What's the best way to hydrate my cat?

Hello,
my kitty, 13 years old, has been throwing up lately. He does this sometimes when he is dehydrated, and a friend of mine told me her vet recommended doses of pedialyte for her dehydrated pet. Anyone know if this is a good way to hydrate a cat or if there is a better way?
Thanks!

I am too scared to administer sub-q's, so I had to hydrate my cat on my own. I feed him two cans of wet food per day and he has access to a dog-sized water feeder.

He has BUN/Creatnine tests twice per month and he had his best results today:
BUN = 26
Creat = 2.1

His BUN was 34 two weeks ago, so I'm doing a good job. Nonetheless, I would consult with a vet to determine whether sub-q's are necessary.

What is a sub q? And what are buns and creatine testing?
Thanks,
Clueless!

I'd just add some extra water to wet food. I have NO experience with sub-Q fluids and honestly, with out vet supervision I would never attempt them on my own. Sub-Q's are fluids administered either by syringe or IV drip under the skin. Google sub-q fluids for more.

Here is a site about sub q's and crf.
Bun and creatine are blood tests.
My Coco has to have the tests next month again.
You should take your cat to the vet and ask for a senior panel.
Coco throws up with her crf.
Her last bun was 79.
http://www.felinecrf.org/giving_sub-qs_giving_set.htm
Cats start getting problems when they get older.
Sherry Busters numbers are good.
I wish Coco had numbers like that.

Has he been to the vet lately? What is causing him to throw up all the time? He really should be checked out in case he has a condition that needs to be treated. He shouldn't throw up all the time for no reason...

A trip the Vet is definitely in order here.

Dehydration does not cause a cat to throw up, that doesn't even make any sense I'm afraid. But throwing up can CAUSE dehydration.

In a kitty that's 13, considered a "senior" cat, there are various health conditions that can occur - that need to be checked for - that will cause vomiting:

-diabetes
-kidney disease
-hyperthyroidism
-lymphoma
-constipation

Please please please - don't try "fixing" this yourself. You need to find out WHY your elderly kitty is throwing up in the first place.............and that means a trip to the Vet (as soon as possible) for a checkup and a senior bloodwork panel to be done (that will test for the above issues, but be sure to ask that the test for overactive thyroid be included; sometimes it isn't automatically included).

The Vet will feel kitty's belly to see if there's any lumps or constipation, check kitty for signs of dehydration, may give kitty some subQ (under the skin) fluids to re-hydrate.

It's just not normal for a cat, even an old one, to be throwing up........not at all.

Please - see your Vet.

Yeah sub-q fluids are the best way to rehydrate but your vet would need to check if that is needed and show you how to do it... I had a cat with kidney disease and we did fluids between daily and 1-2x a week for 2 years... Now I always ask my vet if fluids would help when I have a sick pet (and what amount), since now that I know how to give them it is very easy for me to do. I've now done sub-q's with four pets, my cat with CRF, my two dogs who had cancer, and my current senior cat when she was sick.

I would take kitty to the vet. I feed my bottle baby kitty Pedialite, it is for babies but works for cats as well.

I have a young cat, only two and I haven't had issues with dehydration, touch wood. I have to say though that if my kitty was being sick I would be off to see the vet. Dehydration is serious in cats and so is the throwing up. The vet will be able to give kitty a good check over and then discuss with you how you move on in terms of medication, rehydration, allergies etc. Trying to solve a problem when you don't know what the problem is may not be the ideal solution. the whats making kitty throw up problem needs to be investigated by a vet in my opinion. I hope your kitty gets better soon

Thanks everyone, I have an appt to get my kitty checked out tomorrow. He is losing weight too.... and it is scaring me.....His prime weight was always 12 pounds, and he is now at 10.... his poor little ribs are sticking out, and he feels so light. God, I hope he is alright. I love him so much. He was very sick when I found him as a kitten, and I never thought he would make it past those first few nights, but he did. He must have had some kind of neurological damage because the first month of his life he spent having seizures. I found him along side of the road with a bunch of other kittens. Someone must have dropped a litter off and drove away. Cruel cruel cruel....BUT....I have my Benny because of it, and he has been my best friend now for 13 years.
About 4 years ago, he was diagnosed with feline leukemia virus, and I had Immunoregulin treatment done on him. (anyone ever hear of this?) He has never shown any signs of FLV, it was just found at a routine check up. Since then, I have been giving him Omega 3 fish oils for cats, and recently started him on Transfer Factor.
About 7 months ago, he went deaf... out of nowhere....perfectly fine then boom...all of a sudden he can't hear. And since then, he seems to be going downhill. I miss him being able to hear my voice and respond, I feel like I have lost a big part of him....and it is so sad.
Another thing that has changed (besides loss of hearing) is that my husband and I just had a baby. So big changes are in place, and I am thinking maybe, just maybe, he might be reacting to this. I dunno......
I just had to vent. Hopefully the vet will say he is ok......please pray for Benny...Thanks

I will keep Benny in my thoughts.

