Cat is in the emergency clinic after vomiting 7 times

[gabicards]

My cat has had an eventful 2 months. We arrived back in France from Brazil about a week ago now, and he was eating less after arrival - slowly going up to the previous amount, I think. I tried giving him some bonito flakes, some of the dry food he used to eat before (which he ate a little bit of), but I added a fish oil made for cats to the dry food because he's been slightly constipated since he had FHO surgery in late January, and I know dry food isn't great for that.

Well, at 11pm on Sunday he started throwing up. In the span of a few hours, he threw up a total of 7 times - the first couple with fur and undigested food, which he had eaten a couple of hours before, and the other times just liquid. At 3am on Monday I took him to an emergency vet hospital, his heart and lungs were okay, the vet touched his abdomen and felt that there's likely some diarrhea coming (interesting, since he's been so constipated for 2 months), but nothing else.

He had a fever of 40 degrees, so they kept him there. The vet's main theory was that this was related to the prior IBD diagnosis, and considered a Triaditis. So they did an urine analysis, full blood panel and full abdominal ultrasound - everything came back normal. They told me over the phone that they saw "nothing of concern" on the ultrasound, which is making me wonder about the state of the inflammation we had seen in January and whether it's gone down a bit with prednisolone. The one thing they're waiting for is a part of the blood panel that has indicators for gastrointestinal issues, I think. The vet mentioned B9 levels on the phone, for instance.

Their main concern now seems to be that Topaz doesn't want to eat while at the clinic. I start a new job tomorrow (the timing is unbelievable) so my friend will go by the clinic and drop off the food that he eats at home, for them to try and offer that to him. They were going to feed him through a tube tonight.

I feel like it shouldn't be surprising that a cat doesn't want to eat after throwing up 7 times and ending up in an unknown place, surrounded by unknown people and unknown noises. I asked the vet whether this was uncommon and she said it isn't, but I admit I'm scared of bringing him home tomorrow and dealing with a cat that's afraid to eat or uninterested in food. Has anyone dealt with anything similar to this? He was eating less than in early January prior to the FHO surgery, it's true, but he still wanted to eat and would purr happily during meal time.

 

[CodyMolly]

I definitely would ask the vet for food that they suggest for your cat to eat.. maybe the food you’re giving is not good. Triad is is when multiple organs are not up to par. With this said my sister in laws cat has the same diagnosis. They put the cat on special food I think it was called Royal Canin gastro intestinal food and got sub q fluids daily until inflammation went down. Also for the constipation which her cat also has they gave her laculose . Definitely ask about prescription food. And laculose only buy laculose at your veterinarian… over the counter could be mixed with ingredients that are toxic to cats. I think feeding different food will help your baby out a lot. Sorry you’re going through this.

 

[cmshap]

I am no vet, but my cat Willy has been a huge vomiter for most of his life. He has had several "vomiting fits" where like for half a day, he vomited continuously.

It definitely worried me, and I'd talk to my vet who recommended removing all food while providing water, to prevent dehydration.

Again, this only applies to my cat who had an established medical history with my vet. But removing all food for a day while he recovered worked for him.

 

[BellaBlue82]

My lady cat Sadie had an odd episode eerily similar last March. She has IBD and immune mediated anemia, though both conditions were being well controlled. Out of nowhere, she started vomiting. I timed it, and it was literally every hour on the dot from 7pm to 2am. I was so freaked out, we took her to the nearest clinic which opened at 7am. Blood work, x-rays, and ultrasound didn't show much, except for what looked like a teeny tiny piece of a plastic bag in her colon. Since she had IBD, the vet thinks it basically irritated her GI tract immensely causing the constant vomiting.
Sadly, she wouldn't eat on her own for days afterwards. I began assisted feeding, ringers bag and B12 about two days after her episode. It took a whole week before she began eating on her own again.

I hope kitty stars to feel better soon, sometimes it can be something so miniscule that sets them off.

