Cat Is Vomiting Constantly, Tests Don't Show Anything Obviously Wrong

[Tortuga]

Hi there.

So, last Thursday I noticed my cat was being a lot more reserved than he usually is, and he ended up puking on my bed. Although vomiting is unusual for him I wasn't initially concerned, until late Thursday/early Friday when he proceeded to vomit numerous times, and started giving some really sad sounding meows. We took him to the vet that day (Friday) to get him checked out and the initial theory was that he might be super stressed out about our new cats. (We just adopted two little girls a little over a week ago) He hasn't exactly taken kindly to the new cats (mainly hisses at them when they make eye contact)

It seemed like a fairly plausible theory to me. My cat was completely fine before the new cats were brought in... Anyway, the vet injected him with some fluids to help keep him hydrated and gave us some medicine to help bring down his fever. (He had a temp of 103) Unfortunately things did not really improve over the weekend. He laid low for almost all of Saturday and Sunday and had a few occasional bouts of puking. He didn't drink too much and refused to eat so I was extremely nervous about his liver. We took him back to the vet today, and we had bloodwork and some radiographs done. Vet said that his bloodwork tests were pretty normal and his liver and kidneys seem to be working fine. They were concerned about something in the radiographs that they thought could be obstructing his intestines but a test with barium seemed to disprove that. (They did mention he had a lot of gas built up inside... didn't seem to think it was a concern, though)

So this time the vet sent us home with some cat food for sensitive stomachs along with some appetite stimulant and basically told us we need to force feed him if he keeps refusing to eat just so he has something in his system. We get home and sure enough my cat throws up shortly after arriving, and then again about a half hour ago.

I'm just completely at a loss on what to do now. I must have read about every cat problem on the planet by now and none of it really seems like what he's going through, and the posts I did fine of people with similar experiences are super old and were never updated with any information. The vet told us we need to get his appetite back, but that seems like it will be pretty difficult to do if he just throws most of it back up. There wasn't really any solid answers as to WHY he's doing it.

Any advice is greatly appreciated. If there's any kind of tests or diseases I should inquire about that aren't covered by bloodwork and radiographs let me know. I will try to keep this thread up to date with any new info/developments... so that anyone else who finds their kitty in this kind of peril may have better insight.

A couple random points probably worth mentioning:

-My cat is obese
-He was absolutely fine before we introduced our new cats
-For all the puking he's doing at home, he hasn't puked once in the car or at the vet's office
-Initially I thought maybe he had some tummy issues cause he might have eaten some of the new cats food, but considering we're going on 5 days now and I know he hasn't had any in that time, seems unlikely
-One of our new cats has an eye infection and both had the cold when we got them. Other than some occasional bouts of sneezing they're doing well

 

[cosmic cats]

Hi Tortuga
Im sorry to learn of your boys problem. Its great you are being so thorough with your investigations. Though I agree cats can react quite strongly when new family members come along, I wonder if there still isn't something else going on and I think perhaps another vets input might be helpful in case they have a different approach , experience, suggestions re matters.
Also, sometimes blood work can miss things eg antibodies mightn't have yet "shown up"...Id discuss this with a vet too perhaps.
If you are interested in a more "natural" approaches (?), kinesiology (muscle testing) might be helpful. It can give one important info, clues as to what is going on, I believe
Id like to say though, even though I am big fan of natural/holistic healing for the most, Id "shop around" for someone you feel good about, has good, solid training etc (- with quite a few natural/holistic modalities, one can get a "certificate" quite easily , just a few workshops under ones belt and etc and you can "set up shop"..I actually have quite a few concerns about that, but that is a whole other story......!)
Basically, Im just suggesting, if you go down the road of natural/holistic (if you aren't already on it), I think its probably best do your "homework" re it and practitioners. Again, I love natural healing but as with health issues generally, its good to try and find the best possible help/person for the matter in question, I think....eg some natural health practitioners have been doing their work for a lot longer than others, some are more up to speed with the latest discoveries, some have studied a lot more than others etc (-probably stating the obvious there, but...!) That's one reason I like to consult with holistic vets too, they have the many years of vet training and also incorporate natural modalities into the practices/work. That said, even with holistic vets, I suggest you "shop around" and I have found they can vary a lot in what they do, what they have studied, their experiences etc

All the best and keep up your great work, I say..
Cosmic cats

 

[danteshuman]

I'm guessing it stress related. If the new diet doesn't put a stop to it I would try him on an anti-anxiety med for a month or two & see if it helps. If not my next best guess would be allergies. Just to be on the safe side I would research cat allergies & look to see if he is exhibiting any of those signs. In the meantime can you try some feliway to calm your cat down? A teaspoon of chilled chamomile tea? Some Valerian Root? The good news is that if it is stress related, most cats adjust to a new comer in 2-6 months. Please keep us updated on your boy?

 

[Antonio65]

Hi Tortuga, sorry to read about that terrible situation for your cat!
It seems you have done several tests so far, I wonder if it might be an initial form of IBD or pancreatitis?
Does your cat show any pain if you touch or rub his belly? How's his poop?
What food are you feeding him (main ingredients, wet/dry)?
Is he indoor only or has he access to outdoor?
How does he lay when he rests or sleeps? Do you see him in his usual curled up position or he has a meatloaf (or even shynx like) position?

