I have a 11 week old kitten and over the past few weeks we've noticed that he's developed a really noticeable pot belly. His breeder had been worming him and he's been to the vets twice with us...once a few days after we got him for an initial health check etc and the 2nd for his first set of vaccinations a few weeks ago and the vet could find nothing wrong with him expect for the inside of his eyelids which were a bit red, which she gave us drops for. I mentioned to her that he had sneezed a few times but she didn’t seem to concerned by this and said that he might have a virus in him that some kittens are born with or just the change in environment…different dust etc?! She said we should start worming him again after his 2nd set of vacs

So today I've been reading up on what pot bellies and sneezing can be symptoms of and apart from pot bellies being a symptom of worms I’ve read that both can be symptoms of FIP which had not got me completely worried. What should I do? (he's due back to the vets in a week for his 2nd vac's)

Thanks

Hi firstly you only have the breeders word that he has been wormed,i personally would have wormed him when i got him to be on the safe side,if he had a bad worm infection i would have thought you would have seen something in the tray.

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(formally clare7577)

If your worried take him back for a check up, if hes otherwise well i doubt its fip.

Thanks for your replies. He's our first cat so we're still learning and just went by the breeder & our vets advice in regards to the worming.

Other than the pot belly and sneezing perhaps once every few hrs he seems fine. Eyes are clear, he's eating and drinking and going to the loo. I can't see anything abnormal with his poop either |(not a funny colour/soft/anything in it etc)

Should I buy some worming tomorrow and worm him just in case? If he does have worms will it kill them or just stop him getting anymore?

Thanks

If he's only 11 weeks old now, and you've had him a few weeks, he must have been young leaving home, how often did the breeder worm before he left, and what did she use? If it was only once, and if s/he used stuff from off the shelf in the petshop or supermarket it wouldn't have had much effect at all. Kittens this age need worming regularly. Did the vet discuss gaps for worming? If he's got an obvious 'pot' it would be the first thing I'd try, but with proper wormer, panacur paste, or milbemax kitten tablets [the tablets can be given if he weighs more than 500g and are much easier to get down him than the panacur . ]
Why not ring your vet [they don't charge for phone discussions usually] and ask if it's a good idea to reworm, and if they can put something aside for you to go in and collect? You'll have this week then to see if it makes any difference before he goes back for his jab?
If you think he is unwell though, off food, nasty poos, or lethargic then you need to talk to the vet about it or take him back in to be seen.

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Be worth worming him again but possibly also try changing his litter - may be litter is a little "dusty" and he may be better with a different kind.

Have another chat with the breeder too - they should be willing to help and advise. Ideally if he is a pedigree from a registered breeder he shouldn't have gone to his new home until a week after his last vaccination and he was 13 weeks old.

Hi Little Miss k,wouldn't start internet reading on feline illnesses otherwise you'll have your cat dead n buried from all sorts and drive yourself demented,if you really are worried you could ask for blood tests for such things

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I'm not a vet but have lots of cat experience.If your kitten has worms,(there's many different kinds of worms) She would prob Lose weight,also depending on what type of worm it was ,she would eat alot,or very little,vomiting...all sorts.Diarreha,or most common,u could see the worms in her poop.It could be worms,or blockagfe of some sort.That sucks!poor kitty.I guess deworming would be good in case,but whatever it is,best to do it A.S.A.P because it could lead to some serious damage whatever the case! Good Luck!!

P.S Try feeding your kitty aswell, an EVO, EaglePack,or Orijen diet.