24
Feb
You might not be able to see it if youre looking downwards at your cat. It is also exceedingly common that cats have a belly of thick skin that hangs down below them as they walk at times even swaying.
The flap is on the underside of the belly.
Cat belly hanging down. A hanging belly on your cat can be one of these things makes you wonder if your cat is healthy but there is not reason for you to be alarmed about a cat that has a stomach that hangs. Your cats saggy belly is known as the primordial pouch. It is an excess layer of skin and fat that is in front of your cats hind legs.
A cats primordial belly can be more noticeable when they walk or. So why does a cat have a hanging belly. Cats naturally develop a hanging belly over time typically around the age when they become fully mature.
This loose skin is just a natural part of your cats anatomy and it is officially referred to as the primordial pouch. That pouch of hanging skin and fat serves a lot of purpose for cats. Your cats belly doesnt jiggle as it walks because the extra fat is keeping the skin taut.
A cat with a saggy primordial pouch will wobble from side to side. Minimal fat is contained in the pouch. If you look down at your cat you wont see the primordial pouch because it hangs from the underside of the belly.
Why Does a Cats Belly Hang. Its the Pouch not a Pooch. So remember if your cat has a pronounced hanging belly that flops from sided to side whenever she moves its not a pooch its a pouch.
Thats the real answer to. Why does a cats belly hang. So enjoy your cat with no worries.
Hang loose just like your cats pouch. The loose hanging skin on a cats belly is simply a natural part of a cats anatomy sometimes called the apron or as in the following article the primordial pouch. This is more prominent on some cats than others and can become more obvious in.
Some cat owners have hypothesized that spaying or neutering a cat is what causes this saggy belly but thats not the truth. Cats can however develop post-neuterspay fat pads around the area of their incision. Which can in turn cause a small portion of their body fat.
It is completely normal for a cat to have a primordial pouch which must be differentiated from a hanging belly due to obesity. If you have any concerns about the size or shape of your cats belly speak to a veterinarian. One common myth is that this excess flab develops soon after neutering or spaying but if you look at large cats in the wild youll realise that this is not the case at all.
Many of the big cats also sport excess layers of skin flapping about on their underbelly. The technical term for this extra layer of sagging skin is the primordial pouch. My Flo has a saggy sort of tummy too - like a little furry bag hanging down from her belly and I assumed that was a girl-cat thing although shes not overweight.
Ill post a recent pic of her for you so you can see what I mean - when I can work out how to download from my camera onto my new netbook. If you do rub the cat belly you might betray the sacred trust between you and your kitty. Before you get anywhere near your cats stomach be sure you know each other very well.
Stay attuned to. Is a hanging belly a sign that your cat is obese. The presence of the primordial flap is not an indicator that your pet has put on weight.
Again most cats including the skinny ones have primordial pouches. If so how do you know if your cat is obese. First the primordial pouch is a loose skin flap.
You will see it jiggle as your cat walks. Dont freak out if your cat starts getting a saggy belly. Its a natural part of most cats anatomy.
Trust me if your cat was overweight it wouldnt be just his underbelly that started to swell. Its easier to tell with female cats if theyre overweight or not since theyre generally smaller but what about male cats. This sizing chart gives us an idea of what an overweight cat looks like.
Thats a great question. I work with a breed of cat that also has the hanging belly skin. This is a fat pad called the greater omentum and is extremely visable on many breeds of cats.
With the ragdoll breed you start seeing it anytime from the age of about 6 months to 2 years. Not all of them develop the greater omentum but most do. This tends to jiggle from side to side as your cat walks.
An obese cats belly wont jiggle though since the extra fat stretches the skin taut. The flap is on the underside of the belly. You might not be able to see it if youre looking downwards at your cat.
If your cats obese though itll be rounder overall. A swollen belly is always a cause for concern and your cat should be seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible. Several health conditions including heart failure severe infections cancer and hemorrhage can result in fluid buildup in the abdomen.
These are all serious and life-threatening problems. A lot easier to remember and say than a primordial pouch so most people end up just referring to their cats hanging tummies as aprons. Do Cats Get Saggy Tummies from Being Neutered.
This is probably the most common misconception about that excess skin that cats have hanging from their underside. It may happen as a coincidence but its not as a result of being neutered. The belly is exposed and tail curled or flopped down nearby.
The belly-up position means that the cat feels safe and secure in its environment. A cats stomach is one of the most vulnerable parts of its body so flaunting it while sleeping is a way of saying I trust you. Have you ever noticed that many cats even those that dont seem to be particularly overweight develop a saggy hanging belly.
Unlike most dogs that generally have firm bellies this pouch of saggy skin just in front of the rear legs is common in cats and can often be seen swinging merrily from side to side as the cat trots along. I just felt under my cats belly and found flab hanging down close to his hind legs. I usually rub his belly when he lies down but I never felt this before.
Ask Your Own Cat Veterinary Question. The in-a-box cat sleeping position is just like it sounds when your cat finds a box and puts their feet and lower body inside with their head sticking out. Cats get comfort and security from enclosed spaces as well as tactile stimulation which is why they love cuddling up inside of boxes sinks dresser drawers and other tight spaces.
Joined Nov 30 2004. 2 Apr 13 2006. Only show this user.
If this hanging belly is down in the navel area its just whats often called a fat pad or a fat sack and is perfectly normal. Some theorize it happens to cats that have been spayed but Ive seen it on male cats as well. In addition a cat that has lost a significant amount of weight in a short amount of time will likely have saggy skin and in extreme cases may benefit from excess skin removal surgery.
It is also exceedingly common that cats have a belly of thick skin that hangs down below them as they walk at times even swaying. Protection During Cat Fights. The abdomen is a very vulnerable area because injury can cause severe damage to the delicate organs located there.
Having that loose skin provides extra protection during a fight in case the opponent engages in bunny kicking by raking his hind claws down the other cats stomach.