 

[gabicards]

My lady cat Sadie had an odd episode eerily similar last March. She has IBD and immune mediated anemia, though both conditions were being well controlled. Out of nowhere, she started vomiting. I timed it, and it was literally every hour on the dot from 7pm to 2am. I was so freaked out, we took her to the nearest clinic which opened at 7am. Blood work, x-rays, and ultrasound didn't show much, except for what looked like a teeny tiny piece of a plastic bag in her colon. Since she had IBD, the vet thinks it basically irritated her GI tract immensely causing the constant vomiting.
Sadly, she wouldn't eat on her own for days afterwards. I began assisted feeding, ringers bag and B12 about two days after her episode. It took a whole week before she began eating on her own again.

I hope kitty stars to feel better soon, sometimes it can be something so miniscule that sets them off.

Hi! Thanks so much for your reply. I’m still waiting for the results of the blood panel, but, if it comes back somewhat okay, I’m inclined to believe the “snacks” I added to his food to make it more appealing backfired big time and caused some sort of food poisoning. He’s so sensitive, I should have known better.

I’m glad your kitty eventually started eating on their own again. I’m really scared of this… they told me they might let me take him home today, but if he doesn’t eat I’d need to take him back. Is assisted feeding through a tube?

 

[BellaBlue82]

Assisted feeding is usually through a tube, but please don't be scared about it! In situations like these, they just need that little extra help to get them over the not eating hump.
Sadie was such (and still is lol) a diva that she had to prove she could eat on her own. Some kitties may take a little longer, it just depends. But its more a safety measure to ensure they don't succumb to hepatic lipidosis from not eating enough, which can make things worse.
Keep an eye on things, if Topaz seems like he still does not want to eat, definitely take him back. They may end up placing a feeding tube but you can still take him home with that in place. There's many posts here about feeding tubes that can help guide you along.
Let us know how it goes today!

 

[gabicards]

Topaz is back home!

Temperature normal, appetite is back. They did so many exams, apparently... (thank god for insurance, because 1366€ for a 2 days stay in a hospital is mind-boggling to me) x-ray of the thorax, full abdominal ultrasound, full blood panel, urine analysis. Everything came back stellar, with the exceptional of one marker for inflammation that was slightly elevated. The vet said that it was so mild the internal medicine team was inclined to believe he has a food sensitivity, but not actual IBD. I did bring up, however, that he has just gone through a treatment with prednisolone, so I wondered whether it's had an impact already, but they're not sure. Well.

Their recommendation was novel protein/hypoallergenic food. I had the intention of transitioning him to novel protein, but not this soon, what with all the recent stress - surgery, subsequent vet visits, long-distance travel, new dog companion... but apparently I need to start sooner rather than later.

Since the vets had told me last night he didn't want to eat, I had asked if a friend of mine could come by and drop the food he usually eats, so that they could try it, and it seems to have done the trick. Vets said he had a healthy appetite, and that he ate well. Once he arrived home, I gave him 1 sachet and he ate it all - faster than he's been eating for the past few weeks, I must add.

They've given him Cerenia, and prescribed it to me so that I can continue doing it for the next 4 days, so that's likely helped with his drive to eat.

Also, curiously, the ultrasound report says he has "healthy intestinal transit", which is making me wonder about his constipation issue of the last 2 months and the fact that we're down to 1 poop each 48 hours these days. If they didn't notice anything out of the ordinary in the exam, maybe I shouldn't be concerned?

The summary here is that we can't know what happened that made him vomit 7x. My assumption is food poisoning, either by the fish oil I added to the tiny bit of dry food he ate on Friday and on Saturday, or the bonito flakes. Those were the only two things out of the ordinary over the weekend, and there was nothing different in his vomit, either. Vet says it's possible, though she thinks it's odd that food poisoning would cause a fever. Well... I guess we'll never know.

 

[fionasmom]

You have been through so much...you and Topaz. I hope that he has rounded the bend and that it might have been a one time occurrence (even though food poisoning is not good) and that things will return to normal.

 

[BellaBlue82]

I totally understand how you feel, we never really figured what triggered Sadie's vomit episode. It boggles the mind!

I'm so glad Topaz is feeling better and eating well again!! And that all the tests results came back good. If your looking for a good novel protein diet, Rawz may be a good option if you can find someone near you who sells it or will ship to your area. They are s great limited ingredient diet, no gums or additives, and my guys seem to like it better than a hydrolyzed protein food.

