I know I ask the most ridiculous questions sometimes. I've had cats my whole life and will even begin working in a vet clinic in short order, but, yet, when it comes to one of my kitties, I feel like I need to ask -- even if only to assuage my fears.
One of the cats vomited tonight. I fed them this evening and then went out to dinner with friends. And, when I came back a couple of hours later, there was vomit in two places. One sizeable spot and another smaller spot. The food was only partially digested. In short, it was the consistency of quite lumpy oatmeal. And, it was a beige/yellow color. I feed Taste of the Wild dry and a rotation of wet food, but the food that was vomited was dry as that was the meal I had previously fed. I normally wouldn't even consider worrying since it was obviously just one incident, but none of my cats are vomiters. And, that alone begs the question as to why one of the kitties vomited this evening.
Before I go any further, all of the cats seem okay. There's nothing pointing me in the direction of thinking it was any kitty in particular. All have clear eyes, noses, and have not been ill. Aside from an incident of diarrhea 2 weeks ago, their stool has been normal and they are all urinating and eliminating per the norm. I haven't changed anything regarding their diets and there is nothing that they could have gotten into. The food they are eating is not from a new bag. There should not have been anything that would've caused excessive stress and they have not been exposed to anything that could potentially cause harm. And, upon finding the vomit and cleaning it up, I played with the cats with their laser toy to see if any of the cats were lethargic or acting off. They were all more than happy to play and so there is nothing for me to be immediately concerned with. But, I am a natural worrier...
My thought is that the food they got this evening was from the bottom of the bin I use. It's not old food as I refill the bin regularly, but it is from the end of a bag. Perhaps the food went off and one of the kitties was sensitive to this? That being a possibility, I threw out what was left and refilled the bin with a freshly opened, new bag of food. I did put out a small portion and will see how they react overnight. I know it's not at all uncommon for a kitty to vomit not fully digested food, but I want to ensure that this is not the start of a true issue. There was no blood or mucus in the vomit and there was no hair that I could see, but I also know it's possible one of the cats vomited due to a hairball. I do have two kitties who get the occasional hairball and that, too, could be the culprit. If I see more vomit tomorrow morning, I will give a dose of Laxatone to each of them as a precaution. But, should this continue on into tomorrow, I will be calling my vet. Depending on whether or not there is vomit in the morning, I will decide whether to call in tomorrow or just wait until Monday. They all are eating and drinking and so I suspect this is an isolated incident, but I want to do what I can to ensure that that's the case.
So, fellow cat lovers, is there anything I'm missing? Should I be doing something that I am not? Is it safe to wait to call the vet (I wouldn't be even asking this if I thought this was urgent)? I know I am probably making something out of nothing, but these are my babies, you know?
One of the cats vomited tonight. I fed them this evening and then went out to dinner with friends. And, when I came back a couple of hours later, there was vomit in two places. One sizeable spot and another smaller spot. The food was only partially digested. In short, it was the consistency of quite lumpy oatmeal. And, it was a beige/yellow color. I feed Taste of the Wild dry and a rotation of wet food, but the food that was vomited was dry as that was the meal I had previously fed. I normally wouldn't even consider worrying since it was obviously just one incident, but none of my cats are vomiters. And, that alone begs the question as to why one of the kitties vomited this evening.
Before I go any further, all of the cats seem okay. There's nothing pointing me in the direction of thinking it was any kitty in particular. All have clear eyes, noses, and have not been ill. Aside from an incident of diarrhea 2 weeks ago, their stool has been normal and they are all urinating and eliminating per the norm. I haven't changed anything regarding their diets and there is nothing that they could have gotten into. The food they are eating is not from a new bag. There should not have been anything that would've caused excessive stress and they have not been exposed to anything that could potentially cause harm. And, upon finding the vomit and cleaning it up, I played with the cats with their laser toy to see if any of the cats were lethargic or acting off. They were all more than happy to play and so there is nothing for me to be immediately concerned with. But, I am a natural worrier...
My thought is that the food they got this evening was from the bottom of the bin I use. It's not old food as I refill the bin regularly, but it is from the end of a bag. Perhaps the food went off and one of the kitties was sensitive to this? That being a possibility, I threw out what was left and refilled the bin with a freshly opened, new bag of food. I did put out a small portion and will see how they react overnight. I know it's not at all uncommon for a kitty to vomit not fully digested food, but I want to ensure that this is not the start of a true issue. There was no blood or mucus in the vomit and there was no hair that I could see, but I also know it's possible one of the cats vomited due to a hairball. I do have two kitties who get the occasional hairball and that, too, could be the culprit. If I see more vomit tomorrow morning, I will give a dose of Laxatone to each of them as a precaution. But, should this continue on into tomorrow, I will be calling my vet. Depending on whether or not there is vomit in the morning, I will decide whether to call in tomorrow or just wait until Monday. They all are eating and drinking and so I suspect this is an isolated incident, but I want to do what I can to ensure that that's the case.
So, fellow cat lovers, is there anything I'm missing? Should I be doing something that I am not? Is it safe to wait to call the vet (I wouldn't be even asking this if I thought this was urgent)? I know I am probably making something out of nothing, but these are my babies, you know?
