Why Does My Cat Fart When I Pick Him Up? 5 Vet-Reviewed Reasons

As much as you love your cat, there are times when they can be a little gross. Times like when they repeatedly shove their butt in your face or the way they can fart when you pick them up. While some of the cat’s less-than-desirable behaviors can’t be changed, as they’re simply feline in nature, you might be able to do something about others.

If your cat always farts when you pick them up, you’ve probably wondered why they were doing so and whether it could be stopped. A cat that always farts is experiencing excessive gas or flatulence, which can be for a few reasons. Knowing which of these reasons is the one for your cat may help you reduce the chances of this happening.

The 5 Reasons Why Cats Might Fart When You Pick Them Up

1. Dietary Related

You know how sometimes you eat something that simply doesn’t agree with your stomach. Well, the same thing can happen to your feline friend, and it could be the reason they’re farting when picked up. This could be a one-time thing if they’ve had a new treat or stolen some of your food. However, it could also be a long-term issue related to their regular cat food.

If a cat’s diet doesn’t agree with their stomach, they could experience more gassiness, as well as gastrointestinal distress. A rise in flatulence could also mean that your cat has developed a food sensitivity or allergy to a food they’ve been consuming for years. If you think your cat’s diet may be to blame, try switching them (slowly!) to a different food. Choose something with high-quality, digestible ingredients. However, if your cat has dermatitis, vomiting, and diarrhea, it is worth consulting with a vet as these are signs of a food allergy among other things.

2. Eating Habits

Sometimes, the problem isn’t the food your cat is eating but how they’re eating it. Felines who eat too fast or tend to overeat can ingest extra air that builds up until it causes flatulence. This problem has a simple fix, though.

If your cat eats too fast, you can get them a slow feeder that will help them eat far slower. If your pet tends to overeat, you may want to break their meals down into a few smaller meals a day rather than a couple of large meals. In either case, these things should help the cat to swallow less air resulting in fewer instances of farting.

3. How You Handle Them

Your cat farting when you pick them up might be entirely on you! The way you handle your cat when you’re lifting them up could be forcing air out of their body in the form of farts. This is especially true if you tend to pick your cat up by holding them around their belly. Instead of picking them up this way, try picking them up by placing one hand under the front legs and one under the back legs.

The issue might also be that you’re cuddling your cat too close to your body after you pick them up, which could cause air to move around and be released. If this is the case, loosen up your hold. Essentially, you want to avoid compressing your cat’s belly when picking them up or holding them to avoid triggering flatulence.

4. A Bad Fright

There’s no doubt about it; felines have a tendency to be skittish. And this skittishness could be why they fart when you pick them up. How so? Well, you may inadvertently be startling your cat when you try to pick them up, which could cause them to pass gas, as it isn’t entirely uncommon for kitties to fart when they get frightened. To avoid this, try to let your cat know you’re there before picking them up. Also, try not to simply scoop them up while they’re playing or sleeping. Read their body language and don’t pick them up if they thrash, pin their ears, swish their tail, scratch, or bite when you do so. These signs are your cat telling you they are uncomfortable with being held.

5. Health Issues

If your cat didn’t often fart before, but now they pass gas whenever you pick them up, there’s a good chance it could be related to a health issue. Constant gassiness is often related to gastrointestinal problems. Infections, parasites, inflammatory disorders, and cancers can affect the gastrointestinal tract and interfere with digestion, potentially leading to more farting.

If you’ve noticed a recent uptick in flatulence in your feline or signs like inappetence, weight loss, lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, or constipation, take them to the vet for a check-up.

Is Flatulence Normal in Felines?

Flatulence is perfectly normal in felines, but when it’s excessive or accompanied by other signs you should seek veterinary advice. If your cat has only recently begun farting a lot, there could be something going on with their digestive system. The same goes for if your cat’s farts have suddenly gotten much stinkier. But unless your cat seems to have excessive gas or suddenly potent farts, there’s rarely a need to be alarmed.

Why Do My Cat’s Farts Smell So Bad?

Farts never smell good, but sometimes your kitty’s farts are particularly powerful. If your cat has exceptionally stinky gas, they could be having issues with their food, whether that be a sudden allergy to something in it or just trouble digesting it. It could also indicate an underlying health issue, such as internal parasites. Again, if your cat’s gas is foul and not getting less so, contact your vet to make sure everything is alright with the cat.

Conclusion

Felines can experience flatulence for many reasons, and this isn’t uncommon. However, if you’ve noticed that your cat keeps farting when you pick them up, it’s likely because of one of the reasons mentioned here. If you can determine the reason, chances are you can reduce the amount of gas your pet has, which will lead to fewer instances of them farting when picked up.

Featured Image Credit: Veera, Shutterstock