stumach sick cat

Hey, I have two little girls just over one year old. We moved to a house for a small apartment two weeks ago tomorrow and they have become inside-outside cats for one week now. Everything has been perfect. They both stay close by and come the moment you call. They are usually under foot if you are out and working in the yard.

The problem began wednesday night (it is now friday evening) when Tipper, my always extremly hungry girl, wasnt so hungry. Odd... She wasnt so hungry either Thursday and i noticed soft stool in the litter box. Also noticed it smelled quite strong and around the same time she came up to lie by the computer desk by my feet and passed a very bad smelling gas. However she was very active some usual. I became worried last night (thursday night) when she didnt eat her dinner but for a few bites. Then when i got up this morning there was a large amount of vomit on the livingroom floor. Up to this point the only time she has ever thrown up was the day of her spay when she was still tipsy from the anesthetic. She barely ate anything then threw up again, no food but slimy stumach juice. We called the vets and they suggested coming by and picking up a medicine for setteling the stumach, i also bought an medicine dropper for water. When we got home she had just a small amount of food in her bowl from the morning but i cant say if the majority was eaten by her sister or her. There was no throw up waiting for us. I havent cleaned the litter boxes yet to see but i havent smelled anything strong coming from them. She met us at the door and seemed active, ate but a mouthful of wetfood and has now curled up and is totally uninterested in playing. Not unheard of but unusual. A little more unusual is that she is curled up upstairs and we are downstairs. I gave her a sprunt of water with the eye dropper and have left her to sleep.

PHEW.. that was alot i know. Now the question is when should i be worried. I know she not dehydrated, and it seems like shes not throwing up or having soft bowel movements. Could it just be that shes reacting from being outside and probably eating all kinds of nastey things. She is more like a dog in that respect. Under normal circumstances nothing is safe from her. If its chewable its gotta be food

Well if anyone has a suggestion or similar experience i would love to hear from you! Thanks.

Oh... the vet has said to bring her in Monday if shes not better. I live in Sweden and the weekend emergency vet isnt a choice (costs around 1000 dollars just to walk i the door and then if you need any medicine you have to wait for the state-run pharmacy to open on Monday anyway) Its only helpful if you have an accident victim with something that needs fixing or sewing.

In all likelihood she just ate something nasty and it has now passed. You could certainly justify watching her closely and waiting to see how things go. As long as she is eating and pooping- I'd be checking those litterboxes pronto and watching her very closely- she's probably fine.

That said- there is no feeling in the world I hate more than watching an animal and trying to decide if you need to see a vet or not. I learned a long time ago that for me it is far easier to just go on and pay for an office call than it is to sit around worrying.

I would much, much rather regret running to a vet for no reason than to regret not having gone and something bad happening- it's a risk I am not willing to take. It's worth the $$ to me to be able to relax and stop staring at the poor animal.

Go check for poops, and gently feel her abdomen. If she seems tender, then definitely go. Otherwise it's your call.

Hi,

My boyfriend just cleaned them and said there was only normal poops in there. Question is are they from her on my other little one?

Money isnt the biggest issue, though it is a bit of a question. The biggest thing is... if its not operatable or physically fixable there isnt anything the emergency vet can do here. You get animal medications from the "people pharmacy" and that is now closed until 10.00 Monday morning. So all they would say is yep she sick take this antibiotic perscription and pick it up first thing Monday morning.. sigh. That we have done before. My other girl had an infection after her spay which of course began on a Friday afternoon.

Oki well.. any other suggestions or experiences i would love to hear them!

Tipper and Proffesorn's mum

Since you are kind of in a stuck position till Monday morning, I'd say keep an eye to see if she is eating and drinking. You aren't at this point sure if she is and you don't know who has used the litter box either, which kind of leaves you up in the air.

If she is not eating and drinking then do what you can to keep her hydrated and food in her. If you can't accomplish that then she may need to go in anyway for IV fluids and tube feeding.

It might not be a good idea to leave her sleeping too long without knowing if she has been eating and drinking though.

Shoot, I'm pretty dumb about all this stuff and should shut up and make room for those that know better!

Good luck on your little girl getting better real soon.

Well if anyone is curious...

Last night Tipper began to perk up and this morning was back to her old self. No throwing and HUNGRY again. Nothing is safe from her once again. I tried eating lunch at the computer desk, forget that! Those little paws are sneaky! Keeping both kitties in today which has not been a favorite decision i assume by all the crying and scratching at the door thats going on. Its raining and cold now so I think better wait until tomorrow when it is supposed to be warm and sunny again to let them out. Not gonna take any chances!

Well thanks for the advice i recieved.
Anjya