Kitty suddenly sick and vomiting... help!

kittymomx2

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Mar 30, 2012
Messages
7
Purraise
0
Hi All,

I have a 3 year old male cat named Ollie (He is Maine Coon and about 15 lbs!). He has always been healthy, a good eater, and has never vomited or had trouble using the litter box until late last night. Around 10pm, I woke up to the sound of him vomiting, and sat up with him while he vomited almost every 20 minutes. Around 2am, I took him to the emergency vet as the vomiting had not stopped, and I was very concerned that something was wrong. The vet looked at him and suggested that perhaps he had a bit of a stomach flu, and should be fine with supportive care. She gave him a shot of something to help his stomach, and he appeared to be in relatively good spirits so we brought him home again. 

He seemed fine the rest of the night, but refused his breakfast this morning (He ALWAYS eats... so I know something must really be wrong). Then, he began vomiting again after drinking only a bit of water, and is now vomiting pretty regularly every hour or so.  I called the vet again, and we can either bring him back in as an emergency or we can wait for the next available appointment which is tomorrow. I have a really bad feeling about this, and want an x-ray done because I am worried he might have eaten something (like string or something) that is making him sick. 

Any advice? Should I wait and see if the vomiting resolves? Or should I go back into the emergency clinic and insist on getting an xray?

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Ollie has never been sick before and I have a really bad feeling that something is really wrong, and I'm not sure how to help him!
 

momofmany

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jul 15, 2003
Messages
16,249
Purraise
70
Location
There's no place like home
If your gut is telling you something is seriously wrong, then get him back to the emergency vet now. If there is an obstruction, then you want to take care of that sooner rather than later. Does your regular vet not handle emergencies at all? Most vets will rearrange their schedules and fit you in if you feel that something may be life threatening.

Good luck and please let us know how he is doing!
 
Last edited:

mrblanche

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jan 28, 2008
Messages
12,578
Purraise
119
Location
Texas
That does sound like an obstruction.  Have you checked his litter box to see if he's been using it?

By the way, run, don't walk, away from any vet or doctor who uses the term "stomach flu."  There is no such thing.  There is food poisoning, and there is flu.
 

finnlacey

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Feb 16, 2012
Messages
821
Purraise
48
You know that happened to my Maine Coon Finnegan when he was 1 years old. It turned out to be that he was constipated even though he looked to me like he was pooping perfectly normal. They did an x-ray and gave him a little "push" and he did poop a little. I was told to give him Miralax and it helped and cleared it up. Having said that, I got him x-rays to see exactly what was going on!!! I'd definitely do that asap because if it is a string or an obstruction, that's incredibly dangerous and life threatening.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #6

kittymomx2

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Mar 30, 2012
Messages
7
Purraise
0
Update: Just after posting, I decided to take Ollie in. We saw a different vet, who agreed to do an x-ray right away, and sure enough the x-ray showed something circular and probably metal (a coin maybe?) in his intestines. The vet said it had been there at least a day or two, and there is a possibility that his lower intestine is infected and might need to be partially removed too. He is in emergency surgery now, and we are all just hoping he comes through this okay. Sounds like he's going to have to spend a couple of days in the kitty hospital before he can come home again. I am just so glad that I acted on my gut and took him back in and insisted on the x-ray. I know that the first vet felt that he wasn't really "acting sick", but Ollie is such a gregarious and friendly cat that unless you know him really well, it can be hard to tell when he's sick or upset. Anyhow, I'll let you know how it turns out, as we should be able to see him after surgery tonight. Fingers crossed that he makes it through the surgery okay.  

Thank you to everyone that posted with advice -- it's been very helpful and has made me feel better about being so insistent with the vet that something is wrong. 
 
