URGENT. WORRIED. PLEASE HELP. PLEASE :(

I have had a pretty scary incident tonight with Hooligan. I really hope someone can help me. I came home to my mother telling me that he had puked a lot and a hairball. She had given him some cooked chicken, a few minutes later he had puked a hefty, chunky puke + a hairball (about the size of 1/2 a tbs). Apparently, it smelled like feces - but I can't be sure. Once that was done, he hid in his litterbox, I guess because he wasn't feeling well. She took him out and he stayed upstairs a bit, didn't want to cone down. Throughout the night, she found 3 more instances of puke. The first was what seemed to be liquidy, raw, (as if you would put his raw food in a blender and blend it with some water - that didn't smell). He also puked up what seemed like foamy, white spit - twice. This was after feeding him at 4-5pm ish. 

Once I got home, around 1130-midnight, I fed him again. At first, I put it down, he smelled it, and didn't want it. He only started eating once I sat near him and started petting him. He didn't eat ALL his food, so I sprinkled some freeze dried chicken treats and he ate a little more. Then, left it and I figured he just wasn't hungry/his stomach was upset from earlier today.

I would say, about 5-7 minutes later, he pukes. His puke was orange-y? It look like if I would have make the raw meat into a juice. Once that puke was down, he puked 2 more times - this time it was like...spit? With specks of white in them. It just really looked like spit up, not very much foam. The first couple had a hint of orange, the other were just clear - like spit.

I checked for fever. His paw pads and nose are cold. The first time he puked, his ears were cold. The couple times after, they were warm/hot.

I'm SUCH an idiot. I've been meaning to get more probiotics/egg yolk lecithin and I keep forgetting. That is probably why the puking problem arose again. What I'm MOST worried about is the foul smell. Earlier this week I could remember, he burped and it smelled like feces too. It smelled foul. So, I'm very worried. 

Later last night, I gave him his time to sit under my desk and not on my bed- like he usually does when its time to sleep. I gave him some time then, when I was ready for bed, I put him close to my pillow, put some harp music on and pet him to sleep. He started purring a lot and I calmed down a little, knowing that he was relaxed. He slept through the night in that same spot.

This morning, I only gave him 1/4 of what he usually eats. I loaded it with the probiotics and egg yolk and I also gave him some slippery elm. Other than looking/feeling a little ill, he was himself. He stretched over the wall while I was brushing my teeth, he seemed alert. A LITTTTTTTLE uneasy, I guess because he wasn't feeling well. But, he wasn't hiding or acting irritated when I picked him up. Also, he is usually sad/would ignore me when I leave for work in the morning.

I fed him his raw chicken mix last night (he's been on it for a couple days now)
This morning it was a little bit of Horse/Chicken. 
The ingredients to his food are listed here: http://www.baileyblu.com/raw/our-blends/

I am trying to ween him off grain-fed food, and get him to eat grass fed (venison, rabbit blends). It's just a little difficult to get him to eat something different.

Please, if anyone knows what I should do/if what I'm doing is correct. Please let me know. 

I'm very worried about the foul smell, even if it only happened once, and spit-like puke

Thanks guys.

For the next couple meals, to rule out a simple upset stomach, give him something very bland and easy to digest. Chicken breast is probably blandest, but boneless rabbit might work too. No bones, no organ meats, only small amounts at a time---just something very easy on the stomach. If he still can't keep anything down, take him to the vet, as it could be a blockage. that it's just a sour tummy!

I'm feeding him through my mother, cause I'm at work. She fed him a freeze dried chicken treat, with some slippery elm on it, and he puked that up. 

Before I read this comment, she tried Horse meat and Chicken carcass. I'll see if he keeps that down. If not, I'll try bland meat.

I'm so nervous.

Well, give his tummy a few hours to settle down. If you were sick, I imagine it would be a few hours before you you'd want to eat something. . .I'd say give him maybe 4 hours before trying anything else. Just water during that time.

He doesn't drink very much water, which is why he mostly gets it through his food. There is a bowl of water that my other cat keeps tipping over. 

He is usually stayed hydrated by the raw food. 

If he doesn't keep this down, I won't feed him until supper time (6pm-ish) and even at that, I'll just feed him either chicken breast or boneless rabbit. Whatever he'd like.

I've had cats toss up hairballs that smelled like feces. I suppose that when they get bound up in the stomach and sit there, they start ... fermenting. :dk:

Whenever one of my cats has an upset stomach, I'll let them tell me when they want to eat. I don't feel like eating when my stomach's upset. Fatty liver isn't much of a risk in a healthy weight cat, so while my vet says 48 hours, i'm only comfortable with 24.

And then Willowy's advice is great. Small, highly digestible meals.

But given his issues with hairballs, why not just mix yolks into several meals a week? :dk:

Could he have  worms?

Hi

That's pretty much my plan. Since I'm at work, I'm communicating through my mother. She gave him slipper elm on a freeze-dried chicken treat, no luck, he puked it up. So, I decided to give him the Horse Chicken mix - we fed him 1/4 of what he normally eats, and he ate 1/4 of that. Last I heard, there were no pukes and he was his old self. 

