The question seems to be pretty simple but to find the answer can be really tricky. Vets often say that cats don’t burp due to their unique anatomy that allows them to purr.
But most cat owners will agree to the fact that cats do burp. Even though most cats are slow-eaters, as compared to dogs for example, and they do chew their food, they normally swallow air between the food gulps, which is released in the form of burps.
Drinking water or milk is another way that fills their tummy with air, as these animals use their tongue while consuming any sort of liquid substance.
The tongue bends toward the animals’ chest and forms a spoon like structure to consume water. As it bends back to take the liquid inside the body, air bubbles also easily get trapped with the tongue and enter into the digestive system.
The relaxing nature of cats also makes them swallow air while licking its fur. A burp-like sound can be a signal for regurgitating a hairball or a trapped-along-exit hairball, which the cat tries to get rid of.
Once the air bubble enters the mouth, it travels down to the stomach, where it can exit by two ways: up the esophagus or down to the lower part of their body.
But still most of the vets answer the question “do cats burp?” with a big fat NO. This is because burping is a sign of heart illness, digestive system disorders and many other breathing problems like pneumonia or cough.
Cat food company consultants agree that a burp-like sound is due to an irritated intestine, which can be caused by high-protein cat food.
Sometimes, allergies can give burp-like symptoms for the small felines. When it comes to cats, burping is a common symptom for a huge variety of diseases the same way headache is for humans.
Cat breeders will provide a positive response when questioned “do cats burp?” At times when the mother cat is not in a mood to feed its little one, the owner feeds the little furry balls using a bottle.
When the babies suck the milk from the bottle, be it a human baby or a kitten, they tend to take in all the air bubbles along with the milk that are trapped in the milk bottle.
For these to come out as soon as possible, the baby should be held on the shoulder and rubbed on the back till it burps. Cat owners throughout the world know that kitten fed by milk bottles suffer from the same air trouble, so yes, it again means that cats do burp.
So the next time someone asks you this question, you can give a well-documented answer based on this article. On a serious note, if you see your feline friend burping many times a day, it would be a good idea to plan a visit to the vets just to make sure that she’s in good shape.
