Common Causes of Excessive Cat Flatulence Explained

Why Do Cats Fart?

When a cat consumes food that cannot be fully digested, the undigested food is broken down by gasproducing bacteria, leading to the formation of intestinal gas. This gas accumulates in the cat's digestive tract and is eventually expelled through pressure when it reaches a certain level.

What Causes Cats to Pass Smelly Gas?

1. Eating Too Fast: Cats that eat too quickly often swallow a lot of air, which increases the amount of gas in their bellies.

Solution: If your cat tends to eat rapidly or gobbles up its food, consider using a slowfeeding bowl. If you have multiple cats at home, they might rush to eat to avoid missing out on food. Additionally, if you don't feed your cat on a regular schedule or forget to feed them, they might eat quickly out of hunger. To address this, it's advisable to separate cats for feeding and to establish a regular feeding routine to prevent overeating.

2. Poor Diet: Sudden changes in food, indigestible ingredients, allergens, or lowquality cat food can cause gastrointestinal discomfort in cats, leading to frequent smelly farts. Most cats are also lactose intolerant, so if they drink milk by mistake, they might experience frequent flatulence and even diarrhea.

Solution: When changing your cat's food, do so gradually and follow the sevenday transition method. Ensure the quality of the food and improve their diet by avoiding lowquality or substandard products. If your cat shows signs of gastrointestinal upset, consider a temporary fasting period and administer pet probiotics to help regulate their digestive system.

3. Hair Buildup in the Stomach: Cats inevitably swallow hair while grooming, and their digestive system cannot break down hair. Over time, a buildup of hair in the intestines can lead to frequent farts and, in severe cases, hairballs.

Solution: Regularly groom your cat to remove loose fur and dead hair. Also, consider feeding your cat cat grass or a hairball remedy once or twice a week to help expel hair from their system.

4. Intestinal Disorders: Frequent smelly farts in cats could be a sign of intestinal disorders. Cats with such issues often exhibit more than just flatulence, possibly suffering from constipation, diarrhea, loss of appetite, vomiting, or abdominal pain.

Solution: If you notice symptoms like constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, or a lack of energy in your cat, it's crucial to take them to a veterinarian for a proper diagnosis and treatment. Avoid selfdiagnosis and treatment to prevent further harm to your pet.

These are some of the reasons why cats might pass smelly gas frequently. While occasional farts are normal, if your cat is farting often and the smell is particularly unpleasant, it might be a sign that their digestive system is in trouble.