Good luck, I hope Topaz stays on the upswing!

 

[gabicards]

You have been through so much...you and Topaz. I hope that he has rounded the bend and that it might have been a one time occurrence (even though food poisoning is not good) and that things will return to normal.

Thanks, I hope so too. It's a new trauma now, for sure. All 7x he vomited were in the kitchen - he'd leave my bedroom and go there, vomit, come back for a nap, then go back to the kitchen to vomit. Now when he goes to the kitchen my heart rate accelerates. It's unfortunate.

I totally understand how you feel, we never really figured what triggered Sadie's vomit episode. It boggles the mind!

I'm so glad Topaz is feeling better and eating well again!! And that all the tests results came back good. If your looking for a good novel protein diet, Rawz may be a good option if you can find someone near you who sells it or will ship to your area. They are s great limited ingredient diet, no gums or additives, and my guys seem to like it better than a hydrolyzed protein food.

Good luck, I hope Topaz stays on the upswing!

I don't think Rawz is in France, but thank you for the recommendation! The vets recommended some brands too, which I will look into. And it does sound like what Topaz and Sadie had was a similar thing - though maybe what irritated his stomach was either bonito flakes or fish oil (or both). I'm hoping for some peace of mind now that I know all exams came back okay.

 

[gabicards]

I just had a sudden realization of what might have been the cause of this.

On Sunday at 10pm my flatmate put a drain cleaner in one of our bathrooms and accidentally closed Topaz inside of it when she left. He was in there for at least 15 minutes before I went to the kitchen and noticed I hadn’t seen him, so checked in there and let him out. I know this because my flatmate was sending me some links on Whatsapp just before she got in the bathroom, and the last message was at 10pm. At 10:27pm I sent a message on a group chat we are in together about how once again she accidentally locked my cat somewhere (it doesn’t happen often, but it has happened before, specially in that exact bathroom, because Topaz likes to be near us and will often follow us in and lay down under the cabinets). I poke her for it to see if she’ll become more aware.

Half an hour after I found him, I messaged my mom saying he had just vomited twice. I can’t believe I didn’t make the connection before… toxin poisoning has to be much more likely to cause acute vomiting than food poisoning, right? And it might explain the fever that the vet thought was weird if the cause had been food.

 

[fionasmom]

The ASPCA lists drain cleaner in their top 5 household toxins for dogs and cats. Do you think that there is any chance that Topaz contacted it in any way, even a tiny amount, and then licked his paw? Having said that, almost any website, plumbing or health related, will state that the fumes from drain cleaners are toxic. If Topaz investigated and inhaled, even if he did not touch anything, this could apply to him.

How is he now?

 

[silent meowlook]

Was there a strong smell in the bathroom? Even if not, inhaling drain cleaner can make them very ill. You are more forgiving than me. If it was my roommate……

 

[gabicards]

Was there a strong smell in the bathroom? Even if not, inhaling drain cleaner can make them very ill. You are more forgiving than me. If it was my roommate……

She’s done this multiple times in the past. It’s someone I care for a lot and we get along, but I’ve never fought with her about it, I just inform her everytime she does it in the hopes that she will be more careful. I just have the type of personality that avoids conflict, I suppose…

I informed our friends in a common group chat last night immediately after I realized what happened (it’s still insane to me that it took me 4 days to think of this). I thought it would shock her enough into being careful, but I was even more heartbroken when once again she left her dog’s food in the kitchen floor when she went to work, so I arrived in the kitchen to find Topaz eating it. I’ve been checking the kitchen day and night after she feeds her dog to make sure she’s put it away, and more often than not she hasn’t. This morning I actually yelled at her for it because her carelessness is putting my cat’s health at risk. HE COULD HAVE DIED and I don’t think she’s understood this.

I’m forgiving, but this is a tough one to swallow. I have been absolutely miserable and sleep deprived all week and it’s just about ruined my first week at a job I was looking forward to.

