Worried about our 8-month-old

Hi everyone,

I'm really worried about our 8-month-old male, Ezra.  Throughout the day today, we have been finding cat vomit on the floor throughout the house, but we didn't know who it was from as we have 5 cats and they very rarely ever vomit.  The vomit was mostly clear.  In fact, at first I thought it was water.  Tonight, I realized that I couldn't find Ezra, so I called him and he didn't come.  He almost always comes running when I call him.  I tried shaking a container of treats and he still didn't didn't come (he ALWAYS comes for that).  I started looking all over the house and I finally found him laying on the floor behind the couch seeming not like himself.  He has never gone behind the couch before.  I called him, but he just looked at me and wouldn't come.  I then went and got a can of wet food and opened it right in front of him, and he seemed like he might get up as he started sniffing, but he didn't.  I then pulled the couch out and he got finally came out.  I put the wet food down in front of him and he took a few sniffs and seemed like he might eat (he normally LOVES to eat and would eat all day if we let him), but he didn't eat and just vomited clear liquid, which is the same type of vomit I've been finding all throughout the house today; however, earlier today, he seemed to be acting normally.  He is now hiding underneath our treadmill.  Again, TOTALLY unlike him.  This cat normally has a ton of personality and is very attached to me and is never very far from me.  I just can't imagine what could be going on with him.  He never isolates him himself like this and and this is the first time he has ever vomited.  He's normally a very social boy.  He has been vomiting all day.  I just didn't know it was him until he did it in front of me just a few minutes ago.  He is such a young cat, only 8 months old.  He was seen at the vet a month ago when he was neutered and the vet examined him and said he was very healthy.  All of our cats are strictly indoor cats and never go outside.  I'm wondering if he somehow got into something in the house that he shouldn't have, but I can't imagine what.  I do know that he was totally fine late last night/early in the morning and was running around the house and playing like crazy, so this all came on suddenly today, probably in the morning as my husband and I first found the vomit on the floor when we got up around 10 this morning.  However, he did also seem fine this afternoon, even after we first noticed the vomit.  We got a couple of packages delivered from UPS this afternoon and he was playing in the boxes.  Other than that, I'm not sure what he was doing the rest of the day as I was busy working all day (I work from home).  I don't know if he has been using the litter box as we have 5 cats, so it's impossible to tell.  Unfortunately, it's a Friday night so all the vets are closed until Monday morning and we don't have an emergency vet anywhere near us.  Can anyone offer any advice???  I'm SO worried!  Out of all of our cats, I've developed the closest bond with him and we've had him since he was 8 weeks old.  I'm worried sick and I have a feeling I'll be up most of the night keeping an eye on him!

This could be very serious. You should probably confine him to one room so that you can monitor his eating, drinking, pooping, and peeing without the other cats around. One of my friends recently had a similar problem with a cat of a similar age. He had an abscess that had to be treated with antibiotics.

He really needs to see a vet ASAP. Since he is a kitten he could very easily have gotten into something in the house, found something that he swallowed or something. Vomiting clear fluid often can be due to a foreign object that could do a lot of damage. If he doesn't eat he could go down hill very quickly. 

You should at least call a vet for advice.

I just called an emergency vet clinic that's about 2 hours away from us and explained the situation and they advised that we keep an eye on him overnight and keep him in a room away from the other cats with a litter box so that we can monitor whether he's using the box or not.  She said to hold food and water for the night to prevent further vomiting and to try a bit of food in the morning and see if he eats.  I think I'll at least leave a bowl of water in case he does want to drink.  They said it's could be possible that he just ingested something that upset his stomach and it could pass.  Now that I think about it, late last night, he kept getting in a Target bag that had some stuff in it (nothing toxic), but just some odds and ends, and I'm wondering if he may have ingested something.  He is now back to hiding under the treadmill, but he did come out for a bit and purred when I petted him and talked to him.  I'm very, very worried.  I've been cleaning up vomit literally all day and I had no idea it was from him until just about an hour ago.  This little guy means so much to me and I hate seeing him like this.  

