Cat throwing up in morning

Hi all,

Last week my 4-1/2 year old cat Shadow threw up yellow/brown liquid at around 3 in the morning (I normally feed her at 4am).  Then yesterday around 2am I woke up to hear her licking and smacking her lips, which I took to be nausea.  She jumped off the bed and tried to vomit, but I think she swallowed anything that came up.  This morning she the same thing happened only she brought up more brownish liquid.  She also gave a horrible yowl before vomiting.

I'm obviously calling the vet today, but would like to hear other opinions.

Some details:

Shadow has always had a sensitive stomach.  The vet has said she suspects IBD but no formal diagnoses has been made.  After an initial onset of diarrhea at about 9mos and various trials of prescription food which didn't help, I started feeding her EVO 95% chicken and turkey.  She's been fine since but I sometimes worry because she seems to burp a lot and I think sometimes she brings things up.  I'm also concerned that EVO formula has changed since being sold to Proctor and Gamble. 

Shadow also will try to eat anything that will fit in her mouth.  She once pulled out a drawstring out of a pair of sweatpants and ate whole thing.  Fortunately it came back up about a week later.  I now try to be so careful about what's around the house but she seems to be on the lookout for foreign objects to eat. 

Finally, I'm terribly concerned if this is changing her behavior.  She normally sleeps right next to me, curled up under my arm, which is where she was when she started get nauseous yesterday.  Last night she didn't want to settle next to me at first, but kept hopping up and down and under the bed.  She finally did get next to me for a while, but left again this morning a couple of hours before she threw up.  She's always been very shy and scared and I would hate it if she felt she needed to live under the bed.  I hope she won't associate the bed (and me) with being sick.

Thanks for anyone advice or thoughts.

I went through this a couple of weeks ago with Aoibhe.  The vet took x-rays and believes that she ate something that caused her intestines to cramp up.  We had her on antibiotics, anti-nausea, and something to relax the intestines.  She was treated for three days with the vet anticipating surgery to see if she ate something.  Fortunately, she returned to her good health again.

As to the behavior, once Shadow starts feeling better, you will see her return to her previous behavior.

Thanks katachtig.  I'm glad that everything turned out ok for Aoibhe, hopefully it will be the same with Shadow.  I can't get her to the vet today but have been told I can get her in tomorrow if I call first thing in the morning.   

Keep trying to feed her and check to see if she's dehydrated.  You can check by pulling up the scruff on the neck and it should fall back quickly.  If the fold stays, you need to contact your vet immediately so she can get fluids.

She's still eating fine and seems to perk up significantly after meals (twice a day).  She does love her food and I would be absolutely panicking if she missed a meal or even ate with

less than ravenous enthusiasm 

As it is, I'm just mildly panicking.   And unfortunately at work now, without a car, and with a late meeting.  I'm feeling real bad that I couldn't take her to the vet today.  I'll check her for dehydration when I get home and get her to the e-vet if there's a problem.

I'm still going to take Shadow to the vet this morning but I think (and hope!) the problem has finally resolved itself....

She threw up again this morning but in addition to the brownish fluid there was also a toy.  My dear sweet kitty

had eaten a one inch sparkle ball.  After it came up she immediately ran to the kitchen to demand breakfast.

I am glad she is doing better.  I have to supervise Aoibhe's brother (Kiefer Don't Chew That) when he plays with sparkle balls.  He likes to start chewing them and probably has swallowed a couple.  I would recommend letting Shadow have it only when you can watch her.

All the little sparkle balls (or at least all the ones I could find) are now gone.  

At the vet's, Shadow got a shot for acid reflux caused by swallowing the toy, and will now be taking 1/4 of a Pepcid AC at night for the next two weeks.  I was informed that by throwing up the ball, Shadow gave me an early Christmas present in the form of a $1500 savings.... 

It look like she's already feeling a lot better, and I know I am too.

I'm so glad that she is doing better. 

I wish they would save us even more money by not ingesting these things in the first place   What is so frustrating is that unlike dogs, these guys ingest things that don't show up on an x-ray.