Cat throwing up....

So,

Tiki has thrown up twice in two days. It mostly looks like food (though it smells like poop). We don't have any house plants, and there's nothing toxic that I can tell that she'd be eating (we don't keep cleaners out, etc...) ....though I have seen her sniffing around my shoes when I come in (salt from the snow). She's otherwise acting normally.

Any ideas? Could it just be her food?

I always look for paint chips, exposed containers, etc...

She will occasionally try to eat out of the sink, though I try to keep it really clean for that reason.

And we have a rabbit, so maybe she's eating pieces of the Timothy hay????

???????????????????

Scott I would watch her closely for signs of dehydration- check the gums for color, scruff her neck and see how long it takes for the skin to return to the normal position, and if she keeps vomiting take her to the vet.

The fact that it smells like poop concerns me a bit. In all my years of dealing with cat barf (when you have 6 cats, barf happens) I have never cleaned up barf than smells like poop.

Mary Anne or Sandie, any insight on this part?

Unless she is sampling her litter pan- or has a hefty case of worms, but in that case she would be vomiting worms as well wouldn't she?

Yeah, no worms. And she covers her poop, so I don't think that's it.

The only thing I'm sometimes concerned about is that she thinks the litter pan is her sandbox for playing sometimes, and we use clumping litter. She doesn't seem to ingest any, but I try to keep my eye on her for that reason.

A vomit here and there + normal behaviour and I personally wouldnt be too concerned. Constant vomiting + not eating and lethargy I would really be concerned and off to the vet they would go.

If it continues then get Tiki checked by the vet. A couple of years ago Loulou started vomiting a lot (about 10 times in 24 hours - much more than Tiki, obviously) and was frantically eating my spider plants to help her vomit. We went to the vet and they did a blood test, and found a problem with her liver, which they were able to correct with special diet and medication. However, a couple of times in two days isn't too bad - maybe Tiki just ate sthg a bit dodgy?

Hmmmm, well, she's got cat acne on her chin (a mild case) and a slight case of bad breath (diagnosed as gingivitis), but I've been sensitive about the "liver" word because I keep hearing it from people.

Tiki almost died as a kitten from being sick with an eye ulcer, abandoned on a hot day, probably dehydrated.

I hope nothing was damaged?

She's pretty active - no depression or loss of appetite (except I will say she didn't seem to eat as much as usual today) - she's very loving, still playful. She sleeps a bit more now than she used to.

Hmmmmm....I don't like to worry needlessly, but I hope nothing's wrong.

I would encourage fluids even give her pedialyte if she will drink it-

If your cat has just thrown up once or twice in a couple of days & seems OK otherwise I would just watch her & make sure she doesn't get dehydrated. From your posts, you seem more concerned though. If your "gut feeling" is that something is wrong, you should get her to your vet (& take a sample of the vomit if you have one - gross I know, but it could be useful
Deb E

she also might be eating stray rabbit poop Ive seen that happen , Im so sorry to hear shes ill Ive seen her pic and read your post about her she and you have been an inspiration to us.

my best advice is to call the vet ...We will keep you in our thoughts

Well, now she's got diarrhea as well, and she's hardly eaten today. I guess I'm calling the vet in the morning.

Uh oh.. yes better get her to the vet. ((( Good luck )))

She threw up again this morning and I took her to the vet. Well, they did an x-ray to check for a blockage and didn't see anything, did some blood work as well and it was unremarkable. She has to stay overnight. We're pretty bummed (but happy they didn't find anything wrong). She's the sweetest thing, but she gets very scared at the vet and her rear must have been very sore, since she didn't take well to having her temperature checked (she normally doesn't flinch).

She's lost weight - she was 7 lbs. 12 oz. and now she's 7lbs. 2oz. They're hydrating her.

Well, I hope she's OK - she's my favorite...

Good energy - good energy...

We're in a realtively small apartment, and we have covered garbage cans, nothing toxic really exposed (I even check for paint chips) - so I'm not sure what she would have gotten into, other than maybe some bunny poop or maybe eating something out of the sink screen. Maybe the salt on our shoes from the snowfall or a food allergy? We'll find out more tomorrow.

Depending on what might be blocking her, it might not show up on the x-ray. Given her history it was good of you to take her in. I will hope for a good outcome.

SCOTT,
maybe she has a hairball.....if it vomit is stinky, partially digested stomach contents with bile are nasty and aromatic.....a vet consult would be my suggestion, in the mean time give a dollop of vaseline (smear it on her mouth, she'll lick it off) and watch to see if she improves.

I have a cat with the acne problem, switch to glass water and feeding bowls....the plastic causes it

CINEZA

Unfortunately, it's not a hairball. We picked her up today, he said maybe it's a bacterial growth, but unsure. We've got some medicine and we're going to see how it goes for the next day or two.

She had another stool - it was very soft, but not liquid as her previous stools had been. The vet said she hadn't thrown up since we brought her in.

I've been reading and plastic bowls are the cause and also retain odor so can turn cats off their food. Ceramic and stainless steel are recommended. Good luck.

a friend of mine has a cat with similar syptoms, how is Tiki now?

did the medicine work?

I just had the same problem with my cat. He threw up his food Tuesday night and yesterday was very lethargic. He didn't drink or eat all day. I finally got him to eat some wet food last night, which I added water to. Last night he was very lethargic still. This morning he threw up again and I thought I was nuts, but it smelled like poop.
I just called the vet and we are going to see him shortly. I hope he is ok, because it is so sad seeing them like this !!