I literally just thought of something as I've been wracking my brain trying to figure what he possibly could have gotten into as there is nothing accessible to him that he could actually swallow and there are no strings, yarn, or anything of that nature around the house.  My husband bought me a small rose plant for Valentine's day and I had it in the kitchen sink Thursday night when I was watering it.  At one point on Thursday night, I caught Ezra up on the kitchen counter right next to the sink and he almost kind of had his head in the sink.  I yelled at him to get down and he did, but I am wondering if he could have eaten a small part of my rose plant.  Like I said, that is literally the only thing I can think of.  Even all of the cat toys were picked up and put away.  I can't really tell by looking at the plant if any chunks of it are missing.  There could very well be.  I think there was a bud on it that hadn't blossomed yet and that seems to be missing.  If this is in fact what he ingested, could that explain his illness?  He obviously started getting sick sometime on Friday morning before we got up.  I didn't go to bed until around 3:30 a.m. Thursday night/Friday morning and he was totally fine then, running around and getting into all kinds of mischief.  My husband got up a couple of hours before me and said he cleaned up vomit on the kitchen floor and then I found quite a bit more in the living room when I got up, but Ezra was acting fine at point.  I didn't think roses were toxic to cats, but I guess they could cause some pretty significant GI upset?

According to the ASPCA, roses are considered non-toxic: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants/rose

Cats can eat all sorts of things which may cause an upset tummy. Even if you regularly cat-proof your home there's always going to be something that you miss and that the cat will try to eat. A bad batch of food or new brand of food may also cause an upset tummy. That happened with one of my cats recently. I bought a brand of raw food that I normally don't buy. Only my Aby gets the little bites for a snack so he was the only one developed an upset tummy a few days later.

I hope your cat feels better soon If symptoms get worse, please take your cat to the vet ER even if it's a long drive. Are you sure there isn't a closer one? If you call the regular vet office and get the after hours voicemail, does it tell you to call the place that's 2 hours away? Here's a directory if you want to check for a closer ER: http://www.veccs.org/facility-directory/

I also feel this kitty needs to get to the Vet, and fast.

This sounds dangerous.  I am thinking ER Vet....I know, 2 hours away,, but it could be a matter of life or death, if he gets much weaker and sicker...

I know my cat will get into anything, especially plastic bags..and anything plastic. He will chomp down on it and try to eat it, If I am not careful.. 

Could he perhaps eaten a small thorn from the rose plant? or a rose itself, which has gotten stuck somewhere.

We may never know the cause, if it is from a foreign object, but he does need Vet care. 

Please, do not hesitate to take him to a Vet, immediately....poor baby..

Kittens get into so many things......adults cats also...

He is probably dehydrated at this point and does need to get some nutrition into his body; as well as fining the source of his vomiting, and get that under control.

((hugs))

keep us updated...

Yes, I am positive there is not a closer ER vet.  I know that it is not a bad batch of cat food as none of our other cats are sick.  I called all of the local vets that have Saturday hours this morning, but none of them could get us in today as they are all only open for a few hours on Saturdays and were totally booked.  We gave him some Zantac a couple of hours ago and he drank a bunch of water and then peed and he has kept the water down so far, so that's a good sign.  He's also no longer hiding under/behind things and is laying on the living room rug right now.  We'll see how he does.

jwathas said:

 
Yes, I am positive there is not a closer ER vet.  I know that it is not a bad batch of cat food as none of our other cats are sick.  I called all of the local vets that have Saturday hours this morning, but none of them could get us in today as they are all only open for a few hours on Saturdays and were totally booked.  We gave him some Zantac a couple of hours ago and he drank a bunch of water and then peed and he has kept the water down so far, so that's a good sign.  He's also no longer hiding under/behind things and is laying on the living room rug right now.  We'll see how he does.

