Cat Vomiting but clear bloodwork and x-ray and has an appetite?

[Aimee&Benji]

Hello all. First, I wanted to thank this community for answering questions and for helping each other out. It's a great resource!

My kitty Benji is 13 and about a week and a half ago had a bout of vomiting starting Saturday night. He was fine Sunday and then it got bad on Monday. His poop and pee are normal as well as healthy appetite. Besides nausea he was acting fairly normal. Took him in to see vet on Tuesday and he checked out with clear bloodwork and x-ray with no visible obstruction. They gave him Cerenia injection as well as B12 and hydration. Usually that fixes it and took him home. He was ok on Wednesday but vomiting started again on Thursday. This whole time he was able to keep almost most food down but would vomit about 2-4 hours after eating small amount of wet food sometimes vomiting liquid, some digested food or just foamy saliva. With many calls to the vet, they gave me Cerenia pills to feed him. He was vomiting despite the medication and I grew pretty worried. Took him in again on Friday to see the vet for supportive care and another full evaluation just no new bloodwork. His doctor said she thinks it might be Pancreatitis but these things are difficult to diagnose. They gave him a Zofran shot and I bought some Gastro food for him. Doctor said he was not dehydrated.
Despite Zofran and Cerenia, he was still nauseous and vomiting a little bit and threw up a tiny bit of blood that Friday night. Called the vet again on Saturday and they gave him Buprenorphine in case it was Pancreatitus. I gave him a dose of that when I got home and he seemed to feel better and then did not vomit for the next 2 days. Come Monday evening, we found a little spot of vomit with some hair in it. He did not throw up again until Tuesday night and he threw up a little bit of hair and undigested treats. He then threw up twice and vomited some blood. He has kept everything down since then and it is now Wednesday morning. I scheduled him for an ultrasound and called the vet for further direction.

I am stumped, exhausted and I feel so bad for my baby. It is super strange he's vomiting or nauseous but still wants to eat. Typically cats with IBD, Pancreatitis or other GI issues have little to no appetite. Plus his exams. bloodwork, and x-ray was normal and is normal litter box stuff too. Besides acting stressed from 2 vet visits in 3 days and not feeling his best, he seems to be acting normally except when he's nauseous and needs to throw up. I'm hoping the ultrasound will have answers but what if it doesn't? I havent slept well during all of this and it has been very hard on me. I feel helpless and feel like I'm not getting answers. He's a super healthy cat otherwise and so annoying that these things come on so suddenly.

Has anything similar happened to anyone else? At this point I have no idea what it is as it doesn't follow the normal symptoms of GI stuff. Obviously could be IBD, Pancreatitis or Lymphoma but hoping ultrasound will have SOME answers.

Thank you all...it's been a very hard 2 weeks

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. So sorry you and Benji are having to go through this!

You could ask the vet about testing for pancreatitis, with ether the SNAP fPL or the Spec fPL - the latter being more 'accurate' and it takes a few days to get results. The former normally give instantaneous results, depending on the facilities within your vet's practce. While an ultrasound is a good idea, it will not always confirm pancreatitis any more than the blood tests - nor, IBD or lymphoma for that matter.

The four main goals of treatment for feline pancreatitis are the management of dehydration (sub-Q fluids), nausea, pain, and nutrition (keeping the cat eating adequately).
Feline Pancreatitis | Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine

 

[Aimee&Benji]

Hi. So sorry you and Benji are having to go through this!

You could ask the vet about testing for pancreatitis, with ether the SNAP fPL or the Spec fPL - the latter being more 'accurate' and it takes a few days to get results. The former normally give instantaneous results, depending on the facilities within your vet's practce. While an ultrasound is a good idea, it will not always confirm pancreatitis any more than the blood tests - nor, IBD or lymphoma for that matter.

The four main goals of treatment for feline pancreatitis are the management of dehydration (sub-Q fluids), nausea, pain, and nutrition (keeping the cat eating adequately).
Feline Pancreatitis | Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine

Hi, thank you so much for your response. Vet said that even the Spec fPl would not necessarily give an accurate or definitive answer as far as Pancreatitis goes which is super confusing. Isn't that the point of the test? Also, what good is an ultrasound then if it won't give me anymore clarity? They are super expensive but feel like I need to get it done to rule anything else out. This whole thing sucks and I'm worried this will become a chronic thing and I don't know if I am strong enough to see Benji go through this more than he has already this week

 

[FeebysOwner]

Isn't that the point of the test (Spec fPL)? Also, what good is an ultrasound then if it won't give me anymore clarity?

The Spec fPL is as specific for identifying pancreatitis as they get. No, no one will say they are 100% accurate - just like the ultrasound. If your vet is honest with you, they will tell you the ultrasound could come back inconclusive just as easily as the Spec fPL. I am guessing your vet is hoping that there is enough inflammation in the pancreas to show up, which is a good and bad thing. Good because it would tell you at least that the pancreas is inflamed, bad because - IMO - it has to be pretty inflamed to show up well.

