Have you ever tried looking for belly buttons on your cats? Did you have any luck? Probably no.
Having no luck locating their cats’ belly button, after looking for hours, many cat owners may wonder: Do cats have belly button? Do cats have an innie or outie?
Before we get to that, have you ever tried locating nipples on your male cat?
What? Do male cats have nipples? Really?
Yes, male cats do have nipples—just like male humans. But unlike humans, male cat nipples are not much visible, they are concealed by fur.
Coming back to the topic, let’s discuss what a belly button is, how it is made, and do cats have belly button or not?
What Is a Belly Button?
Scientifically known as the umbilicus, the belly button is the point where all the blood vessels are attached from the mother to the baby kitten.
When a baby is born—a human baby or a kitten—an umbilical cord is attached from the baby to the mother. Inside this umbilical cord are blood vessels delivering oxygenated blood to the fetus, providing the nutrients, and removing waste products. Inside the mother’s womb, the umbilical cord is acting as life support for the baby. Each kitten in the litter would have a cord of its own.
Till few minutes after birth, baby kittens continue to receive oxygen and nutrients through the attached umbilical cord from their mothers. But as the kitten give the first meow, the umbilical cord is no more needed—the kitten has started taking oxygen on her own. After this, blood flow through the cord will stop and it will begin to dry off.
Should I Cut the Umbilical Cord?
Reading that the umbilical cord is no further needed, you must be thinking that you can cut it and detach the kitten from the mother. Well, you should not intervene to cut the cord. Let the mother cat do her own thing—she will cut the cord herself by continuously licking it until it falls off.
However, the cord may stay attached to the kittens. Many cat owners are tempted to intervene, but vets suggest that we let it run its course—the cord will start drying up and will eventually fall off on its own in 1 to 5 days. If it does not fall off on its own and the mother cat seems ignorant of the cord attached, you should intervene and cut it off.
How to Cut Kitten Umbilical Cord?You need to be very careful while cutting the kitten’s cord. It would be best if you tied a knot half an inch from your kitten’s belly and half an inch from the mother cat’s belly and then cut it between the two knots, using a scissor—sterilized scissor. After cutting the cord, you should apply some antiseptic solution to the kitten’s end of the cord. Last but not least, you should make sure that the cord attached to the kitten is so short that the mother cat does not think she needs to chew on it.
How Is the Belly Button Formed?
When the cord is detached from the kitten’s body, a small slit-like scar is left on the kitten’s body. This scar is your cat’s belly button.
Don’t confuse cat spay scar with belly button
The belly button—scar-like structure left behind on the detachment of the umbilical cord—is quite similar to the spay scar that is around the region of the belly button on the cat’s belly. Let alone pet owners, even seasoned vets often confuse it with a spay scar. This is the reason that many vets have started tattooing spayed cats so that vets could tell if the scar is a belly button or a spay scar.
Do Cats Have Belly Button?
Yes, cats do have a belly button.
It has become obvious that cats do have a belly button that is formed at the place where the umbilical cord was attached, from the above discussion. By now, you would also know that, unlike in humans, cats’ belly button is like a scar—a small slit-like scar.
Do Cats Have an Innie or Outie?
Do cats have belly button? Yes. Now that we know cats do have belly buttons. But is it an innie or outie?
While humans have both innies and outies, there is just a tiny slit-like scar in cats, as mentioned above.
Umbilical Hernia in Cats
But in some cats, you may see an outward protruding, looking like an outie. One may think that it is totally normal for their cat to have an outie like them, but this is not normal. It is your cue to take your cat to the vet. Your cat probably has a small hernia—an umbilical hernia.
We know this sounds frightening, but there is no need to panic. While sometimes, small hernia protruding close on its own when your cat reaches the age of 6 months, in other cases, if the hernia is small, there is no need for surgery. However, if the umbilical hernia in the kitten seems to be growing larger, the vet will have to perform the surgery.
· Uncomplicated Umbilical Hernia: This is the presence of a small swelling without any of the abdominal cavity protruding through the naval. This is nothing to worry about.
· Complicated Umbilical Hernia: In a complicated hernia, there is some abdominal cavity such as the intestine poking through the navel. This is very concerning and may require immediate surgery for its removal.
Where Is the Cat’s Belly Button Located?
Getting your answer to do cats have a belly button, you must be anxiously looking for it on your cat.
Did you have no luck? Were you not able to locate your cat’s belly button? Well, let’s tell you where it is exactly located.
It is located right below the ribcage and between the nipples—cat nipples are organized in two rows (to know more about male cat nipples, head over to our blog on do male cats have nipples.
You must be thinking that after knowing its location, you will be able to spot the belly button on your cat’s tummy. Don’t get your hopes too high; you might still fail to locate it.
Why Is It Hard To Find Cats’ Belly Buttons?
It is simple. Unlike humans, cats do not have an inner or an outie—they just have a small scar, which is concealed by their belly fat and their furry coats.
However, you might get lucky if you have a dark-colored cat—belly buttons on dark-colored cats are more visible than light-colored cats.
The conclusion: Do cats have belly button?
Yes, cats do have a belly button. It is formed on the point where the umbilical cord is attached. But unlike humans, who have an innie or an outie, cats’ belly buttons is like a slit.
However, it is hard—near impossible—to locate it on cats as it is concealed by their belly fat and furry coats.
