Vomiting Kitty

Hi all. Roscoe's not feeling very good today - he's 16 months old. Yesterday, he vomited yellow and green stuff - never seen the green before (is bile green?). My husband thought catnip, but he hasn't been in any. I keep it in the closet. He won't keep any food down and now he's not even interested in food or water at all. We went to the vet this morning, had blood work done (results tomorrow), got a shot of chlorpromazine and a pill of Flagyl. I'm supposed to start giving him some liquid Flagyl tonight.

When I picked him up to love on him, he leaked some poop. The poop leakage kinda freaked me out - any thoughts on that?

He was fine yesterday morning - ate fine, didn't have any problems. By the time I got home last night, he had vomited all over the place - no food, though. Looked like only bile.

I know vomiting could mean a thousand different things....my vet says there's nothing I can do right now except wait for the blood test results, but I am such a worrywart and I don't know what to do for him right now (I need a crystal ball). We lost Bandit when he was a year old due to a congenital kidney defect and his first symptom was vomiting. With that thought in my mind, I worry when any of the other cats vomit.

A preliminary diagnosis was gastritis. Is it normal for a kitty with gastritis to vomit and not want to eat or drink at all? For a whole day? You'd think I'd been through this before with my cats, but usually, they're eating before the day's over with - the upset tummy didn't last long. Roscoe's still smacking his mouth with I put food in front of him.

Any kind thoughts?

Thanks.

Kim

I'm sorry I dont really have any advice as you are right.. vomiting could mean many things. I think the fact that it was yellow/green is a little worrysome. I do hope you get the answers you need soon and keep us posted. Will he eat anything at all? Favorite foods? treats? baby food? I would try anything because you wouldnt want him to get dehydrated.

** sending feel better soon vibes to Roscoe **

You did the right thing taking him in for tests. And the waiting is agony.

Sam has a sensitive tummy, and when he had a bout of diarrhea, the vet told me to take him off food for 24 hours. Maybe its not a bad thing if he doesn't want to eat for now. At least until tomorrow. I would see that he keeps hydrated, though.

Thanks for your reply, Sicycat. My vet told me to not even try to give him anything to eat tonight. She wants his tummy to rest. He licked some canned food from my finger earlier, though.

Thanks, Sammie5.

I'm trying to not force him to eat, but every now and then, I'll take some to him to see if he's interested. So far, not much interest.

If the vet told you not to force him to eat, then just do that. If he has stomach irritation, having him eat may just make it worse. My vet told me to take the food away, to let the problem subside on its own without aggravating it with more food.

She said, at least 12 hours without food, and 24 if I could stand it. So if he has nothing to eat tonight and during the day tomorrow until you hear the test results, there is not a problem. I'd just leave the food away for now.

Oh I didnt know the vet told you no food. In that case I would listen to him.

I hope its nothing too serious!!

Kim, my first thought is your kitty might have ingested a toxin of some sort....please make a thorough check through your home and look for any tell-tale signs of plants that might have been chewed, broken leaves, plant dust etc on the floor....Also check for potential caustic substances/cleaners, and ask your family members if any of them dropped any pills, medications, etc.

Don't feed him anything. Vomiting causes a great deal of wretching which can further aggrivate the stomach lining, causing blood in the vomitis....offer him only tiny sips of water at a time, if he can hold that down, offer again an hour later. If at any time he vomits just water, cease it and call your vet and express your concern. If he doesn't vomit through the night, call your vet first thing in the morning with an update on your kitty.

Was a fecal done during the bloodwork?................Traci

Thanks, Cat-tech.

We don't keep any plants inside the house, so plants are not it. A swallowed foreign object is a possibility (feathers, strings, etc), and my vet said we'll x-ray the tummy tomorrow if he's still vomiting.

As far as the fecal, I gathered a sample tonight and it's in a baggie in the fridge waiting for tomorrow's vet visit! He now has a little diarrhea - poor baby!

Any news on Roscoe??

