cat throwing up/not keeping food down

[Stephanie36]

Hi--
My cat, Tex, has been throwing up for the past couple of days. The first time he threw up was late Thursday night. I also found in the morning that he had had diarrhea. (I don't think he has had that since.) I was gone all day Friday. I gave him a small amount of Recovery canned food, which he ate at some point in the day. He ate a bit before I left, so I think he probably ate it fairly early in the day. When I got home, all seemed fine. I gave him some more Recovery food, which he ate quickly, then threw up. I thought at the time that he probably just ate it too quickly, which still might be possible. After about a half hour, I gave him a bit of dry food (K/D) , then a bit more after he ate it. Then I gave him a bit more, which he didn't eat. So, he hate a small amount of dry K/D food, which seemed to stay down. Then this morning, I gave him breakfast but he didn't eat it. I think at some point he must have eaten a small amount of it. He threw up tonight and there was definitely food in it. But it looked untouched, so I don't think he ate much. I tried giving him more dry food, both K/D dry and Satiety dry (which he loves). He ate a couple of pieces a couple of times, but he threw up within a half hour both times. So now, he doesn't seem to be keeping any food down.

Here's the backstory for the past couple of weeks. He had major dental surgery two weeks ago (Aug 11). Obviously he didn't eat well for a couple of days, but he gradually and consistently improved. By Tuesday this week, he was eating really well. Wednesday he had a follow up appointment at the vet to check his mouth. Everything looked like it was healing fine. I asked for some K/D wet food pate. He has never really eaten the pate, but I wanted to try it. He is supposed to be eating K/D, stew, but with his mouth/dental probelms, I've been giving him Satiety pate because that's what he wanted. When he first threw up, I figured he was just reacting to the new food. I didn't give him anymore of the new food, but he's still throwing up.

If nothing changes, I'll probably be heading to an emergency vet, but obviously I'm hoping this isn't necessary. Is it possible for his stomach to still be irritated by the K/D pate? It's been 48 hours.

 

[catsknowme]

It could be an irritated stomach from the sudden change in diet. You can have him fast except for boiled chicken or beef broth with unflavored Pedialyte added. The Pedialyte ensures electrolytes remain balanced. Small but frequent amounts is key here. You might find this article helpful:
My cat keeps vomiting! Should I head to the emergency vet? | Carolina Veterinary Specialists | Winston-Salem Vet

 

[Stephanie36]

Thank you very much for the reply! I do have beef broth and chicken broth (without salt). He was loving the chicken broth before this (I gave it to him post surgery) but just sniffed it tonight. I do also have cooked chicken. It's not boiled, but it's cooked just in the oven with water, so it should be reasonable. He usually gets it as a treat without any problems. I did give him Gabapentin about a half hour ago. I noticed him rubbing his cheek on his water bowl, which is not normal behaviour for him. The vet was about as gentle as he could be while looking at Tex's mouth on Wednesday, but it still might have irritated the surgery site and caused pain. So far he hasn't thrown up after the Gabapentin, which is good. I wasn't sure if shoving it into him might cause him to throw up.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Is he peeing and pooping okay? It almost sounds like a blockage somewhere since he's throwing up even small amounts of food. But that was earlier. Are things better today?

 

[Stephanie36]

He is peeing okay. He has diabetes and kidney disease so he always pees a lot. I don't know if he's peeing as much, but still a good amount and he's drinking a bit less since he doesn't feel well, so that makes sense. He had some poops in the box. Not so much in the last 12-24 hours, but if he isn't eating, I feel like that makes sense. A blockage still could make sense. I also wondered about pancreatitis. Or an after affect of the anaesthesia, but that was 2.5 weeks ago.

 

[Stephanie36]

I took him to the vet this morning and he has pancreatitis. He's eating much better now! Unfortunately his kidney values have gotten much worse (creatinine 4.6) but I'm guessing the vomiting is mainly caused by the pancreatitis. Thank you for the input!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I'm glad you got to the bottom of the vomiting, but so sorry his kidney values are climbing. Are you feeding low phosphorus foods? That should help. Are you familiar with this site? Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Cat It is my "go to" for anything kidney related in cats.

 

[Stephanie36]

I am familiar with that site--it's such a great resource! I have a couple of cans of Hill's i/d food for today/tomorrow to help with the pancreatitis. He was eating Satiety pate, which I know is not the best for him, but for a while his weight was more of a concern because he was struggling to eat with his dental issues (they removed 18 teeth!). I am planning to get him back to his Hill's k/d stew, which is what he is supposed to be eating for his kidneys. I'm not sure what the phosphorus level is, but it's the recommended food by my vet, and my friend who is a vet agrees. I had tried the k/d pate, which is the same content but different texture since it's cheaper, but that started this whole mess, so I won't be trying that again. So the bottom line is that I hope to keep him on the k/d stew going forward.

I'm not sure about treats...he has gotten some chicken (baked in water, nothing added) and canned tuna in the past. I know the tuna isn't the best for him, but it's his favourite thing in the world. I'm not sure if anyone has input on just how bad these might be...