 

[Tortuga]

Just to update a little bit: He's started doing this thing where he's kinda biting the air like he has something in his mouth. He's had a lot of syringes in his face today, so I'm not sure if that's anything to be concerned about yet or not. I also forgot to mention the original post but his eyes are tearing up quite a bit. Vet didn't seem too concerned about that so I'm not sure if that's anything.

We're trying to slowly trickle a bit of food in him... Here's hoping he doesn't yak it up.

Hi Tortuga, sorry to read about that terrible situation for your cat!
It seems you have done several tests so far, I wonder if it might be an initial form of IBD or pancreatitis?
Does your cat show any pain if you touch or rub his belly? How's his poop?
What food are you feeding him (main ingredients, wet/dry)?
Is he indoor only or has he access to outdoor?
How does he lay when he rests or sleeps? Do you see him in his usual curled up position or he has a meatloaf (or even shynx like) position?

Pancreatitis was one of our big worries, might give the vet a call tomorrow and ask if it's something we should be concerned about...

He's not too happy when you touch certain spots of his tummy, can't tell if it's pain related or if he really just doesn't want to be bothered while he feels like this.

Right now we're trying to feed him the wet food the vet sent home with us. A lot of it is very liquidy and apparently easier to digest.

He is an indoor cat, although on nice days sometimes he gets to go outside with supervision. (It's a treat for him basically)

He lays in pretty much all kinds of positions, although I haven't seen him curled up in a good few days. I haven't seen him in the meatloaf position per say but a lot of the positions he's in he does have his head slightly elevated. Hard to tell if he's actually sleeping.

Oh and as for his poop, I can't really say. He's used his litter box to pee but considering he hasn't eaten much of anything the past couple days I doubt any stool in there is his. (And if there is, there hasn't been any diarrhea at least as far as I know)

 

[Antonio65]

Just to update a little bit: He's started doing this thing where he's kinda biting the air like he has something in his mouth. He's had a lot of syringes in his face today, so I'm not sure if that's anything to be concerned about yet or not. I also forgot to mention the original post but his eyes are tearing up quite a bit. Vet didn't seem too concerned about that so I'm not sure if that's anything.

Biting the air? Do you mean like licking his upper lips too?
Sounds to me like he has nausea, hence the vomit. Something is bothering his stomach?
Any Cerenia given? Shots are better than pills if he vomits frequently. And also something to correct or keep his stomach acidity under control.
I don't think I have understood the syringes in his face.

Pancreatitis was one of our big worries, might give the vet a call tomorrow and ask if it's something we should be concerned about...
He's not too happy when you touch certain spots of his tummy, can't tell if it's pain related or if he really just doesn't want to be bothered while he feels like this.

So you mean that when he was fine he let you rub his belly?
This might indicate a pain in his abdomen, which is consistent with IBD and/or pancreatitis.
Have you noticed any change in the color of his gums and ears? Are they still pink (provided that your cat has pink gums)?

Right now we're trying to feed him the wet food the vet sent home with us. A lot of it is very liquidy and apparently easier to digest.
[...]
He lays in pretty much all kinds of positions, although I haven't seen him curled up in a good few days. I haven't seen him in the meatloaf position per say but a lot of the positions he's in he does have his head slightly elevated. Hard to tell if he's actually sleeping.

Must be something highly nutritious, like R/C Recovery or Hill's A/D.
However, if he's intolerant to some ingredients or proteins it wouldn't help him feeling better.
My cat would vomit more and more frequently some months ago, she also acted like she had nausea (lips licking) and used to lay in meatloaf position or sphynx like position (I had written shynx in my previous post, I'm sorry). She was clearly suffering.
Several visits to found she had a pancreatitis and an IBD as well. The first one was treated with a course of antibiotics, the second one was treated as an intolerance to a lot of ingredients. Now she's eating pork only caned food and she's better.
If your cat rests keeping his head elevated I think it's a clear sign of something that is really and severely bothering his stomach. Keeping his head up help him feel less pain and nausea.

Ask your vet to run an ultrasound scan to his abdomen and if he agrees ask him to have your cat tested for pancreatitis. There's a highly reliable test done at the A&M Texas University.

 

[stephanietx]

Did the vet take x-rays? Did they show any gas in his intestines? He is exhibiting all of the symptoms my little boy had last year when he had an episode of gastroenteritis. Basically that's a build up of gas in the intestines that causes painful bloating, discomfort, nausea and vomiting. The lip smacking and licking is a sign of nausea/gassy tummy/upset tummy. My little guy's bout was brought on by introducing a new food he couldn't tolerate. He would crouch down in the loaf position, was running a fever of 103º and was just puny looking and feeling. He never really had the abdominal pain when we picked him up, but he really didn't like for his bowels to be palpated by the vet! He was given sub-q fluids, Cerenia (something to calm the tummy), an antibiotic, and special food which he really didn't like or want to eat. It took a good week for him to be mostly back to normal.