The ASPCA lists drain cleaner in their top 5 household toxins for dogs and cats. Do you think that there is any chance that Topaz contacted it in any way, even a tiny amount, and then licked his paw? Having said that, almost any website, plumbing or health related, will state that the fumes from drain cleaners are toxic. If Topaz investigated and inhaled, even if he did not touch anything, this could apply to him.

How is he now?

Topaz doesn’t jump much, I can’t remember ever seeing him on that counter, so I don’t think so. I think it was the fumes.

I didn’t smell it myself, but I only opened the door to let him out and continued doing my things, I didn’t go in myself.

I have no doubt this was it.

Despite being heartbroken that it’s happened, it’s given me some peace of mind that it wasn’t some unidentified illness that could give him a random flare up again, since the vets found absolutely nothing in so many exams that were done. This won’t happen again because I won’t let it, and because I will be moving to my own place as soon as possible (which will be several months, but better late than never).

-

Topaz is fine, by the way. Still has 2 more days on Cerenia and has been eating well - slowly, but eats all of his food, which is 3 sachets. Still doesn’t want to eat more than that, but at this point I’m assuming it’s just his new limit. He’s behaving normally and being desperately cuddly since he’s arrived back home… in the first night I actually couldnt sleep because he kept coming to my bed to rub his face and torso on my face.

 

[fionasmom]

Given that you will be moving and that this may not ever be corrected due to the irresponsibility of your roommate, it will probably be easier if you monitor things as much as you can. Is Topaz alone with your roommate...meaning, could she decide to clean the bathroom again at a time that you are not home and something like this repeats? If so, you might have to make other adjustments to protect Topaz in the meantime.

If you know that your roommate will not be responsible, it is probably not worth the conflict and all the stress that those bring.

 

[cmshap]

For what it's worth, my cat once started vomiting after doing an extensive cleaning of my kitchen and bathroom with heavily-scented cleaning chemicals (I live in a one-bedroom apartment so there isn't a ton of space). I wasn't using drain cleaner, but used some sprays containing bleach.

I realized I may have caused it and felt terrible. Opened the windows and moved his bed, food and water dishes close to the open window. I didn't want to give him food as he was still vomiting but I gave him a few pieces of kibble because he is so food-motivated, and would be likelier to go to the area.

I since started using more natural cleaners and only use very diluted tiny amounts of bleach when I absolutely have to.

 

[gabicards]

For what it's worth, my cat once started vomiting after doing an extensive cleaning of my kitchen and bathroom with heavily-scented cleaning chemicals (I live in a one-bedroom apartment so there isn't a ton of space). I wasn't using drain cleaner, but used some sprays containing bleach.

I realized I may have caused it and felt terrible. Opened the windows and moved his bed, food and water dishes close to the open window. I didn't want to give him food as he was still vomiting but I gave him a few pieces of kibble because he is so food-motivated, and would be likelier to go to the area.

I since started using more natural cleaners and only use very diluted tiny amounts of bleach when I absolutely have to.

I'm so sorry that happened to you and your kitty I'm sure I'm roommate feels bad about it, but apparently not enough to be inconvenienced about adapting what she's doing for her dog, for instance, so as to not harm my cat. Ugh I'm just really mad about this right now.

Almost everything we use here is pretty "natural". I started transitioning into a different consumer mindset last year where I try to generate less waste, and use products that are less likely to have a bad impact on my body - particularly because I already have an astronomical hormonal imbalance, and a fair amount of things we use regularly can add to it. Altogether, it's pretty damaging.

The drain cleaner is a very recent addition.

This friend was complaining a couple of days ago that her dog throws up everytime she changes her bedsheets. I realized, after what happened to Topaz, that whatever product she's using to clean them might be causing this, too... her dog sleeps with her.