Last edited:

finnlacey

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Feb 16, 2012
Messages
821
Purraise
48
I'm pretty mad about that first vet. What the heck!!!??? This could have been averted and hopefully his intestines aren't that bad that he has to have some removed because of it. When this happened with Finney that was the absolute first thing she did was take x-rays. Before doing ANYTHING else! Ugh. This really gets me. That poor thing, thank goodness you took him in. Please always listen to your gut. You are his parent and you know him better than anyone else! We're sending you healing vibes and a whole lot of positive thoughts. I have a feeling you may have caught it in time. I don't know of course but that's my feeling right now so I hope that's the outcome. Please let us know okay?
 

carolina

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Nov 17, 2008
Messages
14,759
Purraise
215
Location
Corinth, TX
Thank Goodness you went back and got that x-ray! :vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes:
Please update us on your little one :vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes:
:hugs:
 

mrblanche

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jan 28, 2008
Messages
12,578
Purraise
119
Location
Texas
Let us know how Ollie is doing, as soon as you can!  Poor boy.

My guess is you're going to find something unusual, not likely a coin, maybe the inner part of a bottle cap (you know, the paper type with a foil backing).
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #10

kittymomx2

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Mar 30, 2012
Messages
7
Purraise
0
Ollie is out of surgery and doing well. Turns out he swallowed a small stone -- which, I have no idea how he did this given that he is an indoor only cat! (And there definitely are not rocks laying around my house). His intestines were just fine, and they were able to remove the rock without any damage to him at all. Our vet has just been fabulous and very caring, and we have been able to visit him in the hospital as often as we want. He'll be able to come home in a couple of days, and we are so happy he is going to recover. Thanks everyone for the support and care! 
 

finnlacey

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Feb 16, 2012
Messages
821
Purraise
48
Thank goodness!!!!
I told you I had a good feeling! I'm so happy!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #13

kittymomx2

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Mar 30, 2012
Messages
7
Purraise
0
So, Ollie is now home from the vet and seems to be recovering. The vet prescribed a sedative for him to keep him quiet and still to avoid any further complications with his stitches. However, I have mixed feelings about the sedative... has anyone else ever used one? It does keep him relatively quiet and sleepy, which is important, but he seems alarmed at the effects of the sedative, and crawls underneath the covers on the bed, refusing to come out as if he is really upset. It makes him uncoordinated and if he does move around, he often falls. And, his third eyelids are exposed when he is on the sedative, which seems to make him uncomfortable. I have tried limiting the dose, but it doesn't seem to have any impact on him at all at a lower dose. Does anyone know of something more homeopathic I could give him that would help him rest and reduce his activity, without causing the uncomfortable side effects?

Thanks everyone for all the advice and support! I am really glad that Ollie is starting to recover after his rock-eating incident!
 

ritz

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Apr 2, 2010
Messages
4,656
Purraise
282
Location
Annapolis, MD
You could try Rescue Remedy, it's a homepathetic liquid I use to calm Ritz when I know something is going to happen that will stress her (like, the plumber or electrician).  You might want to use the higher end of the recommended dosage given the circumstances (and weight of your love bug).  Available at higher end pet stores and Amazon.

VIBED to all.
 

finnlacey

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Feb 16, 2012
Messages
821
Purraise
48
What's the name of the sedative? Is it a sedative or a pain medication?
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #16

kittymomx2

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Mar 30, 2012
Messages
7
Purraise
0
Ollie is also on pain medication (tramadol) as well as Pepcid AC to help his digestion and an antibiotic. However, the vet gave us a sedative after he had a bit of swelling under his sutures from being too active. The sedative he is on is called acepromazine, and he is currently taking about 5mg (half a tablet). 

I looked for the Rescue Remedy in my local pet store today, but couldn't find it... so I'll order it from Amazon. Thanks for the suggestion!
 

catsallaround

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 21, 2009
Messages
3,104
Purraise
66
May want to try a health food store or vitamin shoppe for Rescue remedy.  Have you thought of using a crate to limit movement in case of a fall and a bite free collar or something similar?  May be able to lessen the dose of Ace.
 

catsallaround

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 21, 2009
Messages
3,104
Purraise
66
Also ask about tramadol-its usually used in dogs my vet won't give it to cats but can be used.  I have personally taken tramadol and been very sedated at times and i weigh a fair bit:S 
 

nebula

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 7, 2011
Messages
1,638
Purraise
107
Location
At my computer
I thought the acepromazine was supposed to be ok. But maybe he needs to build up to a higher dose??
 
Top