Can Cats Burp? (When? Why?)

If a cat burping seems odd to you, that’s because it is. Cats don’t do it often because of their anatomy, but occasional burping doesn’t pose a threat.

However, even such a seemingly minor and at times funny thing as burping can indicate severe health issues.

Cat owners who notice that their cat burps must pay close attention to other symptoms and seek veterinary help if they suspect burping is abnormal.

Is It Normal For a Cat To Burp?

To answer whether cats can burp, we should first define how burping occurs. Burping is a body’s way of expelling excess air from the digestive tract. Therefore, yes, pretty much any animal can sometimes burp, including cats.

But is burping ok for cats? In short, no, it isn’t. While humans burp routinely after eating a large meal or drinking sparkling soda, healthy cats don’t usually burp. That’s because cats mainly breathe through their nose rather than their mouth.

Due to such anatomy, excess air rarely enters a cat’s gastroenteric tract, and burping doesn’t occur often. Still, it may happen. The owner should watch out for burping frequency. For instance, some highly voracious cats may eat too fast and swallow too much air.

If the owner only notices burping once in a while, there’s most likely nothing to worry about. However, frequent burping signals health issues and requires treatment. Now, you may wonder – how often do healthy cats burp?

If a cat only burps once a week or rarer, the root of the issue likely lies in their eating habits rather than health issues. However, if a cat burps daily or every couple of days, the owner should get worried and define the reasons.

Eating Too Fast

We’ve defined that one of the least troubling causes of burping in cats is eating too fast, which leads to swallowing too much air that later escapes the digestive tract through burping.

If you suspect that’s the issue with your pet, you should know how to prevent a cat from eating too fast. The first step is defining the reasons for a cat eating too fast.

Maybe being always hungry is the cat’s personality trait. Perhaps the cat shares the bowl with other animals and is afraid there will be no food left. Or, maybe the bowl is too deep and unconventional for the cat.

If you have multiple cats, get an individual food and water bowl for each pet and keep them separate. Teach the cats to eat from their own bowl and see whether the burping issue persists.

In other cases, try to change the bowl. Get a shallower, broader bowl to make your cat move around more while eating. You may also try bowls with obstacles – you can find such bowls in pet stores.

Alternatively, place a non-edible obstacle into the cat’s regular bowl to force them to eat around the object, thus slowing down. However, make sure the thing isn’t too small, or the cat may accidentally swallow it.

Lastly, try to switch from dry food to wet food. Dry food absorbs water and expands in the stomach, causing burping in cats prone to overeating.

Respiratory Noises

Sometimes, cat owners confuse burping with other odd respiratory noises. Make sure that your cat isn’t gaging, wheezing, doesn’t suffer from nasal congestion, or doesn’t try to get rid of a hairball.

Like humans, cats can suffer from asthma, allergies, colds, and respiratory infections. Cats may also make odd noises when stressed or have swallowed a foreign object.

Pay attention to other symptoms and noises your cat makes. Ensure that the cat doesn’t have a runny nose, trouble breathing, or teary eyes. A sick cat may refuse to eat or play.

Esophagitis

Esophagitis is a common cause of burping in cats. Esophagitis is the inflammation of the esophagus, a muscular tube that transports food from the mouth to the cat’s stomach.

Typically, esophagitis isn’t an independent condition but rather a symptom of other, more severe illnesses. Acid reflux often leads to esophagitis. It occurs when a cat’s stomach acids necessary for digestion get into the esophageal canal and irritate the tissues.

Some cats are born with congenital esophageal abnormalities; others may develop from them due to anesthesia and incorrect diet. Owners suspecting esophagitis in their cats must seek veterinary help because the condition may lead to complications, including aspiration pneumonia.

So, how to spot esophagitis in cats? Pay attention to other symptoms apart from burping, including increased swallowing motions or difficulty swallowing, poor appetite, weight loss, fever, coughing, reluctance to play, and pain when you touch the neck.

Note that symptoms don’t typically manifest simultaneously, so don’t wait until you notice severe fever, weight loss, and pneumonia.

Esophagitis treatment for cats depends on the causes and the pet’s condition. If the condition isn’t critical and is caused by acid reflux, esophagitis can be treated a home by taking prescribed medications and changing the diet.

However, if a foreign object causes esophagitis, a vet will need to remove it using endoscopy. If the cat suffers from pneumonia, it may require hospitalization and extensive treatment. The good news is that typically, cats with esophagitis recover fully.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory bowel disease in cats or shortly IBD can manifest in numerous symptoms, including burping. IBD is the chronic inflammation of the digestive tract, causing the tract’s walls to thicken and disrupting food digestion.

The causes of IBD in cats aren’t certain. Most likely, the condition is caused by a combination of incorrect diet, environmental factors, poor immune system reaction, and bacterial populations in the digestive tract.

So, how do you know that IBD is the cause of burping in your cat? Pay attention to other symptoms. They may include weight loss, diarrhea, vomiting, red blood in stool, flatulence, and distressed coat hair.

If you suspect your cat may have an inflammatory bowel disease, bring them to the vet to make an X-ray, urine analysis, blood analysis, and biochemistry profile.

If the vet diagnoses your cat with IBD, they will most likely recommend you start treatment by changing the cat’s diet and giving it the prescribed medication.

Unfortunately, there’s no cure for IBD; the condition is chronic. However, cats with IBD can live a long and happy life with proper care.

Hairballs

Sometimes, a cat’s burping may not be actual burping, but an attempt to gag a hairball stuck in the digestive system. Hairballs in cats are natural, especially among long-haired cats, despite being unpleasant for the owners.

However, a healthy cat should gag a hairball without issue. If you notice burping, retching, or hacking without producing a hairball, constipation or diarrhea, or lack of appetite, you may need to bring the poor creature to a vet.

Alternatively, try at-home remedies such as natural laxatives and hairball formulas. Regular grooming also helps to reduce hairballs because it removes excess fur that would otherwise end up in the cat’s digestive tract.

Food Allergy

Have you recently changed your cat’s diet? The chances are that your pet has a food allergy. Sometimes, burping is the only symptom, but allergies may also manifest with skin inflammation, sneezing, diarrhea, and vomiting.

Try to switch to the cat’s previous food and see whether the problem persists. Don’t switch the cat to a new food brand if you don’t know which ingredient causes allergy.

How To Deal With Burping at Home

Now that you’re familiar with the reasons a cat burps, you may wonder how to deal with burping in cats.

If you don’t notice any abnormalities apart from burping, change your cat’s bowl for a broader one or place an obstacle in it to slow down the eating. Wait for a couple of days and see whether the issue persists.

Even if you think that burping isn’t severe, try to record it on a video and show it to a vet. Visiting a vet is always stressful for cats, which may cause even more burping if the cause is an inflammatory bowel disease.

A vet will likely be able to determine whether your cat really burps or makes a different sound and whether a visit is necessary.

You should also restrict your cat’s diet. Don’t let them eat anything apart from their dry or wet food, especially don’t give them human food. A cat should not eat chocolate, peanut butter, or cheese.

Keep an eye on the cat’s portions. Feed them three times a day in smaller servings rather than pour a lot of food in the morning in one go.

When To See a Vet

Home burping treatments for cats only help when the cause is fast eating or hairballs. If you notice any other symptoms apart from burping or the burping is uncontrollable, visit a vet.

Note all abnormalities in your cat’s behavior to help the vet diagnose your pet. Write down how often they burp, what they do before that and afterward, and any recent changes in their diet, medications, or environment.

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