I'm gonna go on and feed him that, avoid chicken AS MUCH as possible, and allow him to tell me when he is full/when he is hungry. He knows his tummy issues better than I do. If there are more pukes, then maybe it is vet time.

I'm also going to buy a water fountain, so he is more engaged to drink/So Ruby can't knock all the water over all the time - ha ha.

When you mention egg yolk, do you mean egg yolk lecithin or, actually egg yolk? In that case, how much would her need per meal? I assume 1 tbs or less?

Hmm. He is strictly indoor and, I mean, I highly doubt it?

I haven't seen worms in his puke nor in his poops. 

LDG said:

I've had cats toss up hairballs that smelled like feces. I suppose that when they get bound up in the stomach and sit there, they start ... fermenting.

Whenever one of my cats has an upset stomach, I'll let them tell me when they want to eat. I don't feel like eating when my stomach's upset. Fatty liver isn't much of a risk in a healthy weight cat, so while my vet says 48 hours, i'm only comfortable with 24.

And then Willowy's advice is great. Small, highly digestible meals.

But given his issues with hairballs, why not just mix yolks into several meals a week?

Click to expand...

Hi

That's pretty much my plan. Since I'm at work, I'm communicating through my mother. She gave him slipper elm on a freeze-dried chicken treat, no luck, he puked it up. So, I decided to give him the Horse Chicken mix - we fed him 1/4 of what he normally eats, and he ate 1/4 of that. Last I heard, there were no pukes and he was his old self. 

I'm gonna go on and feed him that, avoid chicken AS MUCH as possible, and allow him to tell me when he is full/when he is hungry. He knows his tummy issues better than I do. If there are more pukes, then maybe it is vet time.

I'm also going to buy a water fountain, so he is more engaged to drink/So Ruby can't knock all the water over all the time - ha ha.

When you mention egg yolk, do you mean egg yolk lecithin or, actually egg yolk? In that case, how much would her need per meal? I assume 1 tbs or less?

UPDATE:

Since 10am-ish. He had a little bit of Horse/Chicken mix. That's horse meat, chicken carcass - no organs. 

So far, he's kept it down - feeding him his lunch.

Since he's seemingly okay with this blend, I will continue for tonight through tomorrow - just to avoid change that might upset his stomach. 

Is this a good idea?

Oh goodness, I must be doing something wrong. He had his breakfast this morning - no puke. He then had his lunch, which he ate a little more/cleaned his plate - no puke. He seemed in high spirits this evening when I came home. He had his horse chicken blend for both meals, ingredients could be found here: http://www.baileyblu.com/raw/our-blends/

Just scroll down to Horse Chicken.

Then, I gave him 2 tiny pieces of freeze dried TURKEY breast. I go downstairs to clean/wash out his litter...I come back upstairs and he had puked his meat and left a small, but very smelly poop where his litter box would be - It was very soft, no diarrhea, but mucus-y. His puke seemed to be mucus-y too.

Sigh, I don't know what is going on. I don't know what to do. I can't stop crying, what am I doing wrong? Is this serious? Should I take him to the vet? He was doing SO well before I gave him those damn treats. 

 

I really think you're just trying too much too fast. No treats, no full meals, just give him small amounts of something you know he digests well. Just think about what you would do if you had the stomach flu---would you immediately try to eat spicy snacks and go to a buffet? Probably not; you'd most likely sip broth and nibble at toast for a day or two. Just give his tummy time to rest. I really don't think this is anything serious but it's hard to tell when so many different foods have been offered.

If I were you I would ask the vet for Cerenia - I would like that kitty to stop vomiting.
As far as hairballs, people don't agree with me, but for critical cases like this, when it is not maintenance, I use Vaseline, and I use everyday. I do not care - all I care is making sure that hairball passes. Once it does, I go back to maintenance, which is what I am doing now with EYL.

Pure Vaseline, laxatone, or other hairball meidicine - make sure is given 2 hours from any meal and any medicine.

I would also avoid ANY changes in the diet - if he keep an specific food down, I would not risk by adding anything - not even a treat for a while.

When Lucky has hairballs, small meals help too.... It doesn't apply to you, but I make sure her meat is cut really small, add enzymes, and make it so she eats slowly - all those things help.
But Cerenia, Vaseline, time and bland diets are magic tricks.

Hope he gets better - he will in a few days, hairball sucks.

Carolina said:

If I were you I would ask the vet for Cerenia - I would like that kitty to stop vomiting.
As far as hairballs, people don't agree with me, but for critical cases like this, when it is not maintenance, I use Vaseline, and I use everyday. I do not care - all I care is making sure that hairball passes. Once it does, I go back to maintenance, which is what I am doing now with EYL.

Pure Vaseline, laxatone, or other hairball meidicine - make sure is given 2 hours from any meal and any medicine.

I would also avoid ANY changes in the diet - if he keep an specific food down, I would not risk by adding anything - not even a treat for a while.

When Lucky has hairballs, small meals help too.... It doesn't apply to you, but I make sure her meat is cut really small, add enzymes, and make it so she eats slowly - all those things help.
But Cerenia, Vaseline, time and bland diets are magic tricks.

