Constipated/Lethargic-terrified mommy

Sorry for the long post...I'm frantic at this point. I will post an introduction thread too, but at the moment I just need...I don't even know. 

My cat started vomiting quite suddenly Wednesday afternoon. We thought it might be the treats we gave him or a hairball because sometimes it does happen when he has a hairball as he is a long hair cat. The other thought we had was that he over indulged in the food we gave him which was different food than his normal as he ate an entire bowl and he normally takes about two days to eat a bowl of it. However the vomiting got worse through the night and became just liquid. He wouldn't acknowledge us or come near us and normally he is a very in your face loving and vocal cat. So of course I took him to the vet. They gave him xrays and he did not swallow anything (which I figured as he isn't known for chewing on things or putting anything in his mouth). They did however find that he was VERY constipated. They gave him under the skin fluids, 2 enemas, and he emptied out within a few hours. We got to take him home that night (last night). He was still unresponsive and disinterested in us when we got him home. I thought maybe he was just mad at us as he is very known for holding a grudge. I am starting to get worried though because he refuses to eat or drink anything, he is not responding in any way when I speak to him. He will get up and move every few hours but he is laying in very random places on the ground, having no bowel movements-although he appears to have urinated on an item of my clothing which he does when he is unhappy about something-he has no reaction to having his belly touched with a little pressure, he wont purr or meow. We are syringe feeding him baby food mixed with water and water plain just to keep his fluids up but he fights us hard on it. I am so scared for my baby and I don't know what to think. He hasn't thrown up since the enemas but they also gave him a shot to stop the nausea/vomiting so I don't know if he's really not nauseous or if they stifled it....The vet says as long as he's making little steps like arching his back a little when we pet him and giving us his chin for chin scratchies or at least keeping the syringe food down then we are ok. Maybe I am over analyzing it and just want my Baby Lion to be back to normal cuddling and bathing me or because I'm freaking out as this is the first time he has actually been sick, ever. I am going nuts. 

Help?!

Number one issue is to keep him hydrated.  Pinch his skin and if it doesn't go back to normal right away get him into the vet for IV fluids

Did the vet mention withholding food? I would not force feed him food or water. It is okay for him to go without food for 24 hours or so.  My guess would be even 48 hours without food is okay as well.

I would call the vet and ask if laxatone is okay, and inquire as to how long he can go without food before getting fatty liver disease.  Also ask if you need more nausea meds to get him through the weekend?  It may be a good idea to ask how long the nausea medication will be in his system for.

It is possible he still has a stomach ache and is exhausted from the vet visit. I would leave him be for now and let him rest.  Can you press on his belly/rub his belly? if he does not show a pain response, than I would think he just isn't feeling quite right yet and needs more time.

My vet did recommend 5 ml of laxatone for my constipated cat for 3-5 days, but he wasn't as bad as yours.  Laxatone is something else you don't want to force feed, as if it gets in the lungs it can kill him.

Thank you so much for your reply!!

The vet told me to feed him only baby food and bland wet cat food for 5 days. They also said I may want to syringe feed if he doesn't eat. However that came from the vet assistant not the vet so maybe I need to talk directly to the vet. I will definitely ask about the laxatone. This is the first time I've owned a cat on my own and he's never been sick before so I don't really know how to deal with a vet or what questions to ask. I've been through the ringer with rats and vets, but not cats.

When i rub and press on his belly he is completely fine with it.  I thought maybe he wasn't eating due to associating it with throwing up. This is the first time he has ever vomited so much/been sick/had to go to the vet for anything but routine check ups so I am hoping he is just exhausted and feeling a little off and overwhelmed. He has been sleeping a lot and tends to get very sensitive.

I am not doing much syringe feeding, I mostly just give a bit of water and towards the edge of his mouth so he doesnt choke on it and he was spitting it out at first but hes accepting it better now. He is ok with the water. I do it maybe 2-3 times a day. So it's not a constant thing, just a reminder "eating isn't going to make you sick" kind of deal. I also want to try some smellier favorites of his to see if it will entice him any.

I spoke to someone today who just had a huge ordeal with her poor kitty who went through a blood clot in the leg and a stroke and she said a cat will fast and its completely normal to do so for a few days because digesting takes up too much energy that could be used to heal the body. So that relaxed me a little. Maybe that's what is going on.

Again, I appreciate any input at all. 

P.S. I know the dry food probably played a HUGE part in his constipation and I am already preparing to switch to a raw/homemade diet for both him and my ferrets. Obviously I have to get him through this first but we are DEFINITELY going to better food. Forget the dry crap.

A cat should never go several days without eating.  I have had a cat with fatty liver disease.  I personally think the only fasting that should be done is the time necessary for general anesthesia.  My vet recommends Miralax.  It doesn't work the way a conventional laxative does, it draws water into the colon.   Start with 1/8 teaspoon twice a day and adjust the dosage.  It's a powder with no taste so it's easy to hide in food.  Of course since he isn't eating it would need to be mixed with the water or food in the syringe.

My cat would do the same thing in cycles.  He was finally diagnosed with possible IBD and is on a steroid.  In my cat's case the constipation is caused by lack of motility from the thickening in the lining of the intestines.  There really is no way to test for it other than a biopsy which I didn't have done.  They rule out everything else, do an ultrasound and then treat for IBD.

Thank you Denice!

In an update since yesterday he seems to be urinating just fine...all over my stuff... and he had a bout of diarrhea on the floor with a few chunks in it. This is the first evidence I've seen of a bowel movement but he does hide often. We have quarantined him to one room and now have him with three different options of highly smelly foods-two of which he loves and one which someone suggested. He did show interest in them by sniffing but hasn't tried eating yet. It has only been a little since we offered though. Also he gave a few meows showing his distaste at a closed door (he HATES closed doors) but calmed down very quickly. 

In his behavior, he has responded to us talking to him by lifting his head, giving lovey eyes when being pet and arching his back for some hind end scratches, and the tail has been going non stop in a relaxed manner. no purring or anything yet but his ears seem perkier and more responsive. So I have a bit more hope and am most concerned about the eating/drinking at the moment. I will give the laxatives a try if he doesn't have any other bowel movements.

I can't tell how long it is since you've had the enemas. Enemas are rather rough and can spoil appetite for about half a day to a day. Also, their entire colon has been cleaned out, so no bowel movements for about 2 days.

If it has been 2 or more days and you're getting the diarrhea, I'd ask the vet. Constipation can make the cat appear to have diarrhea because it is the only stuff that can get around the blockage.

Do you know why he was constipated? Constipation has many causes. Low gut motility or poor diet are two common causes. Feed only wet food is one piece of advice that is pretty consistent, though.

If your vet gives you high fiber food, do some research first. There is controversy on feeding high fiber. Traditional medicine says that fiber helps constipation; newer theories say that cats are different than people and don't handle fiber well, so feed low fiber. I belong to the Yahoo! feline megacolon/chronic constipation group and most members there feed low fiber. Some feel that feeding high fiber stretched their kitty's colon and put them in a megacolon situation.