Expert: Jessica - 8/17/2009

Question
My cat is 3 years old when she was a kitten I found her she was at least 2 weeks old then. There was a soft pouch on her stomach and she got that fixed along with a spay when she was at least 1-4 months old. When they were done with the operation they left a little area of the soft pouch unfixed right below her rib cage. She is now three years old and I noticed on her stomach right under where that area of the hernia was never fixed, the hernia is now reopening. And my mom and sister say "Just leave it alone she will be fine as long as she doesn't get cut on the hernia." but I'm very worried about my cat and I don't want to lose her. My question is what should i do? My mom refuses to take the cat to the vet cause we are very low on money.

Answer
Hi Rachel.  I'm guessing this is an umbilical hernia, the most common type of hernia in cats, which is found around the belly button area.  These can sometimes cause discomfort and digestive problems if the hernia is large, so they are certainly best to be surgically corrected.  But not all hernias are of an urgent medical concern.  Some vets do not advise to put cats under anesthesia to take care of small hernias, but worsening hernias often do require correction.  I would definitely keep the kitty inside to minimize chances of her worsening her hernia through excessive activity and continue to monitor it.  And certainly, if the bulge continues to worsen, it should be examined by a vet.  Small hernias will be less expensive to correct than larger ones, so if this is a hernia that will need to be addresses surgically, it is something that should be taken care of sooner rather than later.  Unfortunately, keeping strenuous activity to a minimum is about the best you can do to try to prevent the hernia from worsening besides addressing it properly through a veterinarian.

Best wishes!

Jessica