# spaying and droopy stomach (cats)



## Nancy_in_GA (Oct 20, 2004)

I've had only 2 female cats in my life. Had both spayed---one at about 2 years old and one at about 6 months. Both were abandoned at my house, so I don't know the exact age. Neither was pregnant at the time. Two different vets.

Both developed a permanent sagging stomach after recovering from the operation. Skin hangs down and flops back and forth when they run. Both cats were kept inside and not allowed to jump for 10 days post-op. 

Have you ever heard of this being a complication of spaying? 

I've read that it can be a genetic trait, but the 2yo had already had two litters of kittens and did not have the stomach before. When does it show up if it's genetic?

Nancy


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## Betho (Dec 27, 2006)

I dunno, but my neutered male cat also has that empty skin "belly" that sags down... don't know if that helps


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## Songbird (Apr 2, 2006)

My neutered male cat has the saggy stomach too, but my other neutered male cats don't have it and either does my female spayed cat. Puzzling, isn't it!


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## TedH71 (Jan 19, 2003)

Sagging stomach is a sign that your cat is eating too much or not exercising enough. Cats energy level drops when they are older just like humans then they start gaining weight like humans


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## Willowynd (Mar 27, 2005)

My neutered male has it. The female Himi I had that was spayed at 4 yrs old did not have it.


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

I have noticed it on lions too...pictures/tv...not in person


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## Ardie/WI (May 10, 2002)

My cats have that too and it isn't food amount related that I can see.

So far Schnitzel, a male, about a year old, doesn't have it. He is a very active cat...on the go constantly. He also eats like a pig.


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## Nancy_in_GA (Oct 20, 2004)

Thanks for the information. Maybe it is genetic then since the males have it, too. Just odd to me that one showed this first at 2 yrs and the other at 6-8 months. 

I guess a droopy stomach is not the best way to describe it. It's more like a bunch of loose skin hanging down.

The 2 year cat was a very picky eater, never fat, weighed pretty constant at 6.7-7.1 pounds, lived to be 16 (at least). The one that was spayed at 6 mos is now nearly 2 years old. She will eat anything, so we have to watch how much we give her.

I just thought maybe it was something I did wrong in post op. Maybe they were jumping around while I wasn't looking and tore something loose.

Guess it doesn't hurt them any. It just looks painful.


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## RandB (Aug 13, 2002)

I remember reading somewhere, that all cats have fat "pads" in that belly area. That is where the fat goes, if they have it. I have an older spayed female who has that "saggy" look, too. I think it is a sign of a little too much food, and mostly not enough exercise. When this current cat used to live outdoors all the time, she didn't have it, but now that she is mostly in the house, plus she is pretty old, she does have it. Years ago we had 2 female sister cats, one had the "fat pads", her sister didn't. The one who had it, was a less active cat than her sister. I think it is kind of like humans, who will gain weight around the middle as they age, and sometimes it is kind of saggy! It doesn't seem to hurt the cats any.


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## YodelDogs (May 25, 2007)

I have 2 neutered males and 2 spayed female cats and none of them have droppy bellies. Mine are strictly indoor cats but they are very active and run, jump onto and over things, and climb alot. I have had altered cats in the past, some who had droopy bellies though most didn't. I really think it is an individual cat thing.


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## suezpenguin (Feb 6, 2016)

I have 4 female cats and all 4 are spay, 2 by the Spay & Neuter Clinic and 2 by an individual vet. The 2 from the Spay & Neuter Clinic have saggy bellies, but the 2 from the private vet do not. I really think it has to do with how active the cat is after healing. If they remain fairly active then they maintain a trim physique, if the are more sedentary then they will gain weight and become flabby where the incision is because the muscle was cut and is not as strong.


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## GG (Jan 9, 2007)

http://news.petmeds.com/news/common-pet-conditions/why-do-many-cats-have-a-saggy-belly/ (and many other links - just Google the term)

"The technical term for this flap of skin and fat, which often feels like a half-full water balloon, is the 'primordial pouch,' and you can also observe this feature on some big cats like lions and tigers. This bit of loose skin and padding at the belly provides extra protection and insulation to your cat during fights when a cat&#8217;s practice of &#8220;bunny kicking&#8221; with the rear paws could result in severe abdominal injury to their opponent. In fact, cats have excess skin covering the entire body which helps them squirm out of the grasp of other predators.