Hopefully he has something they can easily treat with medication or diet. Please let us know what you find out.

Vibes for Benny

I'm glad you're taking Benny to the Vet tomorrow, the sooner the better. Because he's a senior cat, the Vet will hopefully run some proper bloodwork on him, to test for the common issues that plague senior kitties: diabetes, kidney disease, liver issues, hyperthyroidism (Make sure you ASK the Vet to test for thyroid issues......just confirm this test is included). All of these things can cause throwing up, losing weight, lack of appetite, etc. He should also collect a urine sample and test it because it can show a lot of important things, too (functioning of the kidneys, if kitty has a urinary tract infection, etc etc)

When your kitty developed sudden deafness 7 months ago, did you take him to the Vet? An inner ear infection is a common cause (Otitis), which can be treated. I'd definitely make sure the Vet has a good look into his ears when you see him tomorrow.

Does Benny go outside at all?

How is his eating?

Even older kitties can develop constipation - which can cause them to throw up.

What kind of food does he eat -- canned / dry or both?

Let us know what the Vet says when you have him checked tomorrow.

Originally Posted by the_food_lady

When your kitty developed sudden deafness 7 months ago, did you take him to the Vet?

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Yes I did. They looked in his ear and said there was no infection. They even did a thorough cleaning. What else could it be? It was so sudden, like one day he could hear, and the next he couldn't. He can hear certain frequencies, but it's really delayed. I will make high pitched sounds, and he will act like he hears them like 10 seconds later. I would do anything to get his hearing back, if anyone has any suggestions, please let me know.

Originally Posted by the_food_lady

Does Benny go outside at all?

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Yes he does. He stays on our porch though and usually there are no other cats around. Since his FeLV diagnosis, he usually stays inside.

Originally Posted by the_food_lady

How is his eating?

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He doesn't eat much. And lately whatever he does eat, he throws up. I usually clean out his litter box every 4 days, and last night, when I went to clean it out, there was hardly anything in it. It scared me. Maybe he is constipated? I don't know. His belly doesn't feel hard.

Originally Posted by the_food_lady

What kind of food does he eat -- canned / dry or both?

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He eats Science Diet Senior Blend dry and 9 Lives wet. He usually only licks the gravy off the 9 Lives and eats just a bit of the actual food. I am totally open to other healthier alternatives.

I will keep his status posted. Thanks again.

I am. I am taking him to the vet tomorrow. Thanks!

Well, dh took Benny to the vet, and externally they said everything was fine. They felt his body, no lumps or hard spots, and looked in his ears and no infection. (Still wondering what could have caused him to go deaf??) And they said that he has only lost a couple ounces since his last visit. (Which is strange to me because he looks so much skinnier..... I was sure he had to have lost a few pounds)

They said his temp was 102, but that wasn't cause for concern. Does this sound right?

They did a blood work up on him (and I told them to do the thyroid) so we will get those results back on Monday or Tuesday.

I am really nervous. I dread that phone call. There just has to be something wrong with him. All the throwing up, and the litter box that had hardly anything in it even after 4 days........I hate that I have to wait to find out. I just want to know now......while I am feeling a little strong. I just hope he is going to be ok.

Anyway, thanks for all your input and advice.

Oh yeah, and they said he wasn't dehydrated at all......

I hope everything turns out okay with Benny

Just wanted to update of Benny. We got his bloodwork back, and everything was normal except his white blood cell count was a bit low, which the vet said is common in FeLV positive kitties. We are going to do another round of Immunoregulin and I am going to continue giving him Transfer Factor. He said he has no explanation for Benny's weight loss, and that he didn't think Benny actually lost that much weight.
Anybody know what it means for Benny to have a lowered white blood cell count? Is this something I should be really worried about?