Yes, friends, yes. Cats also have a navel, although it is not easy to distinguish it, especially if it is of a breed with hair. It is through this part of the body that the body of the future mother cat can feed the little ones that are growing inside her. When it stops, the cat cuts the umbilical cord, and in doing so all the blood vessels that, until recently, kept the kittens alive in the mother's uterus, break, and the opening through which they passed closes quickly to prevent the entry of viruses, bacteria and fungi that could endanger the health of the little ones.
If all goes as expected, this opening will close well and quickly; otherwise the little ones will end up with a hernia. If that has been the case with your friend, this time I will explain why does my cat have an umbilical hernia, and what you should do to treat it.
What are umbilical hernias?
These hernias present at the time of birth. When the umbilical opening does not close completely, or takes a long time to do so, it communicates with the abdominal cavity through the wall of the same. Thus, it can be herniated fat, forgive o pieces of intestine.
How do I know that my cat has an umbilical hernia?
The only way to know is by looking for them. You will see that, a little above his genital area, he will have a kind of »lump», Which can be more or less great depending on the difficulty that the umbilical opening has had in closing.
It's bad?
If they are small in most cases they are not serious, but if they are large there is a risk that it will end up seriously affecting an organ, endangering the life of the cat. So, the best thing to do is take him to the vet for you to examine.
Which is the treatment?
The treatment is surgical. The veterinary professional will reintroduce the herniated content into the abdominal cavity and will close the umbilical opening to prevent said content from coming out again.
Umbilical hernias must be examined; otherwise we could endanger the life of our friend.
I had that problem with a newborn kitten, it looked like a tiny lump in the navel area, the size of a baby pea split in half. The next day he grew a little more and I took him to the vet worried. The diagnosis was that it was like fat that had come out of her abdomen when the umbilical cord duct did not close properly.
The vet said it was not very important, that sometimes it happened and they would heal themselves. He prescribed an antibiotic just in case and that's it.
In a few days it disappeared and everything was perfect, as if there had never been anything there. But before I had some setback. Her baby brothers thought she was another "nipple" and they sucked her belly button !!! Of course, that's why it grew so much from one day to the next. I was watching that they did not do it again. He kept the area clean and disinfected (serve alcohol or hydrogen peroxide diluted with water so that it does not sting) and slightly pressed the lump inwards so that the "mass" remained inside while that internal hole was closed / decreased.
By the way, speaking of antibiotics, my cat was once prescribed an antibiotic in pill form. It was almost impossible for him to take it, of course not whole, and crumbled with food, water / syringe without a needle, or in any way, and when he managed to ingest a little, it gave him such disgust that his mouth was all salivary foam, a horror for the cat and for me because of the torture I went through.
When you have to use an antibiotic, because a wound has become infected (that is, it has pus and the area is red and swollen), or a pimple has appeared on the lip (I have one that sometimes happens, it is from some feed, I think I know which one and I don't buy it anymore, it was hard for me to know because I usually mix them so they don't get bored) use «Amoxicillin with clavulanic acid» the brand «Augmentin powder» for babies is great, it smells like strawberry and they don't have any I am hesitant to eat it along with wet canned food. You spread a little of that powder on it as if it were salt (very little) and you will see the results.
My advice is based on my own experience with animals, I am not a veterinarian, you have to act with caution when dealing with medications and their doses that have to be very low. And as an example are the dangerous painkillers such as Paracetamol / Gelocatyl, Aspirin and everything that seems to be pure poison for cats, they die if they ingest them and are not treated in time.
Hello, I have a newborn kitten and it has a hole in its chin. I don't know how it is cured. I'm afraid that I can do it, and apart from its tummy on the umbilical cord it is swollen. What can I do?
Hi Fabiana.
I recommend you take him to the vet. I am not.
In case there is not in your area, I advise you to consult with those of barkibu.es
I hope you get better soon.
A greeting.
Hello, my cat was castrated, then she had a hernia, they operated on her and again she had a hernia, so that she no longer has a mesh, or what can be done
Hello Miriam.
I am sorry but we cannot help you, as we are not vets. I recommend you consult with one, the same one who operated it or another, to tell you exactly what you can do.
Greetings.