As far as IBD or lymphoma, that all depends on what, if anything, they see. Usually, the vets will deem IBD if they see intestinal wall thickening, along with inflammation. As far as lymphoma goes, the ultrasound can be definitive - or not. My cat had 3 ultrasounds that were 'inconclusive', so I also had tissue collected via a FNA (fine needle aspiration) with the 2nd ultrasound, which also came back inconclusive. The last ultrasound also included an FNA and a further tissue analysis called a PARR Assay before finally concluding she has lymphoma. But she did not have intestinal wall thickening, and the further testing was done on enlarged intestinal lymph nodes.

So, testing and results will vary on all sorts of factors - but an ultrasound is often the 'go to' to start investigations since they are non-invasive, despite being expensive.

 

[emocatowner]

Did you bring anything new into your home 2-3 weeks ago? Any new plants? New cleaning products? New perfume/deodorant? Any purchase at all?

I'm hoping it's just some mild irritant in the environment, or otherwise some mild new food allergy that the new GI food will help with.

 

[Aimee&Benji]

Did you bring anything new into your home 2-3 weeks ago? Any new plants? New cleaning products? New perfume/deodorant? Any purchase at all?

I'm hoping it's just some mild irritant in the environment, or otherwise some mild new food allergy that the new GI food will help with.

Not that I am aware of. Have been using the same products. He doesn't tend to go for plants at all. His litter we have been using recently changed their formula but not sure if this could be the cause. His vet says she doesn't think it's a food allergy but honestly no one knows anything at this point.

 

[Aimee&Benji]

The Spec fPL is as specific for identifying pancreatitis as they get. No, no one will say they are 100% accurate - just like the ultrasound. If your vet is honest with you, they will tell you the ultrasound could come back inconclusive just as easily as the Spec fPL. I am guessing your vet is hoping that there is enough inflammation in the pancreas to show up, which is a good and bad thing. Good because it would tell you at least that the pancreas is inflamed, bad because - IMO - it has to be pretty inflamed to show up well.

As far as IBD or lymphoma, that all depends on what, if anything, they see. Usually, the vets will deem IBD if they see intestinal wall thickening, along with inflammation. As far as lymphoma goes, the ultrasound can be definitive - or not. My cat had 3 ultrasounds that were 'inconclusive', so I also had tissue collected via a FNA (fine needle aspiration) with the 2nd ultrasound, which also came back inconclusive. The last ultrasound also included an FNA and a further tissue analysis called a PARR Assay before finally concluding she has lymphoma. But she did not have intestinal wall thickening, and the further testing was done on enlarged intestinal lymph nodes.

So, testing and results will vary on all sorts of factors - but an ultrasound is often the 'go to' to start investigations since they are non-invasive, despite being expensive.

I'm so sorry you and your cat had to go through all of that. Like every other cat these visits are so stressful and sometimes I worry if it's doing more harm than good to keep them so stressed like that. Can I ask what ended up happening to your cat or what symptoms your sweet kitty was showing?

 

[FeebysOwner]

I'm so sorry you and your cat had to go through all of that. Like every other cat these visits are so stressful and sometimes I worry if it's doing more harm than good to keep them so stressed like that. Can I ask what ended up happening to your cat or what symptoms your sweet kitty was showing?

Thank you. My cat is more 'stoic' than even what is considered typical of most cats, so she appears to endure a lot! Feeby (19+ yo) is sort of a weird case - she has several other conditions (hyperthyroidism, CKD, high blood pressure, and arthritis) in addition to the lymphoma - all but the latter are being treated. So, no one knows for sure what is causing her particular problems. But, in reality, her issues are 'limited' - primarily intermittent lack of appetite and full-time lethargy. Big unto themselves and how they have impacted her QOL, but otherwise she does 'well' with no urine/stool issues and no vomiting.

The conundrum, for all of us, is that while there may be some more common clinical signs of IBD or lymphoma - and other diseases as well - it would seem there really isn't a clear, straight forward pattern that can be specifically applied to cats with these conditions. So many variances, if you will.

 

[Aimee&Benji]

Thank you. My cat is more 'stoic' than even what is considered typical of most cats, so she appears to endure a lot! Feeby (19+ yo) is sort of a weird case - she has several other conditions (hyperthyroidism, CKD, high blood pressure, and arthritis) in addition to the lymphoma - all but the latter are being treated. So, no one knows for sure what is causing her particular problems. But, in reality, her issues are 'limited' - primarily intermittent lack of appetite and full-time lethargy. Big unto themselves and how they have impacted her QOL, but otherwise she does 'well' with no urine/stool issues and no vomiting.

