Do Cats Have Belly Buttons?

Many people question if cats have belly buttons. Whereas they are easy to spot on humans, examining a cat's stomach leaves many wondering if they also have belly buttons. This article teaches us all about the cat's belly button and why it is so hard to spot. ​​

DO CATS HAVE BELLY BUTTONS?

​Yes, cats have a belly button, as do all placental mammals. A placental mammal (infraclass Eutheria) is any member of the mammalian group characterized by the presence of a placenta and a vascular organ that develops during gestation.​

​Why do cats have belly buttons?

Like humans, cats have an umbilical cord attached to their young. The belly button (umbilicus) is a circular scar from where the umbilical cord was attached to the kitten's abdomen. Once the kitten is born, the mother will lick and chew through the umbilical cord. The umbilical cord should dry up and fall off around day 3 or 4. This process leaves a small scar, unlike human's large innies or outies.

Let us take a look at a couple of definitions:

Umbilicus
Umbilicus, also called navel - is the clinical term for the belly button. This is a Latin word borrowed into English in the 1600s, meaning "navel, middle, center."

Anatomy - point of attachment (umbilical cord to the embryo); the center of the surface of the abdomen (the depression).

​Umbilical cord
Anatomy - a cord connects the embryo (fetus) with the mother's placenta, transporting sustenance from the mother and wastes from the fetus.

​What does a cat's belly button look like?

A cat's belly button looks nothing like that of a human. Instead, a cat's belly button looks like a small circular scar around 0.200" (5 mm) in circumference. They are usually obscured from the cat's thick coat, but you should see a small bald patch if you manage to move the fur out of the way. This is because their hair won't typically grow on the navel scar.

How to Find Your Cat’s Belly Button

​The belly button should be in the center of the abdomen, located about two-thirds of the way down. The scar will be covered by surrounding fur and is really small in size. There's a good chance you will have a hard time finding it, but keep searching; it's there. Try to feel around their belly; you'll have to move the fur around to get to their skin. ​

conclusion

As you can see, just like humans, cats also have a belly button. It may be impossible to see with such a small scar and all that fur, but it's there. If only human mothers would chew through the umbilical cord and let the rest wither and die, we would stop getting lint stuck.