Unhappy Kitty

About 2 days ago Chloe started to spit up yellow foam. I called the vet and they asked about her bathroom habits and if she was eating - which both seemed fine. So they told me that if she was eating and going regularly then she may just have a hair ball blockage. Well, tonight she vomited her food.

I just got back from going to the Animal Emergency Care. The blood tests show she is dehydrated and while there are some abnormalities they felt she might have a small infection over anything else. Though the doctor was a little worried about her white blood cell count being slightly low.

So she was given some fluids and injections to ease her stomach. She's unhappy and crying in the bathroom away from the other cats. I can't feed her until noon tomorrow and then I need to begin giving her anti-biotics. If she continues to vomit within 24 hours of beginning to give her the anti-biotics then she will need to go in for further testing.

There is a very unhappy kitty in the bathroom right now.

But a big lesson learned - another person was at the Animal ER with the same symptoms of their pet teacup Yorkie. Well that little dog is not going home as she has Pancreatitis and will have to be observed and taken care of until they vet thinks she can be released.

I'm not sure who mentioned CareCredit on this board - but it was a lifesaver tonight. I applied online and it buffered 75% of my cost!

Ok - good vibes and hopefully this time tomorrow I will have a happier kitten.

EDIT: I caved after about 30 minutes of her wailing from inside the bathroom and getting the other cats upset and crying. I just removed all the food bowls and already they all seem much calmer and don't even notice that there is nothing around for them to eat. Fingers crossed - hopefully they stay quiet until DH leaves for work. Then they can cry all they want - he needs his beauty sleep.

Chloe did sniff around her water bowls - like she may be hungry which I'm going to guess is a good sign. Hopefully all goes well in the next 24 hours and her upset tummy gets all better.

I am so glad you listened to your instincts about kitty. It is always difficult when the routine of the house has been upset.

Many Prayers and Chloe

3 more hours until she can eat, I hope she has an appetite.

Does anyone here have experience with Pepcid and Zofran injections? I know the Pepcid is supposed to inhibit stomach acid and the Zofran is supposed to control the vomiting. Chloe has spit up twice since she was injected this morning: she was given the shot at 3:30 am, spit up at 5:00 am and 8:30 am (approximately).

Additionally, I'm to give her Clavamox Drops twice a day.

I did read on the warnings that there was a chance for her to vomit after being given the Clavamox. So I'll wait an observe her through her second dose.

At least in the xrays it showed a healthy (uhm) flow going through her colon so I know she has been eating some.

She does appear to be a little less active but she was at a vet during her sleep time and this was the first night she spent with the kittens around as well (usually at night we separate them). And I imagine vomiting stomach bile has not been fun either.

Is it okay to mix in a little non-flavored Pedialyte with her moist food? I want to make it a little softer for her to eat, and was wondering if I should go with the Pedialyte or with just water.

Ok, so even though I knew she might vomit after her medication I'm still upset that she did. She ate a little tuna, but some of that was definitely spit out.

I'm worried about if she is eating enough. I mixed a little water in with her moist food to make it a bit mushy. She didn't want to eat it (though it could be the flavor) but I managed to get about a tbsp into her. I'm watching her now to see if she vomits this up.

I'm going to get the hair ball treatment as well, I hope she just has a bit of a clog and that will help coax it out. I'm obviously very worried about her, and if things don't clear up any by noon tomorrow I'm going to be more than a bit distraught.

Have you tried calling your regular vet about her still vomiting some?

Clavamox can cause vomiting, so while it is necessary, it might not help in that respect. Cats need to eat every 12 hours, or they can quickly develop fatty liver disease, so getting her to eat something & keep it down is important. I wouldn't think pedialyte would hurt, but again, I'd be much more comfortable if you checked with your vet about that.

Another thing you might want to try is a Rx diet, canned A/D, you can get from the vet. It's higher calorie, and often irresistible. I've used it for kitties who do not want to eat.

So I called my vet and as long as she is eating something and able to hold it down she may continue to vomit foam up a bit. They were indifferent to the Pedialyte and said it was more if she was refusing to eat/drink.

She made a mess of the hair ball treatment, it's all over her. But hopefully I can continue to get her to eat a bit throughout the day. She is eating, but her appetite isn't as large as it usually is. I think that is because she is uncomfortable.

Hopefully something will happen for the good soon.

Not to be gross but... Yay! Chloe coughed up a nice big hair ball. Hopefully this will help her out. I called the vet (because I worry) and they said it was a good sign but to keep monitoring her over the next few days.

She's still P.O.'d at me for putting the hair ball treatment on her paw. But hopefully she will start feeling better soon.

I'm not sure if it is good or bad. I called the vet and they didn't seem overly concerned about bringing her in.

She's still coughing up hair balls though they are getting smaller each time. For the most part, she is holding down her medicine well.

I'm just worried about her eating. I have managed to get 4-6 spoonfuls of food in her in one sitting (3-4 times a day), though sometimes she doesn't appear to hold it all down when she spits up another hair ball. She is drinking water on her own.

