My cat is vomiting, not eating, and has fluid in belly. What's wrong?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 6 months and 25 days old | 10.5 lbs
He threw up twice ystrdy:one w. hairball & one just food.Hasn't been eating anything but treats a little since.Vet took X-ray&bld work:some fluid only
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on November 14th, 2016
Fluids in the abdomen can be caused by a lot of things and it usually makes the xray non diagnostical, at this age FIP can be one of the causes but it could also be a severe gastrointestinal infection or a liver problem. The next stage will be a specialist ultrasound, fluids might need to be drained first.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on April 27th, 2020
That x-ray shows a lot of free fluid in the abdomen. It very likely could be FIP and if so, yes he is probably in some pain. A fluid sample from that abdominal fluid would need to be tested to check for FIP. He has some other abnormalities on the blood testing (like a high protein) that also points to FIP.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Health & Wellbeing
Hello doctor.. Mara’s tummy is really bloated as if he is pregrent. I took him to vet and checked but doctor wasn’t able to find out what really is causing him sick. I am hoping to find out that if someone knows about this problem. He is getting skin
Thank you for using Boop by Petco! From the X-rays, I can see that Mara's abdomen appears to be filled with fluid. It is obscuring his liver and intestines from being seen and there may even be a small amount in his lungs. Unfortunately it is impossible to tell what the fluid is from the x-ray alone. His blood work shows some abnormalities with his electrolytes, which may be if he is not eating or from fluid in the abdomen. Mara also has a high white blood cell count, these are the cells that are responsible for fighting off infections and increase if there is one present. Your vet can run some additional diagnostics, and perform a tap and remove the fluid as well as a blood test to determine if Mara is infected with FIP, a mutated form of a common virus that cats are exposed to. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Hi, I have a domestic shorthair cat with fluid in his abdomen. We saw a vet and X-ray showed his heart is fine. There was too much fluid for the X-ray to show what was happening in the abdomen. He hasnt been eating or drinking much, but after the ve
If the vet who drained the fluid analyzed the cellular content of the fluid (or sent it to a pathologist), you might be able to obtain some valuable information that could lead to a diagnosis. If still possible, I would have seen if the veterinarian could re-xrayed after the fluid was removed for better visualization. The blood work findings you have stated are consistent with dehydration and anorexia. Fluid in the abdomen in my experience is usually originating from the liver. Another possibility is that there could be a mass in the abdomen that is leaking some type of fluid. I would recommend diagnostic ultrasound in addition to the other diagnostics already performed to better assess the situation. This imaging modality will provide different, and in general, more detailed information on the abdominal contents.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I need your advice I have a street cat who was healthy now he is very thin with thick phlegm. I took him to the vet they said he has viral and bacterial infection along with fluid accumulation in the abdomen. Is it FIP? Is he in pain?
That x-ray shows a lot of free fluid in the abdomen. It very likely could be FIP and if so, yes he is probably in some pain. A fluid sample from that abdominal fluid would need to be tested to check for FIP. He has some other abnormalities on the blood testing (like a high protein) that also points to FIP.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Does FP in kittens cause abdominal swelling and lack of protein absorption including yelllow, runny diarrhea and vomiting?
