Expert: Jessica - 7/21/2009

Question
QUESTION: my cat has a pot belly it seems to have appeared over night she is meowing a lot and dribbling a lot she is eating fine but wanting a lot of fuss she doesn't usually she is a loner whats wrong with her could it be worms or has she been poisoned she is 11yrs old and was spayed when she was a kitten

ANSWER: Hi Janette.  Either could be a possibility, really.  She should see a vet.  Drooling can indicate dental disease, but it can also indicate nausea, and with the appearance of the pot belly, I'm wondering if nausea might be the case.  Worms most certainly can cause nausea and also do cause a pot-bellied appearance, although I would be surprised for it to appear so suddenly.  Something I would be a little concerned over is liver disease.  This is a cause of sudden fluid accumulation in the belly area.  Of course, there is no reason to assume your kitty has liver failure based just on these symptoms, but I do think it's a very valid reason to have her looked at by the vet right away.  There are a couple other diseases that can cause fluid build up in the belly, such as feline infectious peritonitis, which is rare, the feline leukemia virus, and sometimes kidney failure.  A tear or hole in her intestines, caused by something she swallowed, can lead to fluid build up or an infection in her abdomen and cause nausea.  And at times, the organs themselves can become enlarged and cause a pot-bellied appearance.  Definitely, especially with such a sudden onset, I would have her looked at right away.

Good luck!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I haven't taken her to vets yet but her stomach has gone down and she isn't drooling

Answer
Hm, I don't have any idea what this could've been!  Unless she had some very severe constipation that had lasted for days, and she was finally able to go, this is a complete mystery to me.  At any rate, glad she seems to be feeling better.  Best wishes!