Do Cats Have Belly Buttons?
Adobe Stock/Kristina Blokhin
If your feline friend flops over on her back for a scratch on the stomach, you may have found yourself searching for a belly button. But do cats have belly buttons? Or is that just a feature of human anatomy?
While they’re certainly not as prominent as ours, cat belly buttons are a thing. But you may end up spending a lot of time looking for one—they’re way less noticeable than the indentation you’ll find on your own midsection.
Do Cats Have Belly Buttons?
Yes, cats do have belly buttons, just like dogs and most mammals. “Under all the fur, your cat does indeed have a belly button,” says Emily Gamm, DVM, an associate veterinarian at South Sioux Animal Hospital in South Sioux City, Nebraska.
Dr. Gamm says a cat’s umbilicus is where the placenta attached to the body when in utero. The belly button is essentially the scar that forms once the umbilical cord detaches after the kitten is born. It’s very similar to how our own belly buttons are formed.
Cats develop the telltale mark when their umbilical cord is chewed off by the mama cat after birth, and their belly buttons are, essentially, a pointless mark once healed.
“Just like us humans, once a cat is born, the umbilicus, or belly button, has no remaining purpose,” says Rochelle Hartson, DVM, a veterinarian at IGH Animal Hospital in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota. You probably wouldn’t even notice your cat’s belly button unless you were searching for it or if your kitty doesn't have any hair on their stomach.
Where Is a Cat’s Belly Button?
Cat belly buttons are usually small, flat scars and not as obvious as our human navels. They’re located right where you might expect: on your kitty’s abdomen, just below the ribcage. It might not be easy to see, especially if your cat has thick fur (or doesn’t want you feeling around their stomach).
You might be able to feel your cat’s belly button in the form of a small, flat spot on their abdomen. Dr. Gamm says it’s more likely that you’ll never even notice it, unless their belly is shaved or you have a hairless cat breed.
What Does a Cat Belly Button Look Like?
While they may function in the same way as a human belly button, cat belly buttons look very different. Unlike the typical “innie” or “outie” belly button we see on our own midriff, your kitty’s navel is not nearly as noticeable. They’re usually hidden under their fur in the form of a flat, small scar.
Cat belly buttons are usually small, flat scars and not as obvious as our human navels.
There are some instances where a cat’s belly button might be more obvious to spot, though these are somewhat rare and can occur if the kitten’s umbilicus is not properly removed.
Can Cats Have an ‘Outie’ Belly Button?
While it’s technically possible for cats to have an “outie” belly button (also known as an umbilical hernia), it’s uncommon.
“I don’t see umbilical hernias in cats as often as I do in dogs, but they certainly do occur,” says Dr. Gamm.
These can occur if the small umbilical opening doesn’t close within a short time after the placenta detaches post-birth. That extra time allows a small amount of fat to protrude through the umbilical opening.
Once the opening closes, Dr. Gamm says, the extra fat becomes trapped on the outside of the body wall, creating a “closed umbilical hernia”—what we know as an “outie” belly button.
So while you might go through your whole pet parenthood journey without ever seeing your cat’s belly button, know that it’s there—just hiding under a lot of fur.