I've convinced her to pay someone to train her dog to stop chasing my cat, but that's gonna take a long time. It's sad because her dog is an absolute sweetheart and I think she wants to chase Topaz to play, because nothing about her behavior seems aggressive at all, but obviously she can't be allowed to do that, ever. Until then, we have an agreement - since her dog only pees and poops outside, but Topaz will only do it in his litter box (which he won't let me move from its usual spot), he needs to have access to the apartment more than Lola does. Each of us have our own bedrooms, so Lola stays with my friend in her room all day when she works from home, while Topaz roams free. At night, after work, my friend dominates the living room to watch the TV (a habit I don't have, so I don't care) and usually Topaz comes to my bedroom to nap, so I close my door and Lola gets to roam free if she wants to (she usually just stays with my friend on the couch). If Topaz is awake during that time and wants to get out (he'll sit in front of the door and wait patiently) I'll ask my friend to hold Lola with her on the couch and let him out. She and Lola go to sleep at around 10pm everyday, she keeps her door closed, and Topaz has the apartment for himself once again. When I'm home, my friend and her dog also stay outside of her room during lunch time, too, and Topaz stays in my bedroom (he always sleeps during that time).

Tbh it's working surprisingly well, despite not being ideal. Neither of the animals seems bothered by this because Lola is very, very calm, and she wants to be where my friend is anyway, so she sleeps on her bed while she works. The times in which Topaz is in my room, he's usually either asleep or unbothered by the closed door - he plays with me, I brush him, we have our little bonding time. Topaz really does seem to be completely unbothered by Lola, his behavior in the apartment is the same as always.

Right now, for instance, I'm using my computer and he is inside the little cocoon in his tiny cat tree cleaning himself.

 

[fionasmom]

You certainly have it worked out, to the credit of both of you. I agree that Lola needs to be trained; she may be friendly, but the chasing is not permissible. I have been a lifelong dog and cat owner and it is not that hard to get a dog to understand that a cat cannot be chased. If she gets a trainer, it should not be that difficult to retrain the dog.

 

[gabicards]

You certainly have it worked out, to the credit of both of you. I agree that Lola needs to be trained; she may be friendly, but the chasing is not permissible. I have been a lifelong dog and cat owner and it is not that hard to get a dog to understand that a cat cannot be chased. If she gets a trainer, it should not be that difficult to retrain the dog.

I'll take full credit for all of this as it was all my idea. I felt bad about Lola having to be confined all the time - she's in my friend's bedroom all day and all night, with the exception of 3-4 hours every night, but now I know her and am confident it's not a problem at all. I guess she's pretty old? I thought she was 6 years old, but she's actually 8, and she doesn't really do anything besides stay around my friend and take naps. She doesn't even play.

We both have hybrid jobs - since my friend was (very kindly) informed by our front door neighboor that her dog was barking during the day (separation anxiety, I figure, because she's very quiet overall. If she barks once or twice a day, it's a lot), on the 2 days she's in the office her dog stays in a dog sitter all day. Since I can choose which days I will be at my office, but she can't, I've offered to take care of Lola when she's at work, which means I'll work on-site on the days she's working remotely, so that she saves the money from the dog sitter and use it to pay for a trainer instead. She agreed, and seems to have found a trainer already, so hopefully they can start soon.

I actually brought a clicker with me from Brazil because I just knew Lola wasn't trained at all, despite my friend telling me she was, and figured we'd have to try and clicker train her. It was really annoying to have to push her to at least try by saying "I can't do it myself, your dog doesn't know me" and scheduled a time for us to do it together every night for 15 minutes - I just sat there and watched, but I needed to make sure it was done. I eventually gave up because I don't know what I'm doing, I absolutely adore dogs but was never allowed to have one my entire life (I was genuinely looking forward to her bringing her dog from Mexico to live with us). That's when I asked her to please just pay for a professional to help us.

To be honest... this friend is a very responsible and mature person. I think the problem lays in that she's always had other people either helping her take care of her pets or doing most of the work for her, this is her first time living with her dog without family members in the same place. I was only able to have pets after I moved to live on my own, so the truth is I am immensely more responsible and able to adapt to their needs than she is at this point in her life. Her dog seems to be incredibly easy to take care of, and, since she doesn't play, seemingly just eats, sleeps, and goes for walks to pee and poop, anything outside of that ends up being an inconvenience for my friend. I am completely willing to help take care of her dog, but I love both cats and dogs, and I think my friend likes my cat, but doesn't like cats. With her dog here, I finally understand what that difference means.

 

[silent meowlook]

People are weird. You have to accept their flaws and it sounds like you are taking control of the situation. I am glad your cat is feeling better.