7 y.o. siblings vomiting - refusing food

[sebseb]

hi everyone,
you know the five stages of grief you go through before vomiting -denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance- right now it looks like two of my cats are going through denial.
they have their head pushed forward and arms open, with deep gulps. sometimes they sit unmoving for minutes at a time. their ears are set apart and set at 45°, so they show considerable discomfort.
Both are 7-8 years of age, each 12+ lbs/5+ kg . the vomit is clear like spit, or food. specifically the baby kibble im giving to my 2 kitens. im thinking they both got into it and it gave them a really upset stomach.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I would tend to agree with your assessment. Having two cats with the same reaction is a big clue that they both got into something they should not have. Keep monitoring them and keep them away from the baby kibble is about all you can do right now. Check for other sources of stomach upset, such a flowers/etc. Hopefully, it passes very soon.

 

[silent meowlook]

I would call your vet. There can be many things that could cause this and some not good at all. Your vet may need to give them supportive care to get them through it.

 

[Alldara]

hi everyone,
you know the five stages of grief you go through before vomiting -denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance- right now it looks like two of my cats are going through denial.
they have their head pushed forward and arms open, with deep gulps. sometimes they sit unmoving for minutes at a time. their ears are set apart and set at 45°, so they show considerable discomfort.
Both are 7-8 years of age, each 12+ lbs/5+ kg . the vomit is clear like spit, or food. specifically the baby kibble im giving to my 2 kitens. im thinking they both got into it and it gave them a really upset stomach.

Please do give your vet a call or the emergency vet in your area. My understanding is that the flattening of the head and gulping breaths are serious symptoms that should be addressed ASAP at the vet.

Depending on what they got in to, they may need urgent medicine to prevent permanent damage to an organ or organs.

If it was the kitten food, I would expect that the kittens would have the same reaction.

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/recognizing-signs-of-illness-in-cats

 

[GenCat]

I agree with Alldara that this seems more concerning than simply kitten food. How many times have they thrown up? You say they seem like they're going to throw up and already have once so that's already twice, AND they are refusing their own food? That's highly concerning imo. Especially since both of them are like this, only one of my two cats reacts this badly to food changes (unless you know they're this sensitive)

 

[sebseb]

for some reason im not getting notifications and i just saw the replies, im so sorry yall.
unfortunately none of the vets near me take walk-ins. everyone is booked till January. an hour ago i finally found a vet that takes walk ins, theyre a good distance away but the situation has worsened. thankfully i have enough money to take them to get seen. i will call in the morning to book an appointment. if there are no available spots, i will go as a walk in.

the siblings affected are Garfield (M) and Ginger (F).
Shared signs: lethargy, disinterest in eating. excessive drooling and vomiting. mouth open, slow, heaving breaths. restlessness.
Garfields temperature is 99.5 F/ 37.5 C. he is responsive to touch and is drinking fluids. he has control of his bowels and bladder. his temperature is low so i will do my best to keep him warm.
Ginger is my highest concern. her temperature is very low at 96 F/36.4 C. she is cold to the touch and had practically no color in her ears. she lays down for only a few minutes at a time before moving somewhere else. there is thick, yellow discharge now coming from her nose like boogers. she is practically incontinent, her rear end is dirty and when i came home i found the door under the sink open and she had peed inside. right now im about to give her a warm-hot bath to clean her rear, as well as get her temperature up.

i seriously do not know what is causing this. the kittens have not shown any signs of illness from the kibble, and nor have the other cats who sneaked a bite. there are no chemicals, oil diffusers, medication, or food that is left out. we NEVER leave anything out.
The food they always eat is Purina One Urinary Tract (another one of my cats had crystals in his bladder.) however two weeks ago i accidentally purchased the wrong type: Tender Selects. Ginger was the only one that vomited because she eats very quickly.
The food they ate was Blue Buffalo Baby Blue Healthy Growth Formula for Kittens.

 

[sebseb]

additionally they both are shedding a lot more than usual

 

[Sarthur2]

This sounds like a medical emergency. I hope they can be seen tomorrow!

If Ginger is not eating try smearing honey on her gums for quick energy, and try syringing 1-2mLs of honey water into the side of her mouth every so often. She needs fluids if she is vomiting.

The yellow discharge indicates infection — upper respiratory tract. She’ll likely need antibiotics to cure. Garfield may have same.

Please let us know what the vet says.