Hope he gets better - he will in a few days, hairball sucks.

Click to expand...

Thank you for merging my post, I'll keep this in mind for next time.
What is Cerenia? He's been puking since yesterday. Once I stopped giving him a full chicken blend, he was seemingly okay. Then, I gave him turkey treats, and boom. Puke.

I can try the Vaseline...along with the egg yolk lecithin.
When you say no diet changes, do you mean very minimal protein? I'm scared to give him anything other than horse chicken, ingredients above, he has kept his breakfast and lunch down today when I gave him the HC mix.... Of course, until I gave him the treat.

I have been giving him his normal amount, just letting him decide when he's full and when he wants to stop eating. I water it down, add EYL and his probiotics.
I can try asking my holistic vet to get me a prescription...

I just don't know.

Willowy said:

I really think you're just trying too much too fast. No treats, no full meals, just give him small amounts of something you know he digests well. Just think about what you would do if you had the stomach flu---would you immediately try to eat spicy snacks and go to a buffet? Probably not; you'd most likely sip broth and nibble at toast for a day or two. Just give his tummy time to rest. I really don't think this is anything serious but it's hard to tell when so many different foods have been offered.

Click to expand...

He has been digesting the HC really well. Although there is some chicken carcass in there, there are no organs...and he seems to be keeping it down.
I'll try to calm down, give him his supper and take it from there...

Carolina said:

If I were you I would ask the vet for Cerenia - I would like that kitty to stop vomiting.
As far as hairballs, people don't agree with me, but for critical cases like this, when it is not maintenance, I use Vaseline, and I use everyday. I do not care - all I care is making sure that hairball passes. Once it does, I go back to maintenance, which is what I am doing now with EYL.

Pure Vaseline, laxatone, or other hairball meidicine - make sure is given 2 hours from any meal and any medicine.

I would also avoid ANY changes in the diet - if he keep an specific food down, I would not risk by adding anything - not even a treat for a while.

When Lucky has hairballs, small meals help too.... It doesn't apply to you, but I make sure her meat is cut really small, add enzymes, and make it so she eats slowly - all those things help.
But Cerenia, Vaseline, time and bland diets are magic tricks.

Hope he gets better - he will in a few days, hairball sucks.

Click to expand...

Ps. Would the smelly poop be a sign of hair all blockage too.

melrai said:

Thank you for merging my post, I'll keep this in mind for next time.
What is Cerenia? He's been puking since yesterday. Once I stopped giving him a full chicken blend, he was seemingly okay. Then, I gave him turkey treats, and boom. Puke.

I can try the Vaseline...along with the egg yolk lecithin.
When you say no diet changes, do you mean very minimal protein? I'm scared to give him anything other than horse chicken, ingredients above, he has kept his breakfast and lunch down today when I gave him the HC mix.... Of course, until I gave him the treat.

I have been giving him his normal amount, just letting him decide when he's full and when he wants to stop eating. I water it down, add EYL and his probiotics.
I can try asking my holistic vet to get me a prescription...

I just don't know.

Click to expand...

Cerenia is a medicine for him to stop throwing up and keep food down.
NO, I do not mean very minimum protein - I mean give him what he seems to keep down and do not change that - if you need to feed that, and that only for a week, that's what you do. If you think he does well on HC mix, then that's what it is. Don't add treats, don't change the food.
Instead of giving full amounts, give 1/2 amounts twice, within 1/2 hour or so.... just divide the meals - he will eat smaller meals, but the same amount in the end of the day.
I see your mom is feeding.... Some will do even 4 feedings..... I like spreading the food on the plate and putting the plate on the top of a thick book - it makes Lucky eat slower.
I would get Cerenia from the vet so he stops throwing up.

Carolina said:

Cerenia is a medicine for him to stop throwing up and keep food down.
NO, I do not mean very minimum protein - I mean give him what he seems to keep down and do not change that - if you need to feed that, and that only for a week, that's what you do. If you think he does well on HC mix, then that's what it is. Don't add treats, don't change the food.
Instead of giving full amounts, give 1/2 amounts twice, within 1/2 hour or so.... just divide the meals - he will eat smaller meals, but the same amount in the end of the day.
I see your mom is feeding.... Some will do even 4 feedings..... I like spreading the food on the plate and putting the plate on the top of a thick book - it makes Lucky eat slower.
I would get Cerenia from the vet so he stops throwing up.

Click to expand...

Okay, that's what I thought - just wanted to make sure. I will stick to horse/chicken until he stops feeling ill. 

I will also start feeding him 6x a day, smaller amounts. That sounds like a good plan. He isn't one to scarf his food down when he is feeling ill (aka, hairball) but I will be safe and do so. 

I have been spreading the food on the plate, watering it down a little. 

Since it's only been a day this has been going on, I will see how tomorrow goes. At the first sign of puke, if he pukes once, I will immediately call my vet and get the Cerenia. I just want to avoid the vet...at least for now....especially since he's kept the HC down for most of the day.

Just keep in mind the weekend is coming. Don't let yourself get caught in an er situation.... Whatever you have to do, do before Friday.