Scared and not sure what to make of this!

Our new furry addition is about 5 years old (they estimate) and we adopted her in July. She's been vomitting infrequently for three days.... getting a little more frequent today. Last night she vomited digested food, this morning she vomited mostly liquid, and this afternoon, more liquid. The last time she vomited, my husband said there was some fur in it, but the other times there was none. She's playful and affectionate still.

Called the vet, he said it could be 1) gastritis... 2) an obstruction.... 3) recurrance of hook worms. I don't think it's hook worms because she was treated for them a few months ago and hasn't had a problem since (and her stool sample came back clean after the treatment).

She is strictly INDOOR only!! I don't know where she could have picked up anything! Plus, our other cat is fine!

I've given her LaxAire a little last night and just now about 1.5 inch ribbon of it on her paws. I will bring her in tomorrow so that they can give her the Barium and x-ray her belly.

I haven't seen her use the litter box, either, which is what makes me think it's a blockage. Will the LaxAire help move a blockage if there is one!?

I'm just so upset about it. She had a VERY bad life on the streets before we adopted her. She doesn't need to suffer any more than she has, you know? I hate when they feel bad and you can't help them at all.

Please help me! Have any of you experienced anything like this? Or an obstruction? And if so, how emergent is this? The vet said that he likes to give them a few days to try to move the obstruction themselves if there is one.

Have your recently changed anything in her diet???
Is she long haired???
These could affect her system. I wouldn't give her any food but make sure water is available.
If she has vomited so much there probably isn't anything in her digestive tract to come out.
Does she want to eat??

thanks SO much for your quick response!

She has been eating, at least a little bit, because there was digested food in her vomit at about 4 AM. I took her food away at 9 AM as per the vet (called the emergency line). She seems interested in eating because she sat by the usual food bowl spot a little while ago.

If I didn't know she was vomitting, I wouldn't know anything was wrong because her demeanor seems pretty normal. Playful, affectionate... the usual I guess

She has pretty short fur, but loves to groom our other cat, who has short-to-medium-length fur, and admittantly hasn't had a good brushing in a while.

But my biggest concern is that now that I think about it, I haven't seen her make a trip to the litter box in a while. Last week when she went, the smell was so awful we actually had to open a window (which maybe points to a GI upset??? but a week ago???) But I cleaned their box two nights ago and there's very little in it now, which leads me to believe that only the other cat has been using it for passing stool.

My cat had a blockage a couple of years ago. Like your cat, she seemed pretty chipper for most of the time but vomited up everything she ate. By the time I got her to the vet she wasn't feeling so good. After an X-Ray confirmed that she was just constipated, they gave her a laxative at the vet's office and watched her for an afternoon. Then I brought her home. It was another day or so before she would eat normally. I don't know what caused the blockage, but it hasn't recurred yet.

*** UPDATE ***

I ended up taking her into the vet's emergency service around 9:30 pm... she was vomitting a little more frequently and I just couldn't let her suffer.

He checked her stool and found that she had round worms. she was treated for hook worms a few months ago, but he said that the progeny of the round worms weren't killed so they have been multiplying like crazy ever since. To the point she is at now (if this is the true only underlying cause - and at this point it looks like it is) where her intestings are either retro-active, or just non-active.

He is keeping her over night to give her some subcutaneous fluids (7 fl oz worth) and an anti-nausea injection, followed by a treatment for worms... hopefully that will coat her tummy. Then an antibiotic injection to help rid her of bacteria in there and get things moving in the right direction again down there.

If she tolerates that well and it curbs her vomitting then I'll continue the treatment at home. The other kitty has the oral meds, too, now. And I just cleaned their litter box. Unfortunately, I used the rest of my litter the other day, but tomorrow I'm going to take out all of the litter and really wash the heck out of the box itself.

Will you please keep her in your thoughts and prayers? She's scared, too, but she was a brave girl I had them put her little bed in there with her for her overnight stay. Hopefully that is it.

Just be prepared.. since the deworming medication kills the worms.. you'll see them come out (and round worms are gross )

Just in case you didn't know.. but if she's staying at the vet, all the dead ones may be out by the time you get her back home.

Oh, I'm so glad you took her to the vet. Our kitty had an obstruction a year an a half ago and almost died because we were out of town! She had to have an operation, I'm glad you guys just had worms, as icky as they are. If she has to stay any longer, you can take her a used t-shirt of yours so she can have your smell in there. Poor baby.

She's a very lucky kitty to have found such an attentive kitty parent.

She'll be in my thoughts. Hopefully the problem will clear up quickly.

***ANOTHER UPDATE***

OK, well eventhough the emergency vet said that he thinks it is the worms causing this, her actual vet (same practice) doesn't think it's ONLY the worms I just visited her (she's staying another night) and she was retching (sounded like bad coughing actually) once but didnt vomit. Didn't vomit at all since she got there last night, actually.

Still hasn't used her box Most she did was curl up in it and rest. Seems alert, licked me, ate a lot (but she always does), but no poop evethough they have her on Science Diet ID to stimulate movement and did two fecal sticks.

I've basically been scaring myself silly by reading the internet. Articles about hepatic lipidosis, etc.... now I'm scared to death she has cancer or something awful I'm a mess.

He doesn't think it's an obstruction, either. But when the emergency vet palpated her tummy, she didn't even wince.... so does that mean her liver is safe? And intestines?? I've read that roundworms make their way to the liver, lungs, etc. I guess that could explain the respiratory thing she suffered from a month or two ago?

Well, I stayed about an hour and snuggled her and talked to her. She's upset about being there but she has to get better! She's there at least another night. I want her to use the litter box!!! I guess since she is eating well, it's gotta come out one way or the other soon, right?

Also wanted to say that her poop is VERY stinky!! Does this point to parasites or worms as well?? Stinky breath, too..... but I was chalking that up to poor dental hygeine from being a stray for so many years. Now after reading all that about cancer and whatnot, now I'm beginning to get paranoid and upset.

ALSO...

How long would it take a roundworm infestation to become severe enough to actually BLOCK the intestine? Everything I read says that it's possible but I can't find a time frame. Would two or three months be enough? Because that's the last time she was wormed (and only wormed once).

Furthermore, if such an infestation WAS severe enough to cause a blockage, wouldn't I see evidence of live worms in her stool and vomit (before she stopped pooping)?? I do use clumping litter, but she has vomitted for the past few days and didn't see worms.

And further proof that hindsight is 20/20.... she has been crying when she's been near the litterbox the past few weeks. I figured she was just maybe straining a little?? But now that I think about it, I think it could be from the worms!!