Cat Keeps Throwing Up And Won’t Eat/drink. Long Post, But Desperate For Help.

[jsimon94]

My fiancé and I have a 2 1/2 year old cat who started to throw up on Christmas Eve. Starting around 7:00 pm on Christmas Eve, he threw up 4 times within a few hours. Each time it looked like digested cat food. We were worried because sometimes he would throw up maybe once every couple weeks or so after eating, but usually it’d be more chunky and not as smooth as it was that night. We were pretty busy Christmas Day and were gone for most of the day. When we got home, it had looked like he’d thrown up a couple of times because the floor in the bedroom looked wet, but it didn’t have any cat food in it. He then threw up twice, but this time it was all foamy and looked like just clear bile or something. The next day, the 26th, he threw up again at about 1:00 am and again when we woke up around 9:00 am. We decided to take him to the vet, and they gave him a subQ and an injection that was suppose to help calm his stomach and make him stop throwing up. We were told that if he continues to throw up to bring him in the next day. He threw up foam three more times after that, once a couple hours after he got back from the vet, another a few hours after that, then again at 4:00 am the 27th. We took him back first thing in the morning the 27th once the vet opened, and they did an X-ray to see if he ate something he shouldn’t have and caused an obstruction. They didn’t see anything in the X-ray and said all of his organs look good and normal. They then did a 17 panel blood test and everything came back normal. They gave him more fluids, another injection to calm his stomach, and some sort of an antacid to see if that would help. They said the only other options would be an ultrasound and then exploratory surgery. That was the 27th, and he threw up the foam again later that night. An hour or so after that, he ate a tiny bit of food, about 4-6 bites worth. That was the first time he had eaten since at least Christmas Eve. He may have eaten some other time when we weren’t home, but I figured Christmas Eve was the last time he ate since that was the last time his throw up had actual food it in and not just foam. The next morning, the 28th, around 11:00 am, he threw up foam again. He then threw up foam again at about 7:00 pm. The thing is, other than throwing up and not eating/drinking, he seems fine for the most part. He seems alert, purrs when you pet him, grooms himself, is still playful with us/our other cat, and doesn’t seem overly lethargic. I’m just concerned that he’s only eaten a very tiny bit since Christmas Eve and is still throwing up foam... Unfortunately we can’t really afford to have anything else done after our $650 vet bill from everything else that was done the last couple of days. (I am not complaining, I am very glad that we did the fluids, injections, X-rays, and bloodwork). We may be able to do the ultrasound if absolutely necessary, however the exploratory surgery is unfortunately out of the question since I am aware that it would more than likely be thousands of dollars. I was just wondering if any of you have experienced something similar and have any suggestions on how to get him to eat. We’ve tried dry food, wet food, and cat milk replacement, however he won’t eat any of it. I’ve given him a little bit of cat milk replacement by syringe, but he spits out most of it. Another odd thing is that sometimes he’ll do this weird thing with his mouth. He’ll sort of lick/smack his lips and then most of the time he will shortly after throw up the foam. Even more odd, a few hours ago I showed him the wet cat food and he did the thing with his lips, then I took it out of his view and he stopped. I then repeated that a few more times, and each time I showed him it he would do the thing with his lips, and as soon as I took it out of his view he would stop. I greatly apologize for the extremely long post, I just don’t know what to do at this point and I’m really worried because he won’t eat/drink. We have noticed that he’s urinated normally, but we haven’t seen him pass stool. Thank you so much in advance for any advice.

 

[kitty chew]

So sorry to hear that. My cat Smokey was throwing up, but he was also lethargic with a fever. I assume they tested him for a virus? Smokey ended up at the vet for 4 days with a virus on fluids. Ended up costing me $1,200 after the xrays and blood work. Luckily my mum helped me out with the vet bill. Not sure what else it could be. All the best.