I assume you mean FIP or feline infectious peritonitis. It can cause abdominal swelling due to fluid buildup in the abdomen and can also cause vomiting and diarrhea. FIP is a very serious fatal disease, however parasites that are easily treated can also cause these signs. I would take Sassy to a veterinarian so they can evaluate her and check her stool for parasites. Hopefully it's something easily fixed!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Took my cat to our local vet on Thursday for a bloated abdomen. No other symptoms. Vet found fluid in the abdomen on the xray and increased white blood cell count and said we need an ultrasound to get a real diagnosis. To get one in a timely fashion,
In my opinion going to the ER would be best, although you may not be able to have a full ultrasound until Monday morning. Some potential causes of fluid in the abdomen include an infection or abscess in the abdomen, diseases like FIP, or cancer. If there were an infection it would be best to start treatment sooner rather than later. An ER vet could take a sample of fluid to examine for signs of white blood cells or bacteria and might be able to perform a limited ultrasound. It's also possible that a specialist could be called in to perform a full ultrasound if needed over the weekend.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
New Pet
Hi, so my 7 month old kitty suddenly had a belly full of fluids. I assumed he was just gaining weight but in fact it was fluids in the stomach area. Tested twice for coronavirus and it came back negative on both occasions, fluids were drained and it
Fluid in the abdomen is called ascites. I agree with your vet that FIP (coronovirus) is the most likely due to your cat's age but there are some other possibilities (none of them good): 1. heart disease 2. tumor/cancer 3. liver disease Coronavirus is constantly mutating so it is actually not easy to test for. I'm not sure what tests your vet did but that may be why they are getting negatives. I suggest you refer to this link for more information and go over this with your vet. ( https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/feline-infectious-peritonitis ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My 16 year old male cat (who was deemed perfectly healthy just 3 weeks earlier) suddenly got 0,5kg in liquid in his belly 1,5 week. Now his legs have swollen too and the vet here can't figure it out. Echo says his organs are normal, no signs of cance
I'm so sorry to hear that you and Sam are going through this scary situation. With normal blood work and the normal ultrasound, I would be concerned about the disease called FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis) which is an uncommon response to a common virus in which the abdomen fills up with fluid and cats don't tend to recover from it. I would also continue to be concerned about cancer even though you're not seeing any signs in the fluid or on the ultrasound. A tumor has to be at least a centimeter in diameter before it can be seen an ultrasound, so it's not unusual for something to just be too small. Unfortunately, without a diagnosis, it's incredibly difficult to treat. And even with a diagnosis, at his age, it's mostly bad things that it could be. At this point, your vet is probably focusing on palliative care to keep Sam comfortable by removing the fluid, keeping him well hydrated, making sure he is comfortable. I would recommend talking to them about his prognosis and your goal
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Food & Nutrition
My 5 month old kitten from shelter became very lethargic, not eating, weight loss, fever,third eyelid exposure over 1 week. I was constantly syringe feeding him wet food mixed with water-slurry. When I took him to the veterinarian- she pulled yellow
I’m sorry to hear about your new kitten. Food substances would remain within the inside of the GI tract and would not be found as free liquid in the abdomen. Your veterinarian obtained the fluid by inserting a needle into the abdominal cavity just through the abdominal muscle. They would not have pushed the needle into the intestines or stomach itself where the food slurry would have been. Abdominal distension and yellowish fluid in a sick young kitten is very concerning and FIP would be a possible diagnosis. I hope you get some answers soon. Thank you
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I have a cat. She had pleurisy in August, doctor prescribed her antibiotics such as cefrtiaxone and lyncomycinum and pumped out fluid from lungs. After a month everything became fine, but in October she started to feel bad again and doctor said that
Hello, thank you for using Boop by Petco. I am very sorry to hear that Liza has this problem. Unfortunately, this sounds like cancer to me. When cats have bicavitary effusion (fluid in both the chest and the abdominal cavity) the odds are it is cancer and the prognosis is very poor. Have any x-rays been done to check for a tumor? Often there is a tumor in the mediastinal area of the chest if this is cancer. FIP (feline infectious peritonitis) can be a cause of this as well. Has an abdominal ultrasound been done? Any blood testing? A cytology of the fluid? Without more testing I cannot really tell you if anything can be done or not. I suggest you speak to your vet about doing some additional testing. Hope this helps. Best wishes.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My 1 month old kitten has very big and tight belly.. I don't know if it's normal or not... He doesn't even look like playful... And doesn't even crying... Please help me...
That could be caused by an accumulation of fluids in the abdominal cavity caused by FIP (feline infectious peritonitis). A check up and single radiograph (or sometimes only clinical examination) could confirm this clinical suspicion and give you treatment options. Unfortunately the prognosis for this disease is poor. Differential diagnosis could be represented by parasite infestation. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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