Leo is vomiting clear, foamy liquid

anjhest

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All of my cats are on scheduled eating. Leo ate lunch at 1pm today (Authority wet). When I got home at 6pm, there was a LARGE pool of vomit in the bathroom, and a pool of clear vomit in the hall. I found Leo curled up in a ball in my closet.

I brought him out and held him on my lap to see how he responded. Usually he would kneed on me, instead he laid down and purred a bit. Then he vomited another large pool of clear, foamy liquid.

Less than an hour later, same thing again.

And an hour later, again.

I have an appointment at the vet at 9:30am. My question is, should I go ahead and take him to the ER vet now? I hate to over-react, but he is acting tired (not completely lethargic, I've seen worse in our other cat) and does not purr at all when I pet him.

ADDITIONAL INFO: He is 12 years old and had his blood panels done last month. Everything came back normal, if not very good for a cat his age. He does have a history of difficulty with hairballs. Once he had one that was about 9" and had to go to the vet to have it removed because it got stuck.
 

carolina

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I would take him immediately - I hope you already did. Is there ANYTHING at all she could be eaten/drank that she shouldn't? Chemicals? Medicine? Poison? Please keep us posted...
 

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Take him to the ER and at least get a xray to rule out the real nasty stuff
 
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anjhest

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Immediately after posting, I decided to not wait for a reply and take him to the ER.

But then I found him wandering around and he purred when I petted him. So I called the vet and based on what I told them, they said to bring him in first thing.

Hubby took him in first thing this morning and vet gave him a fluid injection and a dose of anti-nausea medicine. Vet said it could be allergies, could be reaction to something he ate, but didn't think if was a lodged hairball. He said that if it was a hairball, Leo will eventually pass it. Now I know this is not true, he has a history of severe hairballs that are so long he can't pass them because they're stuck in his throat and lead all the way into his tummy.

So he is home and still somewhat lethargic. I am very frustrated that the vet did not even bother to X-ray him. If he is not showing signs of improvement this evening, I am going to take him back.

Leo ate a lizard on Saturday and I saw him eat a couple of water bugs (big bugs that look like roaches) on Sunday. I don't know if either of these things would have caused him to be sick on Monday. Hubby mentioned the lizard/bugs to the vet, who didn't think that was an issue.

Edit: Okay, now I am reading all sorts of scary stories online about cats being poisoned after eating a lizard. I am freaking out.
 

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Do you know what kind of lizzard he ate? Don't many small critters have toxins in their skin to prevent just the thing that happened, being eaten? Maybe he got to a toad that you didn't see?
Don't freak out, try to stay calm and get him back to the vet, or go to a different one. It could also be many other things.

Edit: Ok reread with your edit and you are freaking out. It will be OK, just relax, breathe, and take him back to see someone.
 
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anjhest

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He was doing worse this morning so I took him back to the vet. The vet just called and said that his liver is inflamed (high liver enzymes) and is currently diabetic (though he's not sure if this is a chronic condition or not).

He threw out lots of things, like it could be cancer, could be pancreatitis, could be IBS, could be liver disease, or it could be chronic diabetes.

I don't know what to think. I just hope he is okay. And if he is not, I hope it's something that is treatable.
 

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for both of you... Leo come on and get better ... Diabetes is a chronic condition normally , if something like an infection is causing a temp jump in #s then it is not ( though a few in both kitty and human kingdoms claim to cure it).. the liver may get better if a cause for it is found
 

breellablue

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green anole lizards are not poisonous, just for future reference. My grandmother's cats eat them all the time, same with many geckos. It's usually the snakes and those southern toads that make them sick.
 
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anjhest

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Originally Posted by sharky

for both of you... Leo come on and get better ... Diabetes is a chronic condition normally , if something like an infection is causing a temp jump in #s then it is not ( though a few in both kitty and human kingdoms claim to cure it).. the liver may get better if a cause for it is found
Thanks for your thoughts. I am trying to stay positive but it's hard not to think of the worst case scenario.

I'm confused about the elevated liver enzymes. He had his senior blood panels done less than 2 months ago and everything was fine. Is diabetes linked to the elevated liver enzymes?
 
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anjhest

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Just called the vet. He has not vomited since admission this morning. He is slightly more alert, and it appears his numbers are improving.

