Cat Vomiting Almost Every Day For The Past Week

[joyfulrose]

Hi all,
My cats name is Tipps she's 13/14 years old. About a month or so ago she started having this dry cough that sounded like she was trying to cough up a hairball but she never coughed anything up. I would give her some hairball gel and the cough would go away for a few days and then it would come back. Suddenly this past week her cough went away almost completely on it's own but she has started vomiting every day or every 2 days. I tried several different things to settle her stomach but nothing seems to help. I thought maybe she had developed an allergy to her current dry food (fromm gamebird) so I very very slowly switched it out but that seemed to upset her stomach more and make her throw up twice in one day. So i went back to her old food and she seems better but she still vomits once every day. Sometimes she vomits when she hasn't eaten for a while and sometimes it's a little while after she's eaten. The vomit is sometimes white and foamy, and once it was yellow, but mostly it's brown liquid with food in it. I tried to give her fancy feast classics chicken and that makes her vomit almost immediately afterwards. She still eats if I give her some treats ontop of the food but it's less now then she used to eat and I'm getting really worried. She still drinks water and urinates and has a bowel movement every day. I am worried about her getting dehydrated from all of this vomiting every day. I really want to take her to the vet but I won't have any money till the end of the week and I'm scared she will only get worse. I have tried calling up vets and explaining that to them but they can't seem to help me right now until I can pay.
I have looked up what this possibly could be and it seems like it could be anything from an infection, hairballs, an allergy, a gi issue, or cancer.
I have some amoxi drops for cats a new bottle that was never used. I wanted to try to give it to her and see if it helps (in case this is an infection) but I am also scared of doing that and it cause any harm to her.
Does anyone have any other ideas? Do you think it would be okay to give her the amoxi drops?

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! I can't help, but just in case there's something here

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[tabbytom]

Sometimes she vomits when she hasn't eaten for a while and sometimes it's a little while after she's eaten. The vomit is sometimes white and foamy, and once it was yellow, but mostly it's brown liquid with food in it. I tried to give her fancy feast classics chicken and that makes her vomit almost immediately afterwards.

Cats throwing up liquids could mean many things. It could be a caused by a simple hairball to indigestion or something she ate and is indigestible items like a piece of string other objects like toxic chemicals or plants which is irritating her stomach to something much more serious in the system underlying a health issue.

Coughing could be that Tipps is clearing up her throat and maybe likely clearing hairball.
Clear liquid is likely to be gastric juices and mucus due to a long delay between feeding times or irregular eating. Mucus is a protective film that coats the stomach linings to prevent then acid from destroying the smooch linings. Clearing hairball usually is accompanied with white/clear foamy substance whether hairball is presence or not.

Yellow liquid or sometimes greenish are due to the presence of bile which when excreted gives the urine or feces the brown and yellow coloring. Bile does irritates and inflames the stomach as it moves backwards into the stomach and is natural for the cat to expel it by vomiting.

If liquid is pinkish, it means there's blood is presence and it could be from anywhere in the body system.

Change of food and eating fast can cause vomiting too.

If all these liquid vomiting or vomiting is a regular affair, it is a concern and best is to have Tipps checked by the vet. Observe and take photos or videos while she's at it and show it to the vet at the next visit. Hopefully it's not serious and it's just a simple hairball thingy.

Do keep us posted.

 

[Furballsmom]

Observe and take photos or videos while she's at it and show it to the vet at the next visit.

This is an excellent suggestion, as always

 

[tabbytom]

This is an excellent suggestion, as always

This is the best evidence for explanation to the vet.

 

[jen]

Please do not just give her random antibiotics. This cat needs a vet a month ago when the coughing started. So please take her in asap. There is not a lot we can do to help. A senior cat needs bloodwork as first priority, fluids if she has been vomiting daily for a week and a chest xray for the cough. Try carecredit.com to see if you qualify. Yes it is a credit card but if you spend over $200 and this is an over $200 appointment, you should have 6 months with no interest to pay it back.

 

[joyfulrose]

Thank you Furballsmom and @Tabbytastic, I appreciate it!

best is to have Tipps checked by the vet. Observe and take photos or videos while she's at it and show it to the vet at the next visit. Hopefully it's not serious and it's just a simple hairball thingy.

That is what I plan to do next time it happens. So far tonight she hasn't vomited and seems a bit better and she still plays and everything. Hopefully it isn't anything serious. I will let you guys know what the vet says when I am able to take her. Thanks again!

 

[jen]

Even if a few days go by and she seems "better" I would really still encourage you to get her in. Something caused this. When cats SHOW that something is wrong it is often farther advanced than we realize since they hide their illnesses and discomfort so well. At 13 she is definitely long overdue for bloodwork and a check up. Cats should not be coughing either. It could be asthma, pneumonia or something else.

 

[joyfulrose]

Please do not just give her random antibiotics. This cat needs a vet a month ago when the coughing started. So please take her in asap. There is not a lot we can do to help. A senior cat needs bloodwork as first priority, fluids if she has been vomiting daily for a week and a chest xray for the cough. Try carecredit.com to see if you qualify. Yes it is a credit card but if you spend over $200 and this is an over $200 appointment, you should have 6 months with no interest to pay it back.

I did not give her any random antibiotics, as I said in my post I was worried about doing that and it causing her any harm, so that is why I didn't. I have never given any of my cats random medication and would never do that until it was okayed by a vet. I actually called two vets right before I made this post and they told me I could try giving her the Amoxi drops and it may help or it just may not work if she doesn't have an infection. They said that they can't know for sure of course, because we don't know what this is exactly without having any blood work done. I am still hesitant to try giving her the antibiotics though, and I feel it's better to have blood work done first before giving her anything.
Her cough is gone, she hasn't coughed in a little over a week now. So hopefully that's a good sign.
I have tried to apply for care credit and I did not get approved. Tomorrow I will see if I can find a vet who offers a free exam and go from there.

 

[joyfulrose]

Even if a few days go by and she seems "better" I would really still encourage you to get her in. Something caused this. When cats SHOW that something is wrong it is often farther advanced than we realize since they hide their illnesses and discomfort so well. At 13 she is definitely long overdue for bloodwork and a check up. Cats should not be coughing either. It could be asthma, pneumonia or something else.

She did have bloodwork done about two years ago and the vet gave her a clean bill of health, but I know when they are older it's best to get it done every year and that is what I plan to do.

 

[jen]

Great! You are on the right track then. I hope she is ok.

 

[LTS3]

Look into low cost vet clinics in your area. A basic exam costs less than what a full service vet hospital charges. The local SPCA or Human Society website may have info on affordable vet care.

Banfield, the vet hospital located in some Petsmart stores, offers a free first exam but beware: it's only for a exam where the vet listens to the heart and lungs, feels around the abdomen, etc. Any tests the cat needs, and your cat will need some to determine what is wrong, will cost extra at whatever Banfield normally charges.

IBD is a possibility with the daily vomiting. It won't hurt to try a bland novel protein diet until your cat can be diagnosed with whatever the issue is.