Cat Vomiting Multiple Times A Day, Clear Vomit With Black Speck

[Worried_mom]

hello,

My long haired calico kitty has been vomiting for some time now. She vomits multiple times a day, but has had no decreased appetite. We took her to vet and the vet took urine, a stool sample, as well as a blood draw. She did not find anything wrong with my cat and suggested an ultrasound to check for GI tract issues or pancreatitis. This was about a month ago.
Recently, I have been concerned because the vomiting continues, but now I see clear liquid, with some grey/ black spots. I read online that blood can look like coffee grounds. I am not sure if what I see resembles coffee grounds. I have added a photo to this post so people can see.
Does anyone know what could be going on? I am trying to schedule an appointment, but my vet is booked for several weeks, and during this time I will continue to try and get in when there are cancellations, but in the meantime, I need to know how urgent of a situation this is, so I can decide if she needs emergency care. She has been vomiting clear spit for two days now. Thank you all in advance.

 

[Worried_mom]

I couldn’t figure out how to update my post. I decided to investigate further by examining the black speck more closely. Looks stringy, like she ate some fabric. Am I right? This does not look like blood.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Does your cat have a lot of black on her? Could be hair if her hair is coarse, but it doesn't look like blood, to me. It sounds like it has been too long since she started this behavior for it to be something she ingested once, as it wouldn't likely still be coming up from the stomach - or at least I don't think so since she is still interested in eating. However, look around and see if you can find something she has digested/is still digesting. Is she an indoor/outdoor cat? Could be something outside as well, if so.

When you say she is now vomiting up clear - what was it before, undigested food? This could be a sign of an obstruction at the onset. If so, her appetite will diminish.

I know other members on this site will soon have additional ideas/suggestions to offer. Hang in there!

 

[Worried_mom]

Thank you so much for your response. She vomits undigested food sometimes, and other times it’s digested food or furballs. She is a longhair calico, so she does get furballs often. However that image doesn’t look like her own fur. I do think perhaps she has an obstruction, though her appetite has not diminished quite yet. I’ll continue monitoring her and hope for a cancellation so we can get her to the vet!

 

[Jem]

That does not look like blood at all to me. It looks like black/very dark hair.
Do you think she may have caught and eaten a mouse or rat? And she is not processing the fur?
It seems to me she may need on going hairball treatment /prevention. There are a variety of pastes and treats you can safely give a cat daily to make sure her fur gets processed.
How often do you brush her? I would try to make it a habit to brush her daily, especially since she is a ling hair.

I had a cat once who groomed EVERYTHING, the other cats, us and even ate loose fur and hair he found around the house. One time he even got into the trash and ate my husbands beard trimmings. He would, if we did not keep up with hairball remedies, hack up fur/hair balls all the time. Sometimes it was a full furball, sometimes there would be food in it, sometimes it was just clear, and sometimes clear with a glob of whatever he ate, like in your photo.

I wonder if adding a probiotic or something to her food would also help with digestive issues, or maybe a change in food / type of protein is in order. I had another cat who would throw up certain foods that did not agree with him.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

View attachment 264361 hello,

My long haired calico kitty has been vomiting for some time now. She vomits multiple times a day, but has had no decreased appetite. We took her to vet and the vet took urine, a stool sample, as well as a blood draw. She did not find anything wrong with my cat and suggested an ultrasound to check for GI tract issues or pancreatitis. This was about a month ago.
Recently, I have been concerned because the vomiting continues, but now I see clear liquid, with some grey/ black spots. I read online that blood can look like coffee grounds. I am not sure if what I see resembles coffee grounds. I have added a photo to this post so people can see.
Does anyone know what could be going on? I am trying to schedule an appointment, but my vet is booked for several weeks, and during this time I will continue to try and get in when there are cancellations, but in the meantime, I need to know how urgent of a situation this is, so I can decide if she needs emergency care. She has been vomiting clear spit for two days now. Thank you all in advance.

Worried_mom , do you know if your kitty suckles on blankets or other fabrics, like when cats "push-purr" or knead? I wonder if the black stuff she is vomiting up is some sort of black or dark fiber, like from a blanket or even a rug? I know our member B babiesmom5 here has often warned about how fabric and wool fibers (among other things) can get ingested by a kneading/ suckling cat, and how dangerous this can become to the GI tract.
Cat Licking Material And Wood
Vomiting Cat, Appetite Loss: No Diagnosis

 

[Kflowers]

This looks like fabric to me, and coarse fabric. Here is where she might be finding it.

