Do Cats Fart? All About Flatulence in Cats

Do cats fart?

Yes, cats fart, in fact, all mammals fart. Farting, also known as flatulence refers to the expulsion of intestinal gases from the anus.

The unpleasant smell comes from intestinal gas which occurs when bacteria in the cat’s colon break down food. This gas build-up, known as endogenous gas is expelled via the anus.

While all cats fart, but excessive farting has an underlying cause that will need to be investigated.

Causes

Fillers in food: The most common reason for excessive flatulence in cats is diet-related. Cheap, poor quality foods which contain high amounts of undigestible fillers (in the form of carbohydrates) are usually to blame. Switching to a high-quality diet will often help. If you are already feeding good quality food, then another possible cause is food intolerance which is different from food allergies, as it doesn’t involve the immune system.

Sudden changes in diet: Switching diets rapidly can be a problem. Cats are sensitive to dietary changes. If you want to swap your cat from one type of food to another, do it gradually, over a few days. On day one mix 80% old food with 20% new food, day two 70% old food with 30% new food, and so on.

Table scraps: Many human foods don’t agree with cats and can lead to an upset tummy and flatulence. It is better to avoid table scraps in any case, but if you must feed them, stick to bland types of food such as cooked chicken. Don’t give your cat anything spicy or cured. It should go without saying that you should never feed your cat food that has passed its use-by date or has gone off. Cats can get sick just like humans if it’s not fit to eat, throw it in the bin.

Lactose intolerance: Nursing kittens produce the enzyme lactase in their small intestine. Lactase breaks down lactose in milk and converts it to glucose and galactose for energy. Once a cat weans, the body greatly decreases or shuts down lactase production. When a cat is no longer producing the lactase consumes milk, instead of it being broken down into glucose and galactose and absorbed into the bloodstream, it passes through the small intestine into the colon where bacteria ferment it, producing acids and gas. It is this fermentation process that leads to the typical symptoms of lactose intolerance.

Malabsorption: A condition in which there is a deficiency in the digestive tract which results in food being poorly digested which is usually due to an exocrine pancreatic deficiency (lack of pancreatic enzymes) or inflammatory bowel disease.

Parasites (worms and giardia): Parasitic worms and giardiasis are common causes of flatulence. Giardia is a single-celled protozoan that causes severe stomach upset such as foul-smelling diarrhea and flatulence. Parasitic worms may cause no symptoms at all unless the infestation is heavy.

Diagnosis

Your veterinarian will perform a physical examination of your cat and obtain a medical history, including questions about diet and nutrition and ask if the cat has any other symptoms. As we have already said, the most common cause of flatulence in cats is dietary related.

Diagnostic workup:

• Blood tests to check the overall health of your cat.
• Fecal tests to check for worms or giardia.
• Specific tests such as fTLI (feline Trypsin-Like Immunoreactivity: This test measures the concentrations of trypsin-like proteins in serum. A low level indicates EPI.
• Fecal proteolytic activity: Examination of the feces for fecal fat and fecal trypsin.
• The only way to definitively diagnose inflammatory bowel disease is with a biopsy or histopathology of the intestinal tract and looking at the types of cells found under a microscope.

Other symptoms of flatulence

You may or may not notice if your cat has flatulence, but it may be accompanied by other symptoms that are easier to spot, which include:

• Abdominal bloating
• Abdominal pain
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Rumbling stomach

Treatment and prevention

• Slowly switch your cat over to high quality, low fibre diet. Add cooked pumpkin, butter or petroleum jelly to the food if you need to add fibre to help with hairballs. Cheaper brands of foods contain high levels of fillers such as corn, which are harder to digest.
• Your cat only needs to drink water, which should be available 24/7. But if you must give the cat milk, make sure it is cat milk.
• Avoid table scraps, cats don’t need them, and many human foods can cause an upset tummy in cats as well as add excess calories to the diet.
• If you suspect a food intolerance is a cause, slowly switch to another type of food. Unfortunately, it is not possible to test for food intolerances. Your veterinarian will recommend a food elimination trial that lasts between 8 – 12 weeks. Your cat will be put on a special diet, most often a type of food he’s never had before such as rabbit or duck to see if the flatulence (and other symptoms) clear up.
• If your cat gulps down his food, feed several small meals a day instead of one or two large meals.
• Regularly worm your cat to ensure he is parasite-free.
• Giardia can cause severe diarrhea and dehydration in cats. Seek veterinary attention if the cat has diarrhea. Treatment of Giardia is antibiotics (most often Flagyl) or in some cases Fenbendazole, a medication to treat certain worm infestations.

Footnote

Once you have ruled out common dietary causes such as cat food containing high levels of fillers, food intolerance, parasites, then it is worth investigating if your cat is suffering from malabsorption disorder such as exocrine pancreatic deficiency or inflammatory bowel disease. Blood tests, fecal tests, and specialised tests will be necessary to diagnose the cause.