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I am not sure if Zantac is appropriate for cats. I hope one of the advisors will chime in.

@Columbine  

@catwoman707  

@Margd  

I do not know what else to suggest, because I really feel he needs a Vet..and not wait until Monday..He is very sick..

What about any food intake? 

Hopefully he will pull out of this, but if he does not.. I am afraid he is a very sick cat.

I am afraid he ate something. 

Sending     your way..

keep us posted...

((hugs)))

Zantac/ranitidine is perfectly safe for cats.  The dosage for cats is 0.25 mg/pound.  We lost our 12-year-old cat to renal failure last year and Zantac was one of the meds our vet recommended for his nausea, which helped him a great deal and it has also clearly helped Ezra as he has now gone about 6 hours without vomiting and is resting beside me.  This is by far the longest he has gone without vomiting since he became sick yesterday.  He is also no longer going into hiding.  He has held down a good amount of water as well as Pedialyte.  We are going to try some wet food a little later.

This sounds like a real upset tummy trying hard to get rid of any contents to clean it out, and now after 6 hours and not hiding, it does sound like it's working itself out.

That's good news!

I would start trying wet food on him now but if you can get a couple jars of chicken or turkey baby food to start out with this is so easily digested and won't cause much diturbance in his just now settling down tummy, warm it up a bit and let him have that and see if he holds it down. If so he can go on to other foods.

Keep us updated!

We tried giving him some of his Fancy Feast wet kitten food, which he normally loves, and he did lick it a little bit, which is more than he was doing this morning or last night, but then he stopped, so I just let him be and picked it up.  We will try it again a little later after he's had some more time to rest.  I figured his stomach may still need to settle a bit more.  I'm very encouraged that it has now been about 7 hours vomit-free and he held down all of the water he drank earlier and then was able to urinate.  I gave him a good amount of Pedialyte through a syringe a couple of hours ago to replace his electrolytes, which he has also held down, so that's good too.  He has spent the afternoon resting on the big shag rug we have in our living room.  I'm glad he's there instead of hiding behind the couch or under the treadmill like he was last night and this morning.  We are fairly convinced that he must have gotten into the rose plant sometime either yesterday morning before we woke up or possibly even Thursday night since he started getting sick yesterday morning.  We think we can see where a piece is missing from it.  I think, or at least hope, that the worst part is behind us and now he just needs to rest while his stomach settles some more.  

Did you do what the vet advised ie confine him with his own litter box to know what he is or isn't doing? Sounds like no.

Hey! I totally just went through this. If you cat isn't eating you definitely should go to the vet. It could be so many things, but also don't rush to the worst case scenario Has your cat gone through any changes lately that could have caused stress? We just found out (after $800 in tests and x-rays) that our cat was suffering from anxiety from valentines weekend where we put him in a cat daycare (low stress environment, but still). Cat's don't respond well to change and can literally get nauseous over it. If your cat walks up to food and sniffs it and licks his lips and walks away, my vet said that means he feels nauseous. If your cat continues to eat (even a little) and not vomit, I honestly would't be that worried. If a cat eats, they probably don't feel sick. He may have eaten something or went through a situation that upset his stomach and mind. If it was a linear obstruction (blockage)... chances are the cat would get progressively worse: this is all coming from what the vet told me. Additionally, if your cat ate something dangerously poisonous he would probably be going downhill VERY fast. There are plants that simply cause stomach upset, and that simply just takes time. If he stops eating and the vet doesn't find anything wrong, you should ask for anti-nausea and appetite stimulants --- seriously did the trick for my 8 month old kitty Ghibli and now he is perfectly back to normal! Apperently cats can sometimes wrongly associate food with pain when they aren't feeling well, and then become scared to eat. The appetite stimulants really help if you know for sure nothing else is wrong. 

