Cat throwing up

Hi all,

Last night my cat wouldn't eat his dinner, very odd for him. I found two piles of digested food vomit in the basement then watched him throw up some foamy stuff. He was sitting like a loaf in the basement. His breathing was rapid to me so I took him to the emergency vet.
After a clear blood panel and abdomen and chest X-ray (save for some signs of inflamed bronchi ) they gave him an anti nausea and sent him home. He has been eating and drinking and peeing since then, but has had a particularly smelly bowel movement. He is moving around but not energetically, and currently sitting in a loaf in the basement.
Any ideas or suggestions? I just spent 800 at the vet so I'm reluctant to take him back in.

Sorry no one has responded so far.  So did the emergency Vet not give you ANY hints as to what might have been wrong.  Sometimes cats can pick up a "bug",just like humans do, and within 24 hours they start to feel better again.  Sometimes it's just as simple as that, but other times it can be something like pancreatitis or food intolerance or things like that, even if they have been eating the same food for a long time.  Or perhaps he really DID pick up a "bug", as in ate one that he shouldn't have.  Whatever this was, it sounds like since it started as vomiting and progressed into a stinky bowel movement, hopefully it's moved through his system and is now gone. 

How is he now, since it's been a day and a half since you posted?  Does he seem to be better?  Not sitting in the "loaf" position anymore and hiding away?

I know one of my cats recently had a HORRIBLY stinky bowel movement, and it was pretty soft , so I immediately started giving him a full packet of FortiFlora everyday for a few days and it's cleared up - again.  He's been having some issues lately ever since he had a dental and went on an anti-biotic, even though we continued his normal probiotic throughout the entire process.  Per our Vet's instructions, adding in the FortiFlora has been very helpful even though it's been over a month now.   So, if you don't have any on hand, you might get some FortiFlora.  First off, it's a great topper...most cats love it (one of mine doesn't though), and second, it does help with stool issues).  You can get it from stores like Petco, Petsmart, Amazon, or your Vet. 

The vet did a full blood work up and X-ray and couldn't find anything, save for the inflamed bronchi. He was ok for a couple of days, and now today he did eat his breakfast and then spent the entire day sleeping. Again he wouldn't come down for his dinner... I wrapped him up in a burrito blanket and gave him his Flovent inhaler, and then tried to give him a few kernels. He literally spat one out. I gave him some wet food that the vet describes as "kitty crack" and he did eat that. Maybe his GI tract is acting up and he's developed a sensitivity to his urinary SO food...in summary, no more throwing up but still lethargic and inappetance. I also cleaned out the water fountain and filled it with bottled water.

I do have forti flora on hand and will try giving him some of that.

OH, you didn't mention he's on S/O.  So he's prone to stones?  And has asthma?  Per little guy.  Filtered water is always good, especially for cats prone to urinary issues.  Did they check his urine while he was at the Vet?  No infection brewing? 

Let's hope he's not developing a food intolerance since he's on special food.  Will he not eat the CANNED S/O?  Or there is more than one brand of it, if he doesn't like certain ones you may have tried.  Interesting that he did eat the canned kitty crack the Vet gave you, but not his regular food.  Did they check his teeth too?  (although that shouldn't cause digestive issues I wouldn't think)

He had a urinalysis done last week and there was a bit of blood in it, about the same as a few months ago, but the vet said the only things we can do are keeping giving him the SO, lots of water, and the cosequin supplement for his bladder lining. He has never had actual stones present, just blood present in the urine. I suspect it was originally triggered in a stressful trip to the vet when he broke his foot and had a rough time recovering.

And yes he does eat the canned SO as well as the dry SO in moderate calorie version, as he is 16 pounds and overweight.

Sometimes after they've been unwell they will go off their food which may be why he wouldn't eat it anymore. I had a cat with urinary problems, the S/O is very high in salt if I remember correctly. Generally I prefer Royal Canin over Hills but in some of the Prescription Diets my cats have done better on Hills (and I like them better in certain instances). You could try him on Hills C/D. The pate' foods are pretty gross but they make a stew, Chicken and Vegetable Hills C/D Multicare and my cats really love it. It also helps to dissolve crystals and clear up blood (2 things my last boy was prone to). You would have to watch how much of that he was getting though as they seem to like it a lot and can gain weight.

Vomiting wise has he stopped the throwing up?

If he's having a bladder flare-up, getting him some painkillers and anti-inflammatories wouldn't be a bad idea. Nausea can stem from pain. Thankfully they did an xray, so if he did have stones they would've caught them. Could they see the state of the bladder in the xray?

Unfortunately, a kitty feeling nauseous can mean a many number of things. He could have a GI upset, pancreatitis, or even a bug (if he had some lung inflammation). I found out recently that my kitty had an ear infection, and THAT was what was making him feel lethargic and turning his stomach off food because of disorientation.

Your vet is right though- keep with the hydration going with a kitty with angry bladder. If he's eating the Purina (I'm assuming that's what you meant by the 'kitty crack' That's what my cat's eating to improve his appetite, too), add water to it to make it soupy. If nothing else it'll flush out his system.

jlgagne said:

Hi all,

Last night my cat wouldn't eat his dinner, very odd for him. I found two piles of digested food vomit in the basement then watched him throw up some foamy stuff. He was sitting like a loaf in the basement. His breathing was rapid to me so I took him to the emergency vet.
After a clear blood panel and abdomen and chest X-ray (save for some signs of inflamed bronchi ) they gave him an anti nausea and sent him home. He has been eating and drinking and peeing since then, but has had a particularly smelly bowel movement. He is moving around but not energetically, and currently sitting in a loaf in the basement.
Any ideas or suggestions? I just spent 800 at the vet so I'm reluctant to take him back in.

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Omg I'm so sorry to hear this same scenario repeated once again, and sorry it's happening to you and your kitty.  Why is it that we have to pay $600 to $800 for labs/Xrays only to be told "your cat is fine!"??  I really wish I knew the answer and I totally understand your reluctance to take him back.  Emergency vet is expensive.  

For now I'd stick with your own vet, if you trust that vet, or look for a specialist in digestive issues.  If such a one exists.  This may make people angry for me to say this, but I truly find it unacceptable to be charged so much money just to find out they don't know what is wrong.  This happens way too often.  It sounds like they need to go back to the drawing board.  They need to do more thorough research, especially regarding nutrition, and not come back until they have answers.  All too often what happens is they bleed the poor pet parent dry of money while the pet gets sicker.  

I'm sorry for being such a downer but I've read way too many very discouraging stories on this site that sound pretty similar. I still hope for the best for you and your kitty!