{"id":1764,"date":"2025-05-15T11:06:14","date_gmt":"2025-05-15T11:06:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tailspolis.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/15\/why-does-my-cat-fart-when-i-pick-him-up-5-vet-reviewed-reasons\/"},"modified":"2025-05-15T11:06:14","modified_gmt":"2025-05-15T11:06:14","slug":"why-does-my-cat-fart-when-i-pick-him-up-5-vet-reviewed-reasons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tailspolis.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/15\/why-does-my-cat-fart-when-i-pick-him-up-5-vet-reviewed-reasons\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Does My Cat Fart When I Pick Him Up? 5 Vet-Reviewed Reasons"},"content":{"rendered":"
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VET APPROVED<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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REVIEWED & FACT-CHECKED BY <\/p>\n

Dr. Ashley Darby <\/p>\n

Veterinarian, BVSc <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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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\u2019s less-than-desirable behaviors can\u2019t be changed, as they\u2019re simply feline in nature, you might be able to do something about others.<\/p>\n

If your cat always farts when you pick them up, you\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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The 5 Reasons Why Cats Might Fart When You Pick Them Up<\/span><\/h2>\n

1. Dietary Related<\/span><\/h3>\n

You know how sometimes you eat something that simply doesn\u2019t agree with your stomach. Well, the same thing can happen to your feline friend, and it could be the reason they\u2019re farting when picked up. This could be a one-time thing if they\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n

If a cat\u2019s diet doesn\u2019t 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\u2019ve been consuming for years. If you think your cat\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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2. Eating Habits<\/span><\/h3>\n

Sometimes, the problem isn\u2019t the food your cat is eating but how they\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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3. How You Handle Them<\/span><\/h3>\n

Your cat farting when you pick them up might be entirely on you! The way you handle your cat when you\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n

The issue might also be that you\u2019re 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\u2019s belly when picking them up or holding them to avoid triggering flatulence.<\/p>\n

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4. A Bad Fright<\/span><\/h3>\n

There\u2019s 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\u2019t entirely uncommon for kitties to fart when they get frightened. To avoid this, try to let your cat know you\u2019re there before picking them up. Also, try not to simply scoop them up while they\u2019re playing or sleeping. Read their body language and don\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

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5. Health Issues<\/span><\/h3>\n

If your cat didn\u2019t often fart before, but now they pass gas whenever you pick them up, there\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Is Flatulence Normal in Felines?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Flatulence is perfectly normal in felines, but when it\u2019s 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\u2019s farts have suddenly gotten much stinkier. But unless your cat seems to have excessive gas or suddenly potent farts, there\u2019s rarely a need to be alarmed.<\/p>\n

Why Do My Cat\u2019s Farts Smell So Bad?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Farts never smell good, but sometimes your kitty\u2019s 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\u2019s gas is foul and not getting less so, contact your vet to make sure everything is alright with the cat.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/span><\/h2>\n

Felines can experience flatulence for many reasons, and this isn\u2019t uncommon. However, if you\u2019ve noticed that your cat keeps farting when you pick them up, it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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<\/span>Sources<\/div>\n
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  • VCA<\/li>\n
  • Vetster<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    Featured Image Credit: Veera, Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

    This post appeared first on catster.co<\/div>\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    VET APPROVED REVIEWED & FACT-CHECKED BY Dr. Ashley Darby Veterinarian, BVSc 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\u2019s <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1765,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1764","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cats-health"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tailspolis.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1764","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tailspolis.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tailspolis.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tailspolis.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tailspolis.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1764"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tailspolis.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1764\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tailspolis.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1765"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tailspolis.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1764"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tailspolis.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1764"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tailspolis.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1764"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}