He has been quite stable all day today with no vomiting since around 9 this morning.  He's had 2 doses of ranitidine today.  He just peed about an hour ago.  He finally just ate a little bit of wet food for the first time today.  He ate maybe about a quarter of the can, give or take a little.  It was one of the little Fancy Feast cans.  All day, he has seemed like he might want to eat and would sniff the food, but didn't until just a few minutes ago.  No, he hasn't been through any changes or stressors at all.  We are fairly positive that he ingested something, most likely a piece of the miniature rose plant as we caught him eyeballing it Thursday night when it was in the kitchen sink.  He was being quite mischievous late Thursday night/wee hours of Friday morning and then we got up on Friday morning find to clear, foamy vomit all over the house.  I think he is making progress.

jwathas said:

 
He has been quite stable all day today with no vomiting since around 9 this morning.  He's had 2 doses of ranitidine today.  He just peed about an hour ago.  He finally just ate a little bit of wet food for the first time today.  He ate maybe about a quarter of the can, give or take a little.  It was one of the little Fancy Feast cans.  All day, he has seemed like he might want to eat and would sniff the food, but didn't until just a few minutes ago.  No, he hasn't been through any changes or stressors at all.  We are fairly positive that he ingested something, most likely a piece of the miniature rose plant as we caught him eyeballing it Thursday night when it was in the kitchen sink.  He was being quite mischievous late Thursday night/wee hours of Friday morning and then we got up on Friday morning find to clear, foamy vomit all over the house.  I think he is making progress.

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Well at least it seems like you can probably rule out an obstruction. Its really good news he is slowly getting better. That's such a good sign! My cat ate a few leaves of a plant that wasn't poisonous but is known to cause stomach upset and he acted just the same way. It took him a good week to completely get back to normal. Poor cats, that are SO sensitive emotionally and physically! Glad to hear he is improving   

I also know how sad it is to see an 8 month old feel so sick and seem so sad and miserable It gave me so much anxiety when it was happening to mine last week! 

For the most part, he has just been laying around all day and not wanting to eat, but not vomiting anymore either.  I did manage to get a good amount of Pedialyte into him with a syringe.  His stomach is probably still trying to settle after an entire day of vomiting yesterday.  I remember about 11 years ago when I had horrible food poisoning and it took me a few days to really feel like eating again.  I actually gave him a little catnip before I tried feeding him again tonight and I'm not sure if that stimulated his appetite, but he started eating the wet food shortly after.  He probably ate for a good 2-3 minutes or so.  I sat with him and praised him while he was eating to try to encourage him.  Normally, he would inhale an entire one of those Fancy Feast cans within 2 minutes, but I'm just happy that he finally ate at least something, even though it wasn't as much as usual.  We'll try for more a little later.  Hopefully, that little bit of food will have kick started his appetite. 

I think we finally may be out of the woods!  I just offered him the rest of the wet food and he finished almost all of if!  This time, he ate for well over 5 minutes and didn't leave much at all.  I'd say he ate over three quarters of the can.  Soooooo relieved!  Maybe I can actually sleep tonight!

Wow, I just went back out to the living room and he was actually PLAYING with the catnip sock I made him!  He was rolling around the rug while holding onto it and biting and sucking it.  I think he feels better now that he ate, or he is just REALLY stoned!  

jwathas said:

 
I think we finally may be out of the woods!  I just offered him the rest of the wet food and he finished almost all of if!  This time, he ate for well over 5 minutes and didn't leave much at all.  I'd say he ate over three quarters of the can.  Soooooo relieved!  Maybe I can actually sleep tonight!

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Aww! This is very good news!! Whew, what a relief!! 

I'm glad to hear he is eating again. 

While roses are not toxic to cats, it is possible that he drank some of the water they are in. If you added "flower food" that came with them from the florist, that could be what upset his tummy. That stuff contains citric acid, sugar and... bleach! Be extremely careful having cut flowers around your cats!