Spewy Cat

My beloved little hairball Rufus has spewed up 7 times today. About a month or so ago, he had a similar episode of vomiting, after which I took him to the vet. The vet gave him an injection and some tablets (antibiotics and some others to settle his stomach) which seemed to work up til today. The first couple of vomits were food, after which now they are clear liquid, the amount of which is getting smaller and smaller. Make that 8 vomits. He's just done another one.

The vet is closed being New Year's Day, and I presume that they won't be open again until Tuesday, as Monday is a public holiday here as well (Aus).

HELP!

This sounds important enough to take him to an emergency clinic. He can dehydrate quickly. I would withhold food for tonight and give him small amounts of pedialyte or other electrolyte solution frequently until morning, then take him to a kitty ER. If he continues to vomit I would take him in right away. Becky

He hasn't been given any food last night and his food bowl is empty. I have changed his water, but I don't have any electrolyte solutions in the house, and everything is shut because of the New Year holiday. Dehydration is a real concern as I live in Queensland, and we're expecting 30C + for the next few days.

Just for the record, his last spew was more frothy, white and sticky. He also seems to be fairly sluggish at the moment as well.

I'm not aware of any local kitty ER's either.

You can make your own with one liter water mixed with 8 level teaspoons of sugar and one half teaspoon of salt. Call your usual vet and see if they leave a recording of what to do in an emergency and if they don't have a recording, call all the other vets in your area to find one that tells you what to do in an emergency. If he is sluggish then he is probably dehydrated or has a fever or both. Becky

Well I took him to the emergency vet. Two and a half hours later he actually got to see the vet, who informs me that he has an obstruction in his small intestine, but from what, they don't know yet. Of course by that stage as well he was clinically dehydrated. So now my poor lil pussy cat is in kitty hospital awaiting possible surgery, and I have a huge bill hanging over my head. Which of course includes the 12.5% surcharge for a public holiday. Great start to the New Year.

I'm so sorry sweetheart, but at least you have an idea of what is happening with your little ball of fur, now. You did the right thing for him getting to the vet right away.

You'll get a lot of emotional support here on the cat site so stick around and let us know how your boy is.

I'll be praying for him and so will my kitties.

I am so glad you were able to get him in to the ER. If you had waited until Tuesday we would be reading this under Crossing the Bridge. And he can now get the treatment he needs. Is he a kitten that might have eaten something he shouldn't have? Poor baby. If he hasn't been neutered yet and they have to do an anesthesia, well it only takes a minute more to do that at the same time. Good luck. Becky

Better a large vet bill then a cat dying in your arms- Obstructions can be nasty- I am glad you took him in to be seen.

So glad you took little rufus to the ER. I know its a big cost but if you had waited til Tuesday.........????????!!!!!!
He is in the right place to be sorted out.
Sending good healthy vibes for Rufus
Keep us posted

Update:

Rufus is still in kitty hospital, but now that they've rehydrated him, sedated him and given him pain killers, the vet is now uncovinced there's an obstruction. The abdominal xrays were also inconclusive. Good news is he's stopped vomiting, and they're gonna keep him on IV fluids today, and try introducing some water and food tonight. In short, don't know what's causing him to vomit. And this is the 2nd time it's happened. I'm beginning to wonder if it is psychological after all...

I really doubt he would get that sick from psychological reasons. He might have a food intolerance or he might have Inflammatory Bowel Disease. He may be getting into something in your house. Houseplants? There must be a reason this is happening. Your vet will probably have some ideas. IBD sometimes needs a biopsy to diagnose. He may need an abdominal ultrasound, too. Becky

I would opt for the ultrasound, there are somethings that cats can and do swallow that don't show up on x-rays and that still can cause bad problems, even death,

I don't have plants, and there's nothing around the house really that he can get into. He is also an indoor cat, so picking something up from outside is not really a consideration either.

I say psychological because I'd been away for 8 days over Christmas and left him in the care of a friend, and he spewed up all day yesterday (I got back on Thursday). Last time I went away for a weekend at the end of November, he did the same thing to me.

Just a thought, if you left him in the care of the same friend both times, you might want to consider that maybe your friend isn't giving this cat the right quality of care.

Rufus stayed at home. My friend came to visit each day to play and feed him and check his water. In November, my housemate looked after him.