Another function of the abdominal flap is to allow the cat freedom of movement to fully stretch and extend the back legs when in full stride. It&#8217;s also theorized that in our cats&#8217; wild ancestors, the flap allowed the stomach to stretch to hold extra food when necessary, such as when gorging after a large kill in the wild.

A visible primordial pouch is actually a part of the breed standard for certain cat breeds such as the Bengal and the Pixie Bob. The size and appearance of the primordial pouch varies quite a bit amongst cats."


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

I have a belly pouch and I&#8217;ve never been spayed.


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

GG said:


> http://news.petmeds.com/news/common-pet-conditions/why-do-many-cats-have-a-saggy-belly/ (and many other links - just Google the term)
> 
> "The technical term for this flap of skin and fat, which often feels like a half-full water balloon, is the 'primordial pouch,' and you can also observe this feature on some big cats like lions and tigers. This bit of loose skin and padding at the belly provides extra protection and insulation to your cat during fights when a catâs practice of âbunny kickingâ with the rear paws could result in severe abdominal injury to their opponent. In fact, cats have excess skin covering the entire body which helps them squirm out of the grasp of other predators.
> 
> ...


Hey, thanks for this info! My male cat George has one and it's never made sense that it was fat and it didn't coincide with neutering. Glad to know what it really is. We live in moose country and moose have "bells" hanging under their chins that remind us of the pouches so we've always called George's pouch, his bell.


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## secuono (Sep 28, 2011)

My cats aren't fat or over fed. 
One kitten was spayed real young, 6wks, had no droop, but soon developed one. It's actually 2 hard-ish fat pads now, really weird and kinda gross. She is super active, like a collie dog! Zooming around the house like a firecracker. 
Our other cat was spayed around 4mo old and is now 5 or 6yrs old, lazy cat, gained a pound now that she has a friend again. She has a slight droop, not terribly noticeable, but if you'd look at a cat with no droop and then her, you'd spot it. She was sleeping 20hrs a day before, with her new friend, she sleeps about 18hrs and plays on and off with the other cat. 

I always thought it was because of the surgery. We both have had other cats in the past, DH and I, none were fixed, none had any droop at all, nice and tight is the best way to put it. Two were males, 3 were females.
Had a neighbor once spay their old cat, fit and healthy with no sag before, just a couple weeks later, she developed a droop. Cat still ran around, ate the same, outside cat that was fed where we could see, nothing other than being fixed had changed.


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## suezpenguin (Feb 6, 2016)

While a Primordial pooch can be caused by spaying a female, it can also have to do with the elasticity of the skin in that area. If the cat is young and active after being spay or neutered then the skin will remain tight (it also can have something to do with the breed, as others have mentioned). BUT if your cat becomes more sedentary then they more than likely will develop a pooch either due to slow down after surgery or age. Some cats, such as Bengals tend to be very active no matter the age or whether they have had surgery or not, and may not develop a pooch..while others such as your average Tabby or persian which are low activity, might develop it sooner.


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

suezpenguin said:


> While a Primordial pooch can be caused by spaying a female, it can also have to do with the elasticity of the skin in that area. If the cat is young and active after being spay or neutered then the skin will remain tight (it also can have something to do with the breed, as others have mentioned). BUT if your cat becomes more sedentary then they more than likely will develop a pooch either due to slow down after surgery or age. Some cats, such as Bengals tend to be very active no matter the age or whether they have had surgery or not, and may not develop a pooch..while others such as your average Tabby or persian which are low activity, might develop it sooner.


Do you have a link for this info or is it just your opinion? My very active cat has the pouch and the lazy one does not. Both were spayed/neutered young.


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## My2butterflies (Jan 17, 2015)

My fixed male has a saggy stomach. He is still pretty active, but no matter how hard I try he always finds food to eat other then his assigned meals I think it's the high protein ferret food keeping him chubby. Dang boy finds any way he can to steal it from their dish. 

Yet my un-neutered male cat has no pooch at all, eats just as much(also a ferret food thief) and is pretty lazy for a cat just over a year old. I kinda think it's a "fixing" issue.


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