Why is my cat's belly bloated with fluid and he's losing weight?

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.

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.

Hi, thanks for using Boop by Petco! Poor Cheeteo! Can you post the blood work results and X-rays? Based on your post Cheeto has fluid around his lungs and in his belly. This is a serious, sadly. The most common causes for bicavitary effusion (fluid in BOTH the chest and belly) are cancer, heart failure, and FIP. Heart failure can be managed, FIP sadly has no cure and cancer is not a good diagnosis either. I am guessing that Cheeto didn't respond (didn't get better) on the lasix? The lasix is for heart failure. That only leaves the other diagnoses which are all not good. Unfortunately for a diganosis tests need to be done. If you don't understand what is wrong with Cheeto and why your Vet is recommending certain tests you need to ask them to explain things better so you can make the best decision for you and Cheeto. I hope this helps and I wish you both the best!

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.

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

So sorry that Paws is having this problem. If he has free fluid in his abdomen then he could have a tumor but it could also be caused by a decreased protein level. Your vet could submit a sample of the fluid to the lab to try to determine the cause. Also an abdominal ultrasound might help diagnose the problem. Without knowing the exact cause, it is hard to determine if anything can be done to help treat the problem.

This sounds like he has a serious medical problem. He could be in renal failure, have an infectious disease like feline leukemia or aids, or this could be a sign of cancer. Regardless, I recommend a veterinary exam. They may do lab tests or X-rays to diagnose his medical condition and then they can start treatment. Thanks for using Boop by Petco to help you care for Sebastian.

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.

Thank you for using Boop by Petco! Common causes for a pot belly include intestinal parasites, organ enlargement and abdominal fluid. Unfortunately, this can also be caused by feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), which can be deadly. The fact that Muffin’s spine has become more prominent is also cause for concern as it indicates weight loss. I recommend having him seen by his vet as soon as possible - they can perform bloodwork, x-rays and an ultrasound if necessary to determine what is going on and begin the appropriate treatment. I hope all is well and that Muffin gets well soon!

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.