 

[sebseb]

i dont know if shes gonna make it through the night. shes hiding in the restroom. im staying with her

 

[sebseb]

her gums are pink and her ears are pale. she keeps adjusting herself and sitting up and laying down. shes so vocal, shes the loudest one in the house. its so quiet now

 

[sebseb]

i gave her a good drop of honey and she licked it and got up. shes in the kitchen right now, im gonna isolate her and her brother in my room with wet food, their kibble and water so i can monitor them

 

[GenCat]

How new are the kittens? I really hope you can get them to help soon, so sorry this is happening.

Update, found the info myself: So it's been about 2 weeks since you got the kittens, have they been quarantined from the big cats? It sounds like the kittens brought in an illness and the big cats caught it...

 

[sebseb]

the kittens or the cats? i've had the kittens for 2 weeks now i think. I've had garfield and ginger since they were 2 months old

 

[GenCat]

the kittens or the cats? i've had the kittens for 2 weeks now i think. I've had garfield and ginger since they were 2 months old

Yeah the kittens. I noticed in your other thread that you mentioned the kittens being sick and them having been recently caught from a colony, most likely the big cats got a respiratory virus from them. Are your adult cats up to date on their FVRCP and other vaccinations?

 

[sebseb]

they are not up to date. the kittens were isolated, theyre doing a lot better now. i dont understand how drooling and severe temperature loss can be a symptom of a URI, and it doesn't explain gingers incontinency either. it explains the boogers

 

[sebseb]

they got vaxxed after being spayed/neutered, i forgot what it was for though. doesnt matter, its out of date. garfield had heartworms when he was younger and he receivedtreatment for it

 

[GenCat]

they are not up to date. the kittens were isolated, theyre doing a lot better now. i dont understand how drooling and severe temperature loss can be a symptom of a URI, and it doesn't explain gingers incontinency either. it explains the boogers

You mentioned the big cats may have gotten into the kitten food which is why I thought they may have interacted, and not all viruses show symptoms immediately or at all. The timeline of you getting the kittens and then the big cats getting sick suddenly just made me concerned. Just because they have an URI doesn't exclude them from having something else as well.

As someone who integrated new kittens too quickly and then panicked because I realized I could have even spread illness from them to the adult cats via not washing my hands enough, I just wanted to cover all the bases.

Will have Ginger in my thoughts Again so sorry you're going through this. (Edit: hit send message by accident before finishing)

 

[sebseb]

you're right. i just cant think of anything it could be

 

[Alldara]

I'm sorry they are doing badly. Let us know what the vet says.

When cats are ill their nasal passages drain usually to their mouth/throat so that can explain why they could be more drooly. Sometimes older cats can have accidents when ill. They feel too bad to move enough to the litter box, or Ginger groomed himself and passed infection from his mouth to his urinary tract.


FYI for future cat colds
Feline Upper Respiratory Infection | VCA Animal Hospital | VCA Animal Hospitals
Feline colds can incubate in their bodies for 2-10 days before showing symptoms. Afterwards the cold itself can last for 7 to 21 days, though usually an average of 10 days. During the entire 31 days they can be infectious to other cats. So if the kittens were sick, even a sniff under the door could have passed it along to your older cats. It's always a good idea to get your cats vaccines updated at least 2 weeks before bringing home a new addition, especially their yearly (or every 3 year) cat-cold vaccine.

 

[Jojo&Tutu]

Blue Buffslo often puts flaxseed in their products and flaxseed causes cyanide poisoning. Please see my post on this. Two other companies I found puts yucca in their products and it is listed on the poison pet hotline. See my post on this. Additionally my nutrition vet said to stay away from food that has tricalcium phosphate or dicalcium phosphate in it. Purina and Royal Canin conducted research and found the phosphate picks up minerals and deposits them in the kidneys causing markers in the cats’ blood indicating kidney damage. Additionally I found research on sodium tripolyphosphates indicating that if most of the phosphorus is sourced from this it enters the bloodstream too fast and can then cause kidney damage from too high of a phosphorus level. I found all this and alerted companies and they are not changing their formulas. It is maddening!!! Additionally I try to find a cat food with a lower amount for phosphorus in it as once your kittens are fully grown they won’t need much. I am shooting for a dry matter basis of phosphorus of near 1 or a little less than 1 for my 2 year old cat. I think your cats need to go in right away. There are ER facilities in local animal shelters and call the ASPCA or Humane Society. They can all help you. Don’t wait. Your cats might need a slow drip of fluid to help flush out the toxins. Sending prayers!