unhealthy cat

Question
my roommate has a cat who is extremely fat. She seems to be incredibly bloated and her stomach is very hard to the touch. The majority of the cats that I have seen who have weight problems seem fat, their stomachs are wiggly and drag to the floor. My roommate's cat seems painfully bloated. She doesn't eat very much, she plays around with my kitten a lot, and occasionally I can convince her to play with some of our cat toys... I've talked to my roommate and told her that she should probably take her to the vet to see what's going on, but she just brushes me off. What should I do? Do you think her cat has a problem?

Answer
Hi Christie!
A vet visit is a MUST.  This could be anything, from internal bleeding, an internal mass, to FIP (feline infectious peritonitis).  Internal bleeding would cause a hard bloated belly, as this would indicate the abdomen filling with blood.  A mass, inside the abdomen, would cause the same bloated belly.  FIP, the wet form, would cause the abdomen to fill with fluid.  
I would think that a vet visit is definitely needed to ensure that either the cat is just overweight or that the cat has a medical problem that needs treatment.
If her abdomen is painfully bloated, this could be very serious and in need of medical attention immediately.
Your roommate has taken on responsibility of owning a pet...she has to take responsibility of getting medical help for her cat.  She needs to do that.  If she won't, she should not be a pet owner.
I hope this helps,
Hilary