ALT
10am
660

10pm
494

Glucose
10am
295

10pm
186

(Less than 2 months ago, both his ALT and Glucose were within the normal range).
 

sharky

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things can happen suddenly... was his red or white cell counts elevated?
 
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anjhest

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Originally Posted by sharky

things can happen suddenly... was his red or white cell counts elevated?
I don't know. I'll ask when I call this morning. I think they're going to run panels again at 10am.
 

omi

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Is Leo OK?
My cat just started doing the same things.

This morning I woke up and stepped in some liquid brown vomit with a leaf in it. A little bit annoyed, I cleaned it up and didn't think much of it, but since she has been vomiting all day almost every hour and there is no more plants in it and it has gone to a clear foamy liquid.

She has always been a very very lazy cat, but now after she throws up she just plops down on the floor, rather than going back to her 'chair' like normal.

I have been sitting with her all day so I can pick her up and move her to the back porch once she starts to heave and lick her lips.

I don't want to over react, but i'm really worried. My parents are out, and aren't as concerned as I am (as much as they do love her) They say they read on line the some pedeolite (just a small amount) may fix her belly problems for a bit. I am waiting for them to come and bring it.

The vet isn't open and wont be until monday (its saturday)... should i take her to ER?
I'm trying to stay calm...
 

mrblanche

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What kind of a leaf was it? A houseplant? If so, check for the toxicity of that plant. Some are bad; some are harmless.
 

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Omi,

This is serious. You should definitely take your cat to the emergency vet. I highly doubt that this is something that pedialyte can fix. Continuous vomiting like you are seeing can be signs of an obstruction or poisoning, both which can be very serious, even deadly. I would not wait until Monday in a case like this.
I hope your parents understand how serious this can be. Cats are very good at not showing that they are sick so when you start seeing symptoms like you are seeing something is really wrong. Please have your parents take him ASAP!

Please let us know how it goes, OK? I'm sending good vibes your way
 

omi

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So after a little bit of pediolyte and she was fine, then starting roaming around looking for water (checking her bowl, bathroom sinks/toilets etc [all of which were dry]).

I was about to give her some heavily diluted pediolyte but then she suddenly started acting erratically. [grammer?] She went under the table and was about to barf, right when we grabbed and quickly rushed her outside. This time it was blood.

Mum and Dad had to leave again, but are coming home asap to try to get her to ER.

I hope its not Bloat. It may be Poisonous leaves?, but shes not an outdoor cat. She prefers the outdoors to her litterbox, so when she goes outside she usually does her stuff, makes a lap around the house and comes inside. I don't know what plants she eats. Our outdoor hunter cat (that sleeps indoors at night) is fine though.


What can I do in the meantime? She is in the bed we made her outside right now, and we are sitting by the doorway watching telly on the laptop making sure everything is ok.

UPDATE: She just woke up, and is trying to eat plants. We won't let her. Gosh I wish she wasn't sick the night my parents can't be home
Still waiting.
 

the_food_lady

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Originally Posted by anjhest

Just called the vet. He has not vomited since admission this morning. He is slightly more alert, and it appears his numbers are improving.

ALT
10am
660

10pm
494

Glucose
10am
295

10pm
186

(Less than 2 months ago, both his ALT and Glucose were within the normal range).
Those glucose numbers are definitely not that of a diabetic cat; I had a dear diabetic kitty for 6 yrs.

Just the stress of being at the Vet AND having blood drawn can cause the glucose levels to rise, even up to 300. It's called "stress hyperglycemia." I've had 5 cats for years, they're seniors; the more stressed ones often have elevated glucose when they have their yearly senior panel done. Because I'm paranoid about diabetes, due to having had a diabetic, I periodically check their blood glucose at home, just to keep an eye on it..and it's always nice and normal once they're back home from the Vet.

I would hope your Vet isn't still claiming your cat is diabetic. The fact that the blood glucose came down to 186 is great. It's still a wee bit high but stress can do that for sure.
 

mystik spiral

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Originally Posted by omi

I was about to give her some heavily diluted pediolyte but then she suddenly started acting erratically. [grammer?] She went under the table and was about to barf, right when we grabbed and quickly rushed her outside. This time it was blood.
omi, I don't have any advice for you that you aren't already aware of. Vomiting blood can NOT be good...
I'm sorry that your parents are out and you can't get her in right away. Please let us know how things turn out, I hope your little one is OK!!
 
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