is my cat sick?

Hi everyone - this is my first time posting here. I've had my 1 year old cat since last summer, when I adopted him at 3 months of age. He's been pretty healthy since then - just one cold right after coming home from the shelter.

Then a couple weeks ago, he had his first vomiting episode. At first, he brought up yellow-green material that I'm guessing is bile, and then a couple seconds later he threw up a HUGE hairball with some more bile. I've been trying to groom him more, and he was fine until today, when he suddenly looked up at me and started meowing really loudly and desperately. Instinctively, I felt that something was wrong, but I couldn't tell exactly what it was. A minute later, I see him throw up a large amount of chunky yellow material with some undigested kibble that he had just eaten. A couple seconds later, he threw up a little more, this time with a few strands of hair.

I'm really worried about him now. His behavior hasn't changed much otherwise, but the fact that he's starting to vomit after being fine for 9 months is worrying me. Oh, and I forgot to mention - he had a nosebleed the other day in one of his nostrils (also out of the ordinary for him).

Has anyone had a similar experience? Any advice would be much appreciated!

I would call the Vet and see if you can bring him in. There are alot of causes of throwing up. My Stormy did that sometimes and she would Drool. Then one day she was flling over with drool and it smells. we went to the Vet and they didnt think she would live the night, She did but her Kidneys were gone. Coco my other Cat coughs from her Asthma then throws up alot of times. Here is alink about Bloody Noses in Cats. http://blogs.dogster.com/vet_blog_in...leeds-in-pets/

Being that he is a year old now, did you recently change his food to adult? Is he eating an indoor or hairball formula?

I would definitely take him to the vet. The nose bleed is something I've never experienced as a cat owner. If you adopted him last summer, his annual check-up should be approaching soon, so please have him examined by a vet.

whiteforest: I did recently change him to adult Science Diet from the kitten version. No indoor or hairball control formula...just the regular adult chicken/rice one. Do you think this might be related to his vomiting?

mews2much & blast-off-girl: Yeah, I think I should make a vet appointment for sometime this week. He's due for a check-up in June, but guess I'll move it up a month.

Do you think he has an obstruction? He definitely likes to chew on strings and stuff (and gobbles them up before I can steal them away), but he's never had this problem before. It's so hard to watch him vomit and not be able to communicate that he'll be ok (I hope). Poor guy!

That can clog him up. Have you seen him eat any string in the last week? If you think its something like a blockage you need to go to the Vet now. he can die from a blockage. The Bloody Nose dosen seem like a blockage though.

I haven't actually seen him eat any string recently. He's been using his litter box normally, so I guess that's a good sign!

Is it common for young cats to get sick?

The vomiting doesn't alarm me, what alarms me is the nosebleed. That is NOT normal. I have been rescuing cats for years and worked in many many rescues and I have never once seen a nosebleed in a cat, or dog, or any animal for that matter... I would definitely have him looked it. It might be nothing but better safe then sorry.

Agreed: I've never had a cat with a nose bleed.

Honestly the vomiting sounds more like hairballs than anything else, though the bile present could point to something he ingested which is obstructing him.

Since he needs to go to the vet for the bloody nose, tell the vet about the vomit and the bile.

I never had a Cat with a Bloody Nose either and Coco has had very bad Colds.

Thanks for all the replies!

Yeah, the nosebleed seems pretty strange, especially since none of you have had any experiences with it. It wasn't dripping with blood or anything, but it was enough to form a small clot. I'm calling the vet tomorrow when they open to see if I can bring him in this week. I'll let you all know how it goes!

So I took Simby to the vet today, and he said the vomiting was probably normal.
He didn't really say much about the nosebleed...I guess he didn't think it was a big deal?

He did, however, say that Simby's heart beat was more intense and faster than he's used to hearing in cats, even after accounting for all the anxious cats he sees. He also said he heard a murmur and some skipped beats. He's not sure if there's something wrong yet, but he recommended a cardiology consult. He mentioned an ultrasound...how much does this usually cost?

He did say that if there is something wrong, it most likely is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Apparently it can't be cured, but they can put him on meds to slow his heart down. Does anyone have any experience with this or other cat heart problems? Simby's still so young!

Coco had a Echo and it was 157 for it.

What did Coco have an echo for? Is he/she ok now? Btw - your kitties are adorable!

I'm wondering if I should get some kind of pet insurance. Does anyone have any experience with it?

I was told she had Lung Cancer and her heart was bad. It was Severe Asthma and her heart was fine. She is 16 now. The Echo was for her heart. I can not have insurance because she was sick already. Meeko dosent qualify either because she almost died at 3 Months. she is 8 now.

Oh I'm so glad she was ok and didn't have all the things they said! I hope they don't find anything wrong with Simby after his cardio work up...even though it'll probably be really expensive. I guess I'd rather lose some money than to be sorry and miss an important diagnosis.

Praying for the best!

I hope he will be ok.
My Coco went to teh Er Vet on Monday night and we got home at 3am.
She had a Depo Shot for her Asthma two Months ago and it gave her a Bladder Infection again. She was screaming in the Pan and kept trying to pee when she didnt ahve to go. She has Meds now and so far is ok. When is your Cat seeing the Vet again. Coco oes tomorrow at 10:40.

Poor Coco It seriously is so hard to watch your pet be sick. I hope she clears that infection soon!

I'm gonna take Simby for his consult in about a month or so. Does it cost more to see a cardiologist than it does to see a general vet? (Minus all the costs for echo, EKG, etc.) I know I shouldn't be worried so much about expenses when his health is in question, but I'm a grad student on lots of loans, so I'm trying to find the best vet that doesn't cost me a fortune. My current vet isn't bad, but I'm curious about my other options.

Any recommendations for good and affordable vets/cardiologists around the Boston area?

Thanks, We just got back from the Vet. She has to finish the Meds then she will have another Urine Test. Coco is also getting teh Inhaler.I have no idea where you can go. My Vet is from Uc Davis. The Er Vet is too. My Vet is one of teh few in the area that can do all the tests. I hope you find a Vet to go go.