 

[denice]

I would try to get the ultrasound done, a lot can be learned from that. Some foreign objects can be seen in an ultrasound that can not be seen in an xray. The signs of inflammation can also be seen. My IBD cat would have flares like this and he had his first flare when he was only 18 months old.

 

[jen]

I second the ultrasound. That can tell you so much.

 

[verna davies]

The licking of the lips is most probably because he is about to be sick of the smell of the food makes him feel sick.
Try him on a little fresh chicken and boiled white rice if you have it or white fish. Do you feed him the same food all the time and does he have diarrhoea?

 

[di and bob]

Right now just tempt him with whatever he will eat, tuna, shaved turkey breast, Arby's roast beef, bacon, Gerber meat baby food, ANYTHING he'll eat. Just to get him eating. It does sound more like an obstruction, maybe from a Christmas decoration or something new? Not passing stool is concerning, but it may be that way from not eating. You might call the vet and see if you can give 1/4 teaspoon of miralax laxative in a little bit of whipped egg yolk to see if that will help. Extreme constipation would cause all that too. But I would have thought the X-ray would have shown that, call and see. Please keep us posted!

 

[LTS3]

Lip smacking indicates nausea. It sounds like the injection the vet gave was Cerenia. There are Cerenia pills you can give at home. Ask the vet.

Did the vet send you home with any medicine at all?

Vomiting fomy liquid typically indicates a gastrointestinal issue. Did the vet mention IBD or something along those lines?

Did the vet rule out ingestion of a harmful substance? There are so many harmful things around the holidays: the needles from a live tree, holiday plants, yummy table scraps in the trash can, scented air fresheners and oils, wrapping ribbon, fragments from a broken ornament, etc.

 

[jsimon94]

I just called the vet and asked if they had any suggestions on what to do about the eating and they’re going to call me back once the vet tech speaks to the vet. We feed him rachel Ray dry food, and occasionally give him some wet food. He doesn’t seem to have diarrhea. We don’t think he ate anything because we are home on Christmas break from college and he is just in my fiancé’s bedroom at her parents house and there doesn’t seem to really be anything he could have gotten into, but he still could have we just don’t know. The vet didn’t send us home with any medication and didn’t suggest IBD or anything like that. Unfortunately I don’t think he would take any cerenia pills at home because he has never liked any form of treat so I don’t think he would eat them. If we end up doing the ultrasound it just sucks because if there is an obstruction there’s no way we’d be able to afford surgery because that’d be thousand of dollars, and on top of the $650 we already spent and then however much the ultrasound would be then it’s really not affordable for us especially being college students. I would pay any amount I could to help him, but unfortunately we just don’t have that type of money or anyone to help us out and loan us it. I’ll keep you guys posted and thanks for the replies. It’s been an hour since I called so I’m hoping to hear back soon.

 

[jsimon94]

Also, in regards to us being home from college and him in the bedroom, over the last two years he has been in there multiple times for multiple days so we also don’t believe it would be stress related or anything because he’s always fine when he’s here and he isn’t acting stressed or anything

 

[LTS3]

Look into these for help with possible future bills:

No Money For Vet Care? How To Find Help And Save Your Cat's Life

Financial Aid for Pets


An appetite stimulant may be helpful if your cat isn't eating. Cats can't go more than a few days without eating. Fatty liver disease can set in and that can be expensive to treat. You can try things like Pill Pockets to hide pills in. My cats love a bacon flavored pill dough. Many medicines can be compounded into another form like liquid or transdermal gel for easier giving.

 

[jsimon94]

He got another X-ray and they felt his stomach and said it feels “ropey” instead of smooth so he’s going into surgery right now. Hopefully it all goes smooth and there’s nothing serious. They have been super helpful and even said that we can make as little payments to them as we need, even if it’s only like $25 a month so that made me worry less about that. I will post again once they call and let us know how it went and what/if they found anything.

