Last month, a mother cat came to my house ( she was abandoned by a family who moved ) with 5 kittens living underneath my steps. We decided to take them in- gave them a bed, food, water, litterbox, toys, and we've found homes for all of them. I recently treated all the kittens for fleas (and the mother). All of them seem healthy, playful, they eat hard/soft food and drink water. However, today i was petting one of the kittens stomachs and felt the smallest lump- it was not hard, but squishy and it caused him no pain. He is supposed to go to his new home on Sunday. I am wondering:
a) possibilities of what this lump is & does it need IMMEDIATE attention
b) should i leave the lump alone, give it to it's new owner, and when they bring it to the vet for its shots the veterinarian will take a look at it and determine the problem.
if you need any additional details, just ask! thanks in advance.
2007-10-26 17:37:24 · 8 answers · asked by dollyr0cka 2 in Pets ➔ Cats
edit: i already called the new owner and told her as she's my friend. she said she'd take it to the vet if i didn't first.
2007-10-26 17:48:25 · update #1
Just make sure all the kittens are checked by a vet. This is most likely to be an umbilical hernia. It's not an emergency unless the kittens start vomiting, then it's an emergency. It will need to be corrected - usually when the animal is spayed/castrated. Make the new owners promise to get the kittens neutered by the way!
Umbilical hernias are a protrusion of tissue through the umbilicus (belly button). They're fairly common, I see a lot get corrected at time of neutering. Ironically, I saw my first emergency umbilical hernia just last night, on a 7 month old male kitten. The cat had started vomiting a lot - his guts were coming through the umbilicus and had become strangulated, he had to have emergency surgery.
After all this, I can't guarantee it's an umbilical hernia, because I haven't seen it!! Just watch out for any symptoms in your cats like going off food or being lethargic. They all need to be checked by a vet. Vaccinations start at 9 weeks of age.
Chalice
2007-10-27 01:51:21 · answer #1 · answered by Chalice 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It's impossible to say for sure without seeing it, but my first suspicion would be a hernia. When they're very small, they usually only contain fat, but can potentially enlarge over time and trap gut within the hernial sac.
If you're giving the kittens away, as against selling them, I think you can probably just wait until it goes to a new owner and point it out to them. Hernia repair in young animals is usually done at the time of desexing.
What age are you planning on rehoming? They're due for their first vaccination very soon anyway, so I certainly wouldn't make a trip to the vet just for this lump unless it gets larger, becomes painful or the kitten is showing signs of illness.
However, if you're asking any money for them, they ought to be vet checked before you sell them in any case, so it can be checked out then.
2007-10-26 17:45:13 · answer #2 · answered by Loz 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Lump In Stomach
2016-11-14 23:11:54 · answer #3 · answered by filson 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
First off, let the new adoptive family know about this lump on the cat. Do not hide this information from them, and do not lie to them.
Secondly -- you say the lump is causing no pain and is squishy. Things you should look for when you discover ANY lump on a pet are: Location, size, texture, hair, redness, oozing, & pain, to name a few.
From what you describe, it almost sounds like it might be a kitty fat-pad, which is absolutely normal. But as I said, let the new owners know about this lump so they can have it checked out.
2007-10-26 17:45:29 · answer #4 · answered by BunnuvaSitch 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Could be that you are feeling either the stomach, or intestines? At this age, they are small and their organs are still developing as they are growing. After raising about 5-6 kittens, this could be a possibility. Make sure that the new owners are aware of this so they can alert their vet.
2007-10-26 18:02:44 · answer #5 · answered by djmirada_peridoteyes 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Depending on where it is exactly it could be an ambilical hernia. I would tell the new owners about it and leave it up to them if they still want to adopt it. I have a female with one, and it doesn't bother her at all, but could cause problems potentially if she got pregnant. I was told it could possibly be repaired the same time she is spayed, but I can't confirm that as we haven't had it done yet..... Good luck and best wishes.
2007-10-26 17:44:39 · answer #6 · answered by Sniggle 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
just off the info you have said, its quite possibly a hernia. take it to the vet and see what they say, dont dump the problem on the new owners
2007-10-26 17:45:42 · answer #7 · answered by Leonie V 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Its probably the umbilical cord.
2007-10-26 18:32:03 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