Do cats fart? Yes, cats do fart like other animals, such as humans and dogs, because they have similar digestive systems.
However, although cats fart like other animals, a healthy cat produces gas only in small amounts.
Most of the time, you don’t notice that your cat is passing gas because it does it quietly, and the odor is not noticeable.
Farts are caused when food passes through the digestive system, with biochemical changes associated with digestion and the activity of gut bacteria releasing gas.
The gas travels down the digestive tract and passes out through the anus.
Excessive farting could be a sign of health issues
While cats do normally fart, if your cat is producing more gas or fouler gas than usual, you may need to see your veterinarian because it could be due to an underlying health condition.
Taking note of the symptoms associated with farting could help your vet diagnose the issue.
Relevant signs include any change in the consistency of your cat’s droppings, such as loose or watery stool, bloating, vomiting, change in color, vomiting, listlessness, and discomfort.
Factors that can cause increased gas production
A sudden change in the diet: If you’ve been feeding your cat a new formulation and you suddenly change it, you may notice your cat farting more frequently and producing more gas.
The change could be due to intolerance to new ingredients or increased dietary fiber.
If your cat is farting more after recently changing its diet, you could revert to the old diet and watch to see whether the farting reverts to normal.
If you believe that the change in diet likely caused farting, you may reintroduce the new diet more slowly or gradually to allow your pet time to adjust.
Excessive plant fiber or carbs: Cats are carnivorous animals. Thus, their systems are better at digesting low residue high protein animal products.
Plant-based foods have a higher proportion of indigestible components. That means that more food passes undigested from the small intestine into the large intestine, where bacteria act on it to produce foul-smelling gas containing higher concentrations of hydrogen sulfide.
A formulation including more plant material (including legumes) has more fiber and carbs. It could lead to bloating and the production of more foul-smelling gas.
Some cats are also sensitive to some proteins.
Digestive health issues: Potential causes of increased farting include infestation of the digestive tract, or bacterial or viral infection. Farting could also be due to disgestive issues, such as malabsorption, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and imbalances in the gut flora.
Your veterinarian will ask questions about your pet’s symptoms and conduct a physical examination to search for clues.
He could also order tests and prescribe medication to reduce or alleviate the disturbing symptoms.