Sick Stomach

Hi,

Cazador, a six year old cat, became ill last night. He began vomiting. He doesn't vomit often, and usually when he does, it is just a bit of stomach acid. However, he will occasionally throw up his last meal.

His energy level is definitely lower, but he still seems happy and still walks around with his tail in the air. He purrs readily. And he still eats. But he is definitely lethargic.

He is primarily a house cat with access to a yard. But he doesn't wander the neighbborhood. He has a twin sister and one other cat in the house.

As mentioned, he doesn't vomit often. But I do see him having a dry heave occasionally/frequently. He makes a forward motion with his head and nothing comes out. Any ideas as to what is wrong?

I tried contacting the vet but today is a civic holiday. If his condition were to worsenthe , I'll take him to emergency. If his condition remains the same by Monday, he'll be at his usual vet.

Any ideas as to what is wrong and what I might be able to do to make him more comfortable?

Regards,
Kevin

It's hard to make a diagnosis over the internet. A vet visit would be best.

I will move this to Health and Nutrition for you

Originally Posted by AbbysMom

It's hard to make a diagnosis over the internet. A vet visit would be best.

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Yes, obviously a visit to the vet would be best. But as I indicated in my original message, the vet is closed today. And as I indicated, if his condition remains the same on Monday, he'll be there very early on Monday.

I tried calling again and did manage to reach a person at the clinic, even though the vet is away.

Here's what I learned. Most likely he ate something that didn't agree with him. If possible, I should not feed nor allow him to drink for a day. That will allow his system a chance to clean itself out. She further said that, although denying him drink might seem as though it is dehydrating him, allowing him to eat and vomit actually dehydrates him more. So the lesser of the evils is to stop food and drink.

She also thought that he might have some bowel problem that would require a shot of penicillin to clear up.

Because there are three cats, it will be difficult to stop the food and drink. So far, he is eating and drinking and keep some/most of it down. So I don't think he dehydrating .

She did say, however, based upon my description it didn't sound like anything serious. I just need to keep an eye on him and watch him.

Kevin

Hi Kevin,

I'm glad you were able to talk to someone at the vets office and I hope thata whatever is wrong with you boy is minor.

In regards to regular vomiting... do you have his food dishes elevated?
Sometimes that helps a cats digestion. (I think that's the reason)

Sending good wishes your way.

Sure hope Cazador is feeling better soon! I'm glad he'll be off to the Vet if necessary. I would recommend that you not restrict his water.

Originally Posted by tru

In regards to regular vomiting... do you have his food dishes elevated?
Sometimes that helps a cats digestion. (I think that's the reason)

Sending good wishes your way.

Click to expand...

That's an interesting idea. Thank you. I will raise his food dishes and hopefully that'll help.

Kevin

Originally Posted by dawnofsierra

I would recommend that you not restrict his water.

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No, he'll have full access to the water and his food. It would be too difficult to restrict unless I were to lock him in a room. (There's three cats.) He's never gets locked up for any reason. So I don't want to stress even more by changing his environment or routine.

If he wasn't keeping anything down, then I might be inclined to follow the advice more closely. But I did note that he went to the bathroom. So obviously, he is able to retain some food and water.

He seems in reasonable spirits and did try to groom himself today. But he is very lethargic compared to his usual self. For exercise and excitement he usually terrorizes his sister and the other cat. They're probably enjoying the break.

Thank you for your help.

Kevin

I took Cazador to the Emergency. Although his condition was stable, I just wanted to be sure.

The Vet poked and prodded. She determined that it was unlikely that there was anything blocking his gastointestinal tract as it made the normal gurgling sounds. And he was still eating, which again pointed to no blockage. She also x-rayed him just to be extra safe.

We think he simply ate a flower or something.

She gave me two drugs, Sucralfate (Carafate) and Ranitidine (Zantac). One drug is supposed to coat the stomach and the other is supposed to reduce the secretion of acids, I believe.

Cazador is still pretty lethargic, but I think it'll be just a matter of time before he is raising cane again.

Kevin,

Glad to hear it's nothing serious. Here's hoping that Cazador will be back to his healthy self in no time.