Ming Loy could use a few vibes... possible blockage

[ldg]

It's too early to know yet, but here's what's up. We were expecting a huge storm today (it's here), but it wasn't raining when I got up. So I didn't follow the normal routine - I threw treats down for the inside cats and ran out to feed the ferals before it started pouring. (It started pouring just as I was finishing. )

Now - the odd thing then was that she hadn't come running for breakfast, she was still in bed in the bedroom. And when I got back in, she was still in bed, and the treats uneaten. This is UNHEARD OF for Ming Loy. She didn't feel hot.

I prepped breakfast and put it out for everyone. Ming Loy was STILL in bed. I took the food to her. She was not the least bit interested.

I'm worried, but I'll always let the cats skip a meal or two before freaking out. I clean the litter boxes - everything seems fine.

So at about noon, she throws up. And she threw up last night's dinner (fed at about 11:00pm) completely undigested. So the food's been sitting in her stomach for 13 hours, and it looks like she just ate it.

The vet says to wait until dinner to offer her food again. If it comes back up (no matter the period of time), we take her in for an x-ray, obviously.

I very much doubt it's a hairball. In just about any other cat, the first thing I'd think is "hairball." But Ming Loy has never had an issue with hairballs, and from the hair twisties in her stool, I know she's passing her ingested hair.

But Ming Loy is our plastic eater. She's 9 years old, and she's never eaten anything that needed to be surgically removed before (which is almost a miracle, really, knock wood). Hopefully she hasn't now... but Gary's bluetooth headset IS missing since late yesterday afternoon... and she does like to chomp on them. I really hope that's not it!

So if you can send a few vibes her way that whatever's bothering her, it isn't something she got down that she can't get up or pass on her own, we'd really appreciate it!

 

[feralvr]

OH NO! hno: Not out little Mingle. :rub: :cross: Oh hun, I do hope it will be something simple to resolve and not that blue tooth headset. Of course you are worried! Your such a good momma. Please keep us posted on Ming Loy and give her a love hug/kiss from me. Mega, mega, mega vibes for her and loads of to you and Gary. :heart3:

 

[jcat]

That's really worrying. :cross: that she didn't eat the headset! for her!

 

[mschauer]

I hope it turns out to be nothing serious but throwing last nights food after 13 hours doesn't sound good. I didn't even know that was possible!

I've been hearing about that nasty storm you are in for. Stay dry!

For Ming Loy : 

And you: 

 

[vball91]

Oh no. Many vibes for Ming Loy. Really hope she didn't swallow that headset.

 

[luvmy4]

Oh no I hope it is not that she actually ate the blue tooth! Seriously mega vibes for your girl. My emoticons are not working for some reason. vibes vibes vibes since I can't get it to work.

 

[carolina]

About the undigested food thing.... That's how my crew throws up on hairball issues. And it can be 10-12 hrs later. I have had even 2 meals thrown up.
I am not saying what it is, just that is what happens in my house too.
Mega, mega vibes for Ming Lou, and I hope this is nothing too worrisome. That whatever is stuck, passes.

 

[carolina]

About the undigested food thing.... That's how my crew throws up on hairball issues. And it can be 10-12 hrs later. I have had even 2 meals thrown up.
I am not saying what it is, just that is what happens in my house too.
Mega, mega vibes for Ming Lou, and I hope this is nothing too worrisome. That whatever is stuck, passes.

 

[mschauer]

About the undigested food thing.... That's how my crew throws up on hairball issues. And it can be 10-12 hrs later. I have had even 2 meals thrown up.
I am not saying what it is, just that is what happens in my house too.

How strange. I guess it isn't uncommon then but how can food sit in a stomach that long and not be affected by gastric juices????

 

[ritz]

Aw, vibes for Ming Loy.

I don't know how the food stays in the stomach undigested, but I know Ritz will throw up food she ate 12 hours before.  I know because I can identify the food.  (I fed raw, usually mixing proteins in the same day, i.e., beef (dark) and chicken breast (white)).  Sometimes it's because she's eaten too much cat grass, sometimes because she's eaten too fast.  It was when she threw up three meals in two days that I took her to the vets.  Blockage not suspected; vet said it was "bad meat".  She was fine in a day or two.  I started her on probiotics immediately.

I've had Ritz for over three years, and this is the first year she's had a problem with hairballs.  She's been shedding more, longer.  She's thrown up some small hairballs, and once along with it, a tiny piece of dehydrated chicken.

 

[saritachiquita]

Aw, I hope it's not the bluetooth! Our Bamboo ate a doorstopper (the plastic/rubbery tip of one, which he loves to chew on and eat) last December but passed it on Christmas Day (a Christmas gift, lol). He also had been throwing up his meals and was not himself at all. After that I removed every single doorstopper tip in the apartment. Many vibes for him.  

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Sending more vibes that whatever it is, it passes (pun intended

)

.  Am hoping it IS just a hairball that she can eventually get out.  I suppose if a hairball is stuck somewhere in the esophagus (sp?), it could prevent the food for ever reaching the stomach, thereby saving it from the gastric juices?  Is that even possible? 

 

[feralvr]

AW Laurie... more :rub: and Hope the storm passed through without damage. That may have been the storm we had late afternoon yesterday. Hope you are alright. Just checking in with any news on sweet little Ming. :heart3: :cross:

 

[ldg]

OK! We ended up dropping her at the vet, and then we went to Gary's Doctor's appointment. We picked up Ming Loy on our way back home.

She had an exam, an x-ray, and blood work.

She did NOT eat the bluetooth headset. That would have shown up on x-ray. She felt great - she's not gassy or bloated. There is no physical sign that would indicate there's anything foreign in her.

I realized, in chatting with Carolina, that undigested food after a long time would seem very strange to non-raw feeders (Medora, I guess you've never had the pleasure, but it's not uncommon!), because the meals of canned or kibble aren't separately identifiable.

Anyway, she did eat half her dinner when we got home. Normally I do let them skip a few meals before doing anything - things like this often resolve. It's just I had visions of a partially chewed up headset tearing its way through her intestines.... the $85 for the x-ray is worth the peace of mind. :heart2:

They did do blood work - it's been about a year since she had it done. Her ALT is "high." It was 150, and normal is 110. ??? I don't know any of the other numbers - some stuff was run there, some sent out. For the pre-anesthetic blood work when the boys had dentals, they had BUN and creatinine done there, so I assume those are in normal range, but don't know. Our vet will be in tomorrow morning, she wasn't there this afternoon.

 

[carolina]

How strange. I guess it isn't uncommon then but how can food sit in a stomach that long and not be affected by gastric juices????

No clue....... All I can say is that it sure enough it happens :lol3:

 

[ldg]

As soon as I cleaned it up, I KNEW I should have taken a photo!

 

[jcat]

In order to facilitate future searches, subsequent posts have been moved to their own thread:

Ming Loy has pancreatitis