Thanks for asking, Sicycat. The blood work came back ok, so they think it's just a bug that has him with vomiting and diarrhea. He didn't vomit all day at the vet yesterday but when I brought him home, of course, he vomited. I called the emergency vet close to me this morning and we decided if he vomits again today, he's going in. I've been getting a little bit of baby food down him, but that's about it. Not sure what else to do.

Originally posted by Sicycat
Any news on Roscoe??

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Kim, did you actually get an x-ray? If not, I'd be getting that done ASAP.....given the length of time this has persisted, negative fecals, nature of excessive vomiting, the first thing I would do is rule out an obstruction immediately (compacted hairball, foreign object, inflammation, etc)................Traci

If he vomits again one more time today, we're going in the morning to get an x-ray. So far, he's kept down what I've given him. He ate some Iams Chicken canned on his own, and ate some chicken baby food. Someone recommended Pedialite, so I'm getting ready to go to the store for some of that. Hopefully, we won't have to go back tomorrow, but vomit or not, if he's not eating any better, the vet wants to x-ray.

Thanks for your message!

Originally posted by cat-tech
Kim, did you actually get an x-ray? If not, I'd be getting that done ASAP.....given the length of time this has persisted, negative fecals, nature of excessive vomiting, the first thing I would do is rule out an obstruction immediately (compacted hairball, foreign object, inflammation, etc)................Traci

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Did I mention that I clean out cat cages at Petsmart in town once a week? My vet thinks maybe I brought something home to my boys. Right now, I have Roscoe sick with his problem, Simon has loose stools, and Cosmo has loose stools and has thrown up this morning. Our fourth cat is ok - for now.

Seems like maybe I brought something home from the other cats. It's no telling. My husband wants me to help our organization in other ways instead of cleaning out the cages, so I may have to do that - especially since it seems pretty coincidental that everyone has been healthy up until about a month after I started cleaning the cages.

Anyone have any thoughts on that?

If you do decide to continue to clean cages, I would use only one set of old clothes, including shoes, and change before you get in the house including shoes. I would also take a good shower/shampoo prior to saying hello to any cat in your home. I know, sounds like a pain, but it would safeguard your cats. Coveralls would be best easily discarded, and easily washable.

At the SPCA they told me if I do work with animals there I should make sure to shower and everything before handling my pets just in case. That could be it. Can you find out if anything is going on with the cats at Petsmart?

Oh wow that's odd that 3 out of 4 cats are experiencing something or other. I agree about finding out if there is something going around with the cats at Petsmart.

Good idea! I think for now, I'm going to have them find me something else to do. There are plenty of other things that the organization has for me to help with, I'm sure. The organization is called HOPE - Homeless and Orphaned Pets Endeavor. They foster cats and dogs, so they're no kill.

Part of my issue is that Roscoe's my baby with the heart problem, and if I ever brought home anything bacterial and some bacteria landed on that mitral valve, I'd never forgive myself.

Coveralls are a great idea, though. Someone else told me to use gloves while doing the litter boxes.

Originally posted by hissy
If you do decide to continue to clean cages, I would use only one set of old clothes, including shoes, and change before you get in the house including shoes. I would also take a good shower/shampoo prior to saying hello to any cat in your home. I know, sounds like a pain, but it would safeguard your cats. Coveralls would be best easily discarded, and easily washable.

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I always use gloves when handling the litter pans. Just got in the habit of it when I had a sick group of cats, and never got out of the habit.

I just emailed the coordinator of the organization I volunteer with. I asked her to remind me of some of the problems with the cats there. At one time, I heard that some came in with Coccidia (sp?), some with Ringworm, and others with Giardia. When they found out what it was, they were quickly removed from the premises and treated, but they were at Petsmart at least a day or so when I was there, so that's a possibility. I'll post back when I find out something for sure. She may not check her mail until next week, though.

Originally posted by Creepyowl
At the SPCA they told me if I do work with animals there I should make sure to shower and everything before handling my pets just in case. That could be it. Can you find out if anything is going on with the cats at Petsmart?

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