Why is my cat's belly bloated, weak, and having trouble walking?

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! 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!

If you have not yet, I recommend your cat getting a comprehensive blood panel done, as well as x-rays and possibly an ultrasound to check for physical abnormalities such as a stricture that could be a cause. Also I recommend getting some specialty bloodwork done for your cat, through the Texas A&M Gastrointestinal Lab. Any vet can draw the blood and send it off, the forms are easily found on their website. This will check for nutrition absorption deficiencies, pancreatic enzyme levels and other factors that could be contributing to your cat's condition.

Poor Lucky! There are several causes for a swollen abdomen like parasites and fluid in the abdomen. I would have your vet take a look at him as soon as you can to see what the cause is. If there is fluid in the abdomen, it could be a serious condition that needs to be treated. It could also be FIP which isn't treatable but he needs to be seen to be diagnosed. Hopefully, since he is still eating, he just has some intestinal parasites which your vet can easily treat. I hope this helps and he feels better really soon.

The most common cause is usually intestinal parasite infection. Submit a stool sample to your veterinarian to diagnose intestinal parasites or bacterial overgrowth. Amaru should be dewormed. This will likely need to be repeated in 2, 4 and 6 weeks. An exam can be done to confirm good health or to diagnose and treat any pre-existing conditions. Consider having him tested for FeLV and FIV. This is done with a quick in-clinic blood test. Feed a food quality canned kitten food. If he checks out healthy, discuss an appropriate vaccination plan with your veterinarian.

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 Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Sebastian.

Poor Sachi! Significant weight loss and inappetence are certainly a major concern. I'm glad to hear that his blood work (I assume a CBC, chemistry and T4?) was unremarkable. However, foreign body intestinal obstruction/blockages, intestinal malabsorption issues that can cause inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), chronic pancreatitis, or cancerous processes, do not necessarily cause changes on screening blood tests. If Sachi has not yet had abdominal x-rays or an ultrasound, consider talking to your vet about these tests as his next diagnostic step. If he has a foreign body obstructing his intestines, this is a surgical emergency, and these tests would be helpful in obtaining a diagnosis. If pancreatitis, IBD or EPI are more highly suspected, consider talking to your vet about testing for vitamins B12 and folate, as well as TLI and fPLI. I hope this helps!

He should be examined by your veterinarian. Blood work including a urinalysis should be done to assess major organ function and to diagnose kidney infection or urinary tract infection. Abdominal xrays may diagnose foreign body, masses, bladder/kidney stones or bladder inflammation. Supportive care or pain management may be indicated to keep him comfortable until a diagnose is reached.