The conundrum, for all of us, is that while there may be some more common clinical signs of IBD or lymphoma - and other diseases as well - it would seem there really isn't a clear, straight forward pattern that can be specifically applied to cats with these conditions. So many variances, if you will.

Wow 19! You're a great cat parent hehe. Yea, I think the conundrum of that is the hardest part of this whole journey. There is no magic cure or pill or diagnosis for that matter. It does quite the job on our nerves and anxiety never feeling safe especially when your kitty can seem fine and then be catapulted out of nowhere into illness. I feel like all cats are weird cases too haha. I'm so glad she is not dealing with vomiting like we are. It's an awful thing. I am trying to remain positive but this helpless feeling is pretty awful especially when I'm scared that there is no end in sight.

 

[stephanietx]

We are on the downhill side of a pancreatitis flare. Our vet did the Spec, fPL test and he came back abnormal. His only real symptom was not eating as heartily as normal. He would eat, just not with his normal appetite. He is currently getting 1/4 Ondansetron once or twice daily as needed. He also gets prednisone to help with inflammation since pancreatitis causes inflammation. He is getting half a dose daily right now.

What is your kitty eating? Have you changed brands or opened a new container or gotten new cans of the food? Is it possible that it's the food causing the problem, especially if you rotate flavors.

 

[Aimee&Benji]

We are on the downhill side of a pancreatitis flare. Our vet did the Spec, fPL test and he came back abnormal. His only real symptom was not eating as heartily as normal. He would eat, just not with his normal appetite. He is currently getting 1/4 Ondansetron once or twice daily as needed. He also gets prednisone to help with inflammation since pancreatitis causes inflammation. He is getting half a dose daily right now.

What is your kitty eating? Have you changed brands or opened a new container or gotten new cans of the food? Is it possible that it's the food causing the problem, especially if you rotate flavors.

Hi there! I'm so glad that your kitty is on his way to repair after all of that and what a relief that a slight decrease in appetite is all you're dealing with. Regardless, I'm sure it was quite worrisome for you all!

He eats Nulo and Fancy Feast. I was reading ingredients on Nulo and don't really like that they use chickpeas in some of their formulas. My cat prefers pate style food and even though he's a good eater, he is picky. I have to feed him a variety otherwise he won't eat the same food flavor over and over again let alone the same protein. His vet wasn't heading in the food direction yet but perhaps once we can find more answers it may be a next step somewhere down the line. She knows what he's eating and mentioned anything he wants to eat or keep down is priority with sick kitties until we're through this vomiting debacle.

 

[stephanietx]

I wonder if your kitty is sensitive to chicken or fish. I had a kitty years ago who would vomit every time we fed her any kind of wet food with fish in it. We started tracking what we were feeding and when she was vomiting and figured it out. Also. many kitties are sensitive to chicken. You might try one protein to see if things change.

 

[maggie101]

Hi there! I'm so glad that your kitty is on his way to repair after all of that and what a relief that a slight decrease in appetite is all you're dealing with. Regardless, I'm sure it was quite worrisome for you all!

He eats Nulo and Fancy Feast. I was reading ingredients on Nulo and don't really like that they use chickpeas in some of their formulas. My cat prefers pate style food and even though he's a good eater, he is picky. I have to feed him a variety otherwise he won't eat the same food flavor over and over again let alone the same protein. His vet wasn't heading in the food direction yet but perhaps once we can find more answers it may be a next step somewhere down the line. She knows what he's eating and mentioned anything he wants to eat or keep down is priority with sick kitties until we're through this vomiting debacle.

hello! One of cats,Maggie, had blood work done that gave an indication she may have ibd or pancreatitis. Ultrasound showed her intestinal walls were thickening. She is now on prednisolone and no longer vomits. No prescription food she eats wet food.

It took me almost 8 yrs to figure out that my cat peaches
Is intolerant to chicken. She eats too fast so she cannot have pate since she's a licker,no food with chunks of meat. Peaches bowl is elevated. She can eat minced. Giving her different food every day has helped.the food she can eat is ff turkey& giblets because it's not as smooth as pate, and minced meat like nulo,wellness,simply nutritious.

 

[maggie101]

Hi there! I'm so glad that your kitty is on his way to repair after all of that and what a relief that a slight decrease in appetite is all you're dealing with. Regardless, I'm sure it was quite worrisome for you all!

He eats Nulo and Fancy Feast. I was reading ingredients on Nulo and don't really like that they use chickpeas in some of their formulas. My cat prefers pate style food and even though he's a good eater, he is picky. I have to feed him a variety otherwise he won't eat the same food flavor over and over again let alone the same protein. His vet wasn't heading in the food direction yet but perhaps once we can find more answers it may be a next step somewhere down the line. She knows what he's eating and mentioned anything he wants to eat or keep down is priority with sick kitties until we're through this vomiting debacle.

Which nulo has chick peas? Until you find out what's wrong don't give her any