Mystery GI upset - could it be the litter??

Smike, 6 month old kitten, world-class chowhound: started vomiting and would not eat.  Vomited copious brown fluid at midnight, wouldn't eat at all in the morning.  Nibbled on two kibbles at noon, vomited five minutes later.  Accepted three small shreds of boiled chicken in the afternoon, vomited 20 minutes later.  Spent the night at the vet, got subcu fluids and Cerenia, started eating and is now back in full Demon Seed mode.  Totally indoor cat, eats MaxCat canned kitten food.  Three days later, Pawnee (5 yr old spayed female, indoor/outdoor cat - she adopted us as a stray farm cat) stopped eating and began to vomit.  Refused to eat anything at all, vomited clear frothy fluid several times, lethargic. Finally vomited up big stem of grass.  Last night she passed a mix of diarrhea and soft formed poop with grass in it; this morning she is eating small amounts.  Normally she eats Royal Canin S/O canned food (she's a FLUTD kitty), as do the two Boy Cats.  So - two cats, same symptoms, one indoor, one outdoor, on two different diets. Other three cats are all (knock on wood!!!) fine.  We have racked our brains for what could have brought this on - this all took place at our vacation home, where they have all been many times and love.  We use no chemicals, poisons, etc. on our place, but who knows what Pawnee might have found on her outings.  The ONLY thing that occurs to me that was different is I bought a box of Arm & Hammer Double Duty litter because the store was out of our normal Arm & Hammer Essentials.  The box doesn't list ingredients, but has anyone heard of cats reacting badly to it?  I won't use the rest of it (will donate to shelter if I can), but just wonder if something in the odor-control ingredients might make some cats sick...  Thanks!

Julie and Smike and Pawnee (all feeling better today)

if they ate the litter that can cause problems that you are having, i suggest you to take them to a vet if they ate large amount of the   litter it can cause the litter to clump in their small intestines and that is serious

It's possible that one of your outdoor cats caught some kind of flu or virus and passed it to your kitten and your outdoor cat showed symptoms later.

It's also possible that the litter caused problems. However, I don't know whether they would have such a strong reaction to the litter without having eaten it. It seems a little odd that too cats would have eaten litter. In the past week, I have read reviews on litter, which have alleged the litter caused itching and illness in cats.

I would not buy the new litter again, especially if it's dusty and perfumey. The dust can get on the cats's coat and the cats can ingest the dust when they groom. I'm not happy with the brand I'm using. Sometime in the past couple years it has become too dusty and perfumey.

However, I think it's more likely that your cats caught something. If they continue to vomit, I would take them back to the vet. They could take an x-ray or possibly feel an obstruction upon examination. Hopefully, they are feeling better.

Pawnee started eating again yesterday and this morning was up chirping for her breakfast, though she still seems a little quiet.  Smike bounced back very quickly with fluids and meds from the vet, so we kind of waited to see how Pawnee would do, and she got better in exactly the same timeframe as Smike.  Still cannot figure out what might have caused it.  No reason to think they ate any of the litter - they have just never done that.  I guess likeliest thing is some kind of gastrointestinal virus.  Smike is a little guy, so maybe more vulnerable; Pawnee was a free-ranging cat for an unknown long time before she adopted us, but fell victim to a terrible vaccine reaction this past spring, so clearly she has her own vulnerabilities.  The only other thing I can think of is that on New Year's Eve, we lost our oldest cat (Mrs. Chippy) to an unexpected chest tumor, and then seven days later, my beloved, my darling, the dog of my heart, collapsed and died from his heart disease (which we had been managing extremely well for over a year, so his sudden death was a thunderbolt, if not a complete surprise).  Needless to say, I have been a total wreck for some weeks and the cats have been especially cuddly to me, so they clearly recognize my stress and maybe that upset the household balance.  Who knows.  Anyway, Smike is fine, Pawnee is recovering well so far, and I'm never buying that litter again.  Thanks for your thoughts!

Julie and Smike  (aka The Demon Seed) and Pawnee, Queen of the Kansas Prairie... who may be grounded for the rest of her life.  Sigh.

Haha. :lol3: I think it's so much safer to keep them indoors. Too many things can go wrong outside.

I'm so sorry about Mrs. Chippy and your dog! Big. Stress will cause the immune system to lower. So, that's very possible.

I hope they all feel better soon!