Almost all cats will deal with bloating at least once in their lifetime. This can be caused by inadequate eating habits, but also might occur as a result of a serious underlying medical problem.
Some of the most common symptoms of bloating in cats are lethargy, swollen stomach, pale gums, low body temperature, and a cat’s repeated attempts to vomit.
Of course, if you notice these signs, you should take your cat to a veterinarian for them to perform a full physical examination on her.
Still, there are some steps you can take to help your bloated cat at home. I would like to recommend that, in any case, you should previously consult a veterinarian on your cat’s symptoms.
Let’s take a look at five effective home remedies for bloated cats.
1. Use A Slow Feeder
It's possible that your cat is experiencing bloating due to eating too quickly, which can lead to swallowing excess air.
I know it can be really hard to figure out how to stop your cat that’s simply begging you for food, and then you observe her eating it for a second.
In this situation, a slow feeder might be an ideal solution. As PetMD explains, these are bowls created in a variety of shapes, and designated in a way to make it more difficult for a cat to get to her food.
Using a bowl like this can greatly reduce the amount of food your cat eats at one instance, and, therefore, also decrease her bloating issues.
There are also some slow feeders designated as puzzles that a cat needs to solve, which is, additionally, also a way for her to be mentally stimulated.
You can see an example of a slow feeder bowl for cats in the video below.
2. Give Your Cat More Smaller Meals
Most probably you give your cat two or three larger meals throughout the day.
Well, if she’s volatile, this kind of feeding schedule might increase the probability of bloating issues in her.
It would be good to give her more meals in a day, with smaller amounts of food, of course. These meals should be evenly spaced.
Smaller meals are less likely to stretch your cat’s stomach and cause bloating than her having two large meals on a daily basis.
It would also be useful for your cat to drink a bit of water at once, since consuming too much of water at one time can also cause her to become bloated – just like with the food.
3. Introduce More Wet Food To Your Cat’s Diet
If your cat mostly eats dry food, this could lead to dehydration and bloating in her, since she lacks moisture in her diet.
The solution here is to introduce wet food to your cat’s diet, or simply to increase its amount, if she has some of this food already as a part of her nutrition.
You might hesitate here, especially if you spend a lot of time away from home. Luckily, there are some things that might help here, such as automatic wet food feeders, for you to feed your cat wet food even when you’re not in your house.
Wet food is in general very important and necessary in your cat’s diet, since it helps keep her hydrated, and is very high in protein, which supports strong muscles in felines.
4. Eliminate Milk From Her Diet
While the image of an adorable cat sipping on a saucer of milk is a nostalgic one from our childhood television memories, it's crucial to understand that milk isn't a natural or suitable food for felines.
Not only cats don’t need milk in their diet, but it might even cause digestive problems in them, including bloating.
According to Daily Paws, cats are lactose intolerant, meaning that their systems aren’t made to be able to process milk properly, which, in many cases, results in digestive issues.
Lactose is sugar that is fermented in a cat’s gut, and might cause bloating and flatulence. Therefore, if you give your cat milk occasionally, you should stop and wait for your cat’s bloating symptoms to get better.
I believe your cat does enjoy milk and might ask you to get some of it to her. It’s important you stay consistent here and don’t give up. Even almond milk, which is nowadays used as a healthier version of cow milk, isn’t considered completely safe for felines.
If you still want to cheer your cat up with some tasty treats, and add something to her diet besides her regular cat food, you can always ask a vet for advice.
5. Give Your Cat Probiotics
Probiotics are very beneficial for a cat’s general health since they protect them against infections and illness, and might also reduce their bloating issues.
East Shore's Veterinary Hospital explains how a cat’s gut consists of both good and bad bacteria. In some situations, a cat will need probiotics to establish a well-balanced microflora.
Probiotics will boost your cat’s health and improve the quality of her gut microbiome, and, therefore, decrease the chances of symptoms such as bloating.
Before you start giving your cat certain probiotics, you might want to discuss them with your vet.
Once again, the best idea is always to consult a veterinarian before acting with everything related to your pet’s health.
Conclusion
Bloating is very uncomfortable for cats. In this situation, there is an excess amount of gas in their stomachs, which causes them to look larger than normal.
Some other symptoms might also appear, such as abdominal pain, lethargy, pale gums, and so on.
This condition can be the result of your cat eating too much or too fast, but might also indicate a more serious underlying medical problem, such as intestinal parasites, liver disease, or kidney problems.
The previously mentioned five home remedies for bloated cats are very effective and can help you decrease or even eliminate bloating symptoms in your cat.
Still, I would like to emphasize once again how important it is for you to seek a veterinarian’s help. Together with curing the problem, it’s also crucial to find out what exactly caused bloating in your cat.
