The primordial pouch in cats

Does your cat have a saggy belly?

Even cats who are not overweight can have a belly that hangs low, but it’s actually a normal part of your cat’s anatomy. The technical term for this flap of skin, which can often be seen swaying from side to side when a cat moves, is the “primordial pouch”.

The loose skin and padding at the belly provides extra protection to your cat during fights when “bunny kicking” with their hind legs and sharp claws which could result in severe abdominal injury. Another function of these abdominal folds is to allow a cat freedom of movement to fully stretch and extend the back legs when running at high speed or jumping.

All domestic cats have a primordial pouch (it’s just larger and more visible on some cats), and you can even see this feature on wild cats like lions and tigers.

Some people believe that spaying or neutering causes this primordial pouch. This is a myth. All felines, regardless of their size, shape, or sex have this extra flap of skin. Even cats who lose weight due to diet or illness still have these belly flaps

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Author: Janet Carr

Fashion, beauty and animal loving language consultant from South Africa living in Stockholm, Sweden.

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