I'm thinking this could also be triggered by the stress of the new kittens, especially if you didn't allow an introduction time.

 

[Tortuga]

Update for 10/10/17: He had his first bout with diarrhea in the morning. He puked a few times but it was less than it was before. He does seem to be holding down food and water a little better at least.

I am starting to think it's indeed some form of IBD. I'm sure whatever in his system is causing it was probably expedited by the stress... I'll be sure to inquire about it further.

I did see that for a split second he attempted to do that little spinny thing cats do when they're relaxed and laying down. (He couldn't maintain the position for longer than like two seconds) Probably doesn't mean anything but it made me feel a little better seeing him slightly more comfortable.

 

[Antonio65]

Glad to read the your kitty feels a litle better today.
However I would investigate into IBD more. Do not underestimate it, it could lead to a worse situation.

 

[Tortuga]

Update for 10/11/17: He didn't vomit today! His mood was a little better too. He's purring more when pet and he seems to be sleeping more soundly than he was before. He's also going to the water dish on his own, although I can't tell if he's actually drinking anything.

My biggest concern right now is that he still has to be force fed to get food in him. He HATES the appetite stimulant the vet prescribed and starts foaming at the mouth and shaking his head when we try to give him some. I'm starting to wonder if maybe a feeding tube is necessary, as I really don't want to stress him out more with force feeding and, I don't really think he's getting enough in him from the force feeding. Thing is even though he's a big cat, he's always been somewhat of a stinker with eating canned food.

I'm going to look into contacting the vet today about this as well as seeing what they think about him and IBD. Also might pick up a vaporizer/humidifier just in case he's congested at all with this cold going around.

 

[Antonio65]

My biggest concern right now is that he still has to be force fed to get food in him. He HATES the appetite stimulant the vet prescribed and starts foaming at the mouth and shaking his head when we try to give him some. I'm starting to wonder if maybe a feeding tube is necessary

May I ask you what stimulant the vet gave to your cat?
I'm currently giving my cat quarters of a small pill with Cyproheptadine and it seems it's working fine. She doesn't even taste the pill, the quarter is so small that it goes down her throat in a blink of an eye.
The feeding tube (I guess you're talking about the E-tube) is an easy way to feed a cat, but I find it that it's to be done only when it's strictly necessary.

 

[Tortuga]

Update for 10/12/17: So the good news is no vomiting or diarrhea today either, which is definitely a relief. He also seems to really like this chicken flavored baby food. (Although he's still not eating it by choice) He is also actually drinking from his water dish, though he's annoyingly picky and stops when he hears certain sounds/senses something approaching.

Bad news: Unfortunately it does seem like he ended up catching the other cats' cold, as he's got boogers coming out the wazoo. I'm assuming he's gonna have to be put on some anti-biotics. For the time being I have a vaporizer running in my room and I've brought him into a steamy bathroom a few times to help his congestion. (Also making sure to clean his face every so often)

Edit: Oh, I did catch him in his relaxed pose a few times earlier. That really made me feel a lot better.

May I ask you what stimulant the vet gave to your cat?
I'm currently giving my cat quarters of a small pill with Cyproheptadine and it seems it's working fine. She doesn't even taste the pill, the quarter is so small that it goes down her throat in a blink of an eye.
The feeding tube (I guess you're talking about the E-tube) is an easy way to feed a cat, but I find it that it's to be done only when it's strictly necessary.

Hm, might have to look into that. The stimulant the vet prescribed for us is mirtazapine. Apparently it has a bacon/pork flavor but my cat doesn't really seem to care as his mouth just foams up and he spits it out.

 

[Antonio65]

Update for 10/12/17: So the good news is no vomiting or diarrhea today either, which is definitely a relief. He also seems to really like this chicken flavored baby food. (Although he's still not eating it by choice) He is also actually drinking from his water dish, though he's annoyingly picky and stops when he hears certain sounds/senses something approaching.

Baby food might contain ingredients unsuitable for cats.
Check the list and see if any of them (like onions, garlic, lemon jiuce, salt, etc) is in the content.
As for the cat stopping drinking when he hears sounds, he is just like my cat Pallina. We have to stay still when she eats because the slightest sound or movement makes her stop eating... What we do for cats, don't we?

The stimulant the vet prescribed for us is mirtazapine. Apparently it has a bacon/pork flavor but my cat doesn't really seem to care as his mouth just foams up and he spits it out.

Yours must be a variant for pets. The one I'm giving my cat is for human use and I think it's tasteless (I still have to taste it, though).
Talk to your vet and explain this, if your cat isn't taking his pill he won't eat on his own.

 

[Tortuga]

Sorry for no updates in awhile. My cat is doing MUCH better now. He's pretty much back to his old self minus his voice which is slowly but surely coming back to him.

The vet's theory is basically that it was a URI all along and the reason for the puking is probably because he got hit with it extra hard since he's never been sick+ the added stress of the new cats. She sent us home with some probiotics (fortiflora) and those seem to be helping his digestive system a lot, not to mention he really seems to like the smell/taste of it.

As an added bonus, he was really friendly with the other cats today, and in general just seems super happy. (I guess getting over something that nasty would be enough to put anyone in a good mood )