 

[denice]

When I finally got my IBD cat to a knowledgeable vet she said the same thing, she said that his intestines felt ropey. If there is no foreign objects they will probably take some tissue samples to biopsy, that is the only way to definitively diagnose IBD.

 

[jsimon94]

The surgery is over and they didn’t find anything. The vet said everything looks normal and no obstructions were found. He tested some cells on his glands but those come back fine too. He said his intestines were a little inflamed, and they flushed him out to get rid of the stool that was in there. I just don’t know what to do at this point. They’re keeping him overnight and until at least Monday to monitor him and try to get him to eat. It’s just discouraging to not know what’s causing all of this.

 

[Kflowers]

It's hard, but you're not alone. You have your vet totally on your side. They will find out what's wrong and give him supportive care while they search for the answer. And we are here to listen.

 

[jsimon94]

Thanks I appreciate it. I’m just so worried because it’s been almost 6 days since he’s really eaten, other than the few bites on Thursday night and Friday night. He said that they will offer him a bland diet tomorrow and see if he takes it. I really hope that he does, but I don’t know if he will since he’ll be scared there. I’m hoping since they flushed him out maybe he’ll finally feel better and will at least eat some. We are leaving on Tuesday to go back to our apartment for college which is an hour and a half away, so I really hope he is better so we don’t have t worry about driving him an hour and a half back to the vet. Unfortunately our jobs are also at the college and we start work again on the 2nd and we need the money so we have to go back up. I figured worst case scenario we have to commute from home to work if he’s still not better, that way we’ll atleast still be closer to the vet. I’m just starting to get worried that since he’s refusing to eat it will start to cause other health problems. Do any of you guys know if there’s anything similar to an IV for fluids that they can give him, but for like food or some sort of nutritional supplement since he’s not eating? Thanks everybody for the help.

 

[Kflowers]

I found this on Chewy.com it's a paste that you should be able to put in his mouth. I haven't used this, but cats are supposed to like it. You might also want to look into syringe feeding. There are several threads about it here. FeebysOwner , @Furballsmom a little help, here, please.


Tomlyn Nutri-Cal High-Calorie Dietary Cat Supplement, 4.25-oz tube - Chewy.com

 

[weebeasties]

Sometimes they have to insert a feeding tube until the cat can eat on it's own. Hopefully it will not come to that, but if it does, I have heard the cats do well. I know there is a member on here that had to do a feeding tube for awhile. Sorry I cant remember her name atm. Sending lots of good vibes.

 

[Kflowers]

Actually, that would be me. I didn't think of it because your boy is still eating a little and mine quit. We did a feeding tube when one of mine had pneumonia. It's fairly easy to get medicine down him and to get liquid food down. If you get one be sure to only push one swallow's worth of food down at a time.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi, sorry for all that you've been through. Since it has been a day past his surgery, the vet should be providing him with nutrients via IV - and, of course, trying to get him to eat by mouth as well. Technically, that process should go on until he manages to keep something down.

If not, then it would be the feeding tube, and that would be used along with also trying to get him to eat on his own, as well. I don't know at what point they would want to release him to you. But, if he is released with a feeding tube, you will need to find someone who can take care of him - as if he were their own - until he recovers from surgery and is eating again. Please start to make preparations for that.

Should he start eating some on his own before he is released, @Furballsmom has a list of supplemental food options that she will need to provide - I don't have it.
Hopefully, she will soon see your post and provide that list to you.

Ask the vet - and perhaps, K Kflowers can shed some light as well, but I still think he will need a full time caretaker for quite some time.

 

[weebeasties]

Actually, that would be me. I didn't think of it because your boy is still eating a little and mine quit. We did a feeding tube when one of mine had pneumonia. It's fairly easy to get medicine down him and to get liquid food down. If you get one be sure to only push one swallow's worth of food down at a time.

It wasn't you I was thinking of, I think maybe @epona ? Still, it's great that you are here and can offer advice if an e-tube is needed! Fingers crossed it isn't!