Did you know that flatulence or intestinal gas are very common in all mammals? Do cats pass gas? Therefore, we can also observe this phenomenon in our cat, which does not always indicate that there is a problem in the digestive system, since in many cases it is a normal process.
Many times caregivers notice this situation when the gases are foul-smelling, and if they occur frequently, it is important to pay special attention to our cat in order to improve the functioning of its body. If you have experienced this situation with your cat, you have surely asked yourself, Why does your cat have a lot of gas? This is the question that we solve in the next article of our place.
Gas symptoms in cats
From the title of the article we can well deduce that cats pass gas, but now we are going to know what they are like. Approximately 99% of gas in cats is odorless intestinal gas, this means that it is not easy to tell when our pet is having digestive problems.
However, with sufficient attention we can observe that excess gas is usually accompanied by other symptoms, mainly the following:
- Lack of appetite
- Swollen abdomen
- Vomiting
- Stomach noises
- Weightloss
- Intestinal transit problems
Obviously these symptoms are not exclusive to excess gas, so if you see them in your cat we recommend that you take him to the vet as soon as possible, both to find out if your cat has gas and to determine the exact cause of the other symptoms.
Why does flatulence occur in cats?
The causes of gas in cats are very diverse. Gas in cats is produced by bacteria that naturally inhabit the cat's intestinal tract. Now, why does my cat have a lot of stinky gas? When gas in cats is excessive, the most frequent cause is usually feeding
It is very important that the cat's diet is adequate, because when its diet is based on products such as wheat, soy or corn, its digestive system is not prepared to metabolize this type of nutrient. The same thing happens when an adult cat with lactose intolerance is given milk or dairy products, the gases do not take long to arrive.
The cat is mainly carnivorous and if it is fed with dry food, it must be a balanced food specific to its nutritional requirements. Although we must not forget that feed changes cannot occur abruptly, as this would also cause gas in the cat and various digestive problems.
A cat that stress eats or competes for food with another cat will eat the food very quickly and this will also cause flatulence.
Another common cause is hairballs which can form in the cat's stomach and influence the proper functioning of the digestive system, although we must not fail to mention other possible pathological causes such as intestinal parasites, irritable bowel syndrome or dysfunction of the pancreas.
Other reasons why my cat passes gas a lot are:
- Eat something bad
- Don't drink too much water
- Gastrointestinal diseases
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Parasites
Now that you know why cats fart, let's look at the treatment for gassy cats.
What to do if my cat has a lot of gas?
The main treatment for excess gas in cats involves improving their diet, although prevention is even more important. To do this, it is important to brush the cat's hair and minimize the risk of ball formation, as well as promote an active lifestyle.
There are some medications to relieve gas, some of them very natural, such as activated charcoal. However, they must be prescribed by a veterinarian.
You should also supervise what your cat eats, since it could be possible that he went to the rubbish bin, which would make him eat bad food and cause gas. As we said, his diet must be balanced and if we observe that the feed is not the most suitable food for our furry companion, we can resort to homemade diets, such as the BARF diet for cats.
If after reading this article you still wonder why my cat passes a lot of gas and it doesn't subside, it's important that you go to the vet, since serious underlying situations can be hidden behind them that only a specialist can diagnose.
