Cat vomiting clear liquid

[Kat.]

I'll be taking my cat to vet tomorrow (it's closed today because of Easter) but I'm very anxious so I thought I would consult here.

My cat vomited some clear liquid on April 5th, 8th and today. It only happened once each of these days. Last time it happened I called the vet and they said to come in if starts to happen often and to give him some hairball paste, which I did every day since (so for four days now).

He doesn't do it immediately after eating, it literally comes out of nowhere, he just starts retching and all that comes out is a bit of clear liquid.

He has no diarrhea, is eating and drinking and has a ton of energy (like always).

I don't know what to think, he looks completely fine but I hear cats can hide illness well. It seems like nothing but at the same time, something is clearly wrong? I tried googling and now I really talked myself into thinking he has a tumor or something... He's very young, about to turn two.

What could it be? Do you guys think something he could be very ill? Vets are sometimes very flippant about cats vomiting because it's so common, should I ask for any specific tests?

 

[maggie101]

Before eating in the morning my cat vomits clear liquid or spit and fur. I was hoping giving her something for hair ball in the evening would solve the problem since their tummies digest later in the day but it still happens though not aas much. Tomorrow I'm going to try giving it to her as soon as I wake up and one the night before. It has slippery elm. Good idea taking your cat to a vet.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. It is good that everything else about him seems OK. So, hairballs might be the culprit, and there is enough "trapped" in his digestive tract that he just can't cough them up. Look through his stool to check for hair too, as well as any inconsistencies from what you consider his normal stool to look like. You can even take a stool sample with you (litter and all) to the vet, just bag it and refrigerate it until you go. When refrigerated, it should be viable for hours if there is any kind of the tests the vet might want to run.

It could also potentially be a metabolic disorder (kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, even diabetes - and others). Even stomach issues and/or indigestion, if he is vomiting well past his last meal (gastric juices can build up in his stomach and cause vomiting).

I would expect that your vet will want to do a series of tests - full spectrum blood work (which includes a Chemistry Profile and thyroid check, in addition to standard CBC), possibly an x-ray of his digestive system too.

I have noticed with Feeby that 'true' vomiting and 'retching' from possible hairballs don't look the same. Have you noticed that with your cat? Btw, how old is he?

 

[Kat.]

Hi. It is good that everything else about him seems OK. So, hairballs might be the culprit, and there is enough "trapped" in his digestive tract that he just can't cough them up. Look through his stool to check for hair too, as well as any inconsistencies from what you consider his normal stool to look like. You can even take a stool sample with you (litter and all) to the vet, just bag it and refrigerate it until you go. When refrigerated, it should be viable for hours if there is any kind of the tests the vet might want to run.

It could also potentially be a metabolic disorder (kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, even diabetes - and others). Even stomach issues and/or indigestion, if he is vomiting well past his last meal (gastric juices can build up in his stomach and cause vomiting).

I would expect that your vet will want to do a series of tests - full spectrum blood work (which includes a Chemistry Profile and thyroid check, in addition to standard CBC), possibly an x-ray of his digestive system too.

I have noticed with Feeby that 'true' vomiting and 'retching' from possible hairballs don't look the same. Have you noticed that with your cat? Btw, how old is he?

He's about to turn 2!

To be honest I never had a hairball issue with this cat before. Last time he was throwing up was nearly a year ago when he got really sick but that was an entirely different thing. I *think* it looks similar to how my other cat throws up a hairball, in that that he's strongly retching - the first time it happened I thought he swallowed something and it will come up, if that makes sense?

His stool appears normal but I will check for hair, I never thought about that!

 

[FeebysOwner]

He's about to turn 2! To be honest I never had a hairball issue with this cat before. Last time he was throwing up was nearly a year ago when he got really sick but that was an entirely different thing. I *think* it looks similar to how my other cat throws up a hairball, in that that he's strongly retching - the first time it happened I thought he swallowed something and it will come up, if that makes sense? His stool appears normal but I will check for hair, I never thought about that!

Given what happened nearly a year ago, ask the vet about that aspect as well and if this could somehow be tied to that - even if it doesn't seem apparent to you at this moment. The x-rays - IMO - would be something I would want if it were me, but that is just a wild guess that it would identify something. Please keep us posted.

 

[Kat.]

Given what happened nearly a year ago, ask the vet about that aspect as well and if this could somehow be tied to that - even if it doesn't seem apparent to you at this moment. The x-rays - IMO - would be something I would want if it were me, but that is just a wild guess that it would identify something. Please keep us posted.

I will, thank you!

I'm so worried, I just hope it's nothing serious.

 

[Kat.]

Visited the vet today.

She initially thought it was caused by hair because he sheds quite a bit and my other cat sheds even more. However, she said that hairball paste *should've* helped, and I've been giving it everyday for the last five days. She also thought it might just be an irritated stomach. I haven't given him any new food or anything but he always tries to steal things to eat so maybe? Basically she said to continue giving him the paste, and also gave him an injection of something that supposed to calm the stomach and help with acidity. I'll be giving it at home for the next few days.

She said it doesn't sound like there's any blockage or that something is stuck because in that case he would be throwing up a lot more, and would likely have other symptoms, like diarrhea, or lack of energy/appetite. She didn't want to do x-rays for this reason because she as doubtful it would show anything.

She also said blood most likely won't show anything but I still insisted on it - and everything came back clear (including kidneys, liver, glucose). She said there's no signs of any infections and everything looks perfect. Which is great obviously but doesn't give me any answers.

So basically for now I'll be giving him hairball paste and the injections for a few days and just hoping it will be the end of it. If the vomiting continues we will do x-rays and maybe ultrasound.

My cat was super stressed from this vet appointment so I really hope he gets better and I won't need to take him again for now.