The vet seemed to think this is just her process of expelling the block and she should start eating on her own in a few days. I've never dealt with this before and just want to know if anyone else has had a cat with this same experience.

Sounds like she had a big hair ball clog and is slowly breaking it up.

For what it's worth, the hairball medicine helps them pass through, not be yakked up.

Hair balls can really play havoc on the tummy. If the belly was full of hair their was no room for food. Now that the tummy is upset, it will take a bit before she is back to the old kitty you know. Sounds like you have been a good Mommy and done all you could, now it's time for her body to heal and come back. You did good, keep us up to date.

Thanks fifi1puss, aswient, white cat lover, mrblanche and wingss2fly: I'm just worried obviously about her nutrients and need a little hand holding in this.

I've got her on a regular schedule of feeding her every two hours: I use a baster (I could not find a dropper anywhere! but if I tip it slowly it dribbles out into her mouth) and get probably a good tablespoon of Pedialyte into her and then I spoon feed 4 nice bites of baby food into her.

She's resisting, but not too much. I think she knows I do it because I love her (hope so). At least she is holding all this down a little easier. I think the Wellness may have been a bit to rich for her and the baby food will be a bit easier on the tummy.

Chloe finally ate on her own. It wasn't the Wellness, Evo, tuna, Friskies, 9 Lives, Fancy Feast, or Sheba... no it was a $10/pound French Ham.

My husband was making a sandwich and he remembered how crazy she went for it, and sure enough she gobbled it up the moment he put it in front of her.

Thank goodness - if she is eating on her own again I feel a lot better.

Originally Posted by DragulescuGirl

Chloe finally ate on her own. It wasn't the Wellness, Evo, tuna, Friskies, 9 Lives, Fancy Feast, or Sheba... no it was a $10/pound French Ham.

My husband was making a sandwich and he remembered how crazy she went for it, and sure enough she gobbled it up the moment he put it in front of her.

Thank goodness - if she is eating on her own again I feel a lot better.

Click to expand...

That's a smart girl you have there! Don't bring out the caviar!
Great job - I am glad she is doing better!!

Thank you to all the TCS members who offered me support and guidance through this. I thought I would close out this thread with a timeline so if other members in the future do a search they can see a full account and gauge their own cat's experiences to this.

Monday, June 22: Chloe vomits up yellow foam for the first time in the evening, does eat before going to bed.

Tuesday, June 23: Chloe playful, but not eating, vomits yellow foam 4 times throughout day.

Wednesday, June 24: Chloe slightly lethargic, not eating, vomits yellow foam 6+ times throughout day, is taken to Animal Emergency Care at 10pm. X-rays are performed as well as blood tests, no blockages located, dehydrated, a few inconstancies in blood results. Doctor believes it may be a hair ball blockage as well as a slight infection within the stomach. She is given fluids beneath the skin, injections of Pepcid and Zofran, given Clavamox drops for 7 days/twice a day.

Thursday, June 25: Chloe not eating, lethargic, fed some food via spoon and given drops within 15 minutes after, vomits everything up. Laxatone hair ball treatment administered in afternoon. Between noon and midnight Chloe is spoon fed watered down Wellness. She vomits every other time, including yellow foam. Second administration of Clavamox goes down fine. In early evening Chloe spits up two large hair ball clumps.

Friday, June 26: Continuing to spit up hair balls though decreasing in size. Is ok with noon medication but vomits up midnight dosage. At this point I believe the Wellness is too rich and I notice her skin is not elastic and believe her to be dehydrated. At this point I begin to feed her baby food (meat only, about 4 bites) and 1/4 cup Pedialyte every two hours with exception to noon and midnight. At this point I realize she needs a couple hours to settle the stomach before taking her medication - this ends her vomiting of the medication. Early in the evening she eats for the first time on her own.

Saturday, June 27: Noticed Chloe drinking in the morning, still a bit lethargic though more prone to cuddling than in the past few days. Still feeding her Pedialyte and baby food 4 times a fay (so I can sleep through the night). Her skin has become firm again.

Sunday, June 28: Chloe has begun to nibble at the bowl of dry food out for free feeding. No longer wants the ham but thoroughly enjoyed some bacon. Feeding her Pedialyte and baby food twice a day, two hours before her medication.

Monday, June 29: Vastly improved, back to running up and down stairs. Has begun to become affectionate and playful again. Eating and drinking on her own. Still administering the Pedialyte and baby food twice a day.

Tuesday, June 30: Chloe seemingly back to normal! Have discontinued feeding her Pedialyte and baby food as she is now eating/drinking on her own. Has not spit up/vomited in days.

As you can see, it took a week for Chloe to recover once she visited the vet. I learned that in the future to feed a cat 2 hours before giving medication. This gives time for the food to settle and makes it less likely for them to spit up the medication. Also switching to Pedialyte and baby food seemed better for the stomach - less likely to upset it.