the cuff I would say to not be worried.

As far as finding a good vet, you could start by maybe contacting your local humane association and asking for recs, or if your local newspaper has an active message board community you could try there - or just ask around anywhere like work or school, people always love to recommend (or tell you who to stay away from!) service providers such as vets, doctors, heating repairmen, etc..

 

[aliciagirl]

Thanks for the help, ladies. He''s definitely still eating good. He''s been a little more talkative since we brought the rescue home, but we always just chalked it up to him getting used to her. His bathroom habits are still the same as far as I can tell. He drinks lots of water and is pretty lazy most of the time (as usual) but does run around and play with girl cat several times a day.

I think I''ll make a check-up appointment just to be sure, but I''m not quite as worried as I was.

 

[AmberGretchen]

aliciagirl - that sounds like a really good plan, I know I am an anxious kitty mom and would always rather be safe than sorry. I hope your boy turns out to be completely OK (I''m sure he will).

We''d love to see pictures if you get a chance - we have a lot of cat fans here on PS