Almost all upholstered furniture has a fabric covering the underneath part of the chair, sofa, bed. This fabric is white, cream, black or black and white tweed. It's course enough that, I believe it was once called horse hair fabric.

You might consider turning over your furniture and with a flashlight, see if kit has been nibbling on the under-fabric. Sometimes they pull it lose and climb up inside the furniture. It can be a little dangerous inside furniture because the makers don't think anyone will be messing about and aren't as careful with nails and staples as they might be.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

This is a really great point, K Kflowers !

 

[Jem]

Good call, K Kflowers !!

 

[Jem]

One other thing I thought of, simply because one of my cats loved to chew on brushes, brooms, etc...
Do you happened to have a make-up brush missing it's top? or something similar?
This same cat who liked to eat brushes, had digestive issues, and I think it was a way for him to aid an upset tummy, and help him regurgitate. He would try to eat as I mentioned, any type of fiber from a brush or broom, sisal rope fibers, any and all grass he came upon, any natural or plastic string like fiber really. We had to be diligent to not leave anything out when his tummy would "flair up"

 

[Kflowers]

Thank you, so many cats, so little furniture. Our solution was/is to cut the legs off upholstered furniture and put the box springs on the floor.
This, also, prevents cat fights under the bed in the middle of the night, which many feel is a good thing.

 

[babiesmom5]

Yes, great call Kflowers...in fact my boy used to do this very thing! I caught him craining his neck to pull and chew on the black fabric underneath a sofa right here next to the computer.

The bottom of the sofa is only a few inches off the floor, so he could not actually get up underneath it, but here is what I did to curtail this behavior.

I got some clear double sided sticky tape which I then pressed all along the underside edge of the sofa. When he went to do that next time, his paws felt the sticky tape, which cats hate. Problem solved.

 

[chris gadbois]

How often do you feed your cat? I only ask because one of my girls used to throw up all the time when her stomach was empty. It was just white, frothy bile. I started feeding her smaller portions, more often during the day and this greatly cut down on her vomiting.

Some cats have alot of stomach acid, and will resort to eating anything if food or grass isn't available to them. I too agree it looks like the fabric from under a couch. If so, I would overturn all furniture and removed them all.

Keep us posted.

 

[Worried_mom]

Thank you all so much for your responses. Now that you mention it, we recently moved to a new house. Our Cali king box springs had to be left downstairs because they didn’t fit upstairs. The fabric identified from the vomit looks suspiciously like the fabric under the box spring. We have put the box springs together so the cats can’t access the black material anymore. Our cats are fed regularly and there is always a small amount of dry food left out if neither of us will be home. I am still concerned about Lola because she doesn’t seem to be eating as much today compared to other days. The ultrasound is scheduled for the 14th and we are on the cancellation list. Hopefully we can get to the bottom of this.

 

[chris gadbois]

The move alone explains alot of her weird behaviour. New settings, the cat is stressed and trying to cope with the change. Hopefully she passes whatever shes been snacking upon. Glad that you think you've found the source.

 

[Worried_mom]

I agree, although the vomiting issue has been occurring for about 2 months now, maybe more. We just moved here about a month ago. I was very surprised when the vet could not find anything in her fecal, urine, and blood tests. I do think we need to get her something for the furballs, because she doesn’t allow us to help groom her. She keeps herself very well groomed. You all have been so amazing with all of your help.

 

[Tweety loves Kitty]

Seems my cat has thrown-once or twice a week forever! He also likes to chew/eat unusual things....strings, ribbons, and especially plastic! It seems he searched for plastic every time he finished eating! My poor kittie has other problems too, but my vet and I were suspicious he might be allergic to chicken (he also licked himself so much his tummy, forearms and paws going bald!) Anyways, back to the throwing up. My vet had me start him on a prescription diet from Hills called Z/D. His throwing up, chewing plastic, and licking himself has not occurred since we began the diet a week ago! So keep in mind the possibility of a chicken (most common) allergy....and remember that corn is what chickens mostly eat, so corn may be a guilty ingredient too.

 

[Tweety loves Kitty]

One other thing. I would get another vet! Waiting that long when your kittie is having problems is unbelievable! I get in the same day! Perhaps its because I go to an animal hospital?? (Not the same as the emergency vet)

 

[Kflowers]

Agree, that's a long wait.

Kit knew when you first thought about moving. She followed your emotions about leaving - excitement, sadness, worry - and claimed them for herself with her own worry and fears added in. With cats there are no secrets that touch the emotions. So if it took more than a week or so to decide to move and do it, kit was stressing before hand.

 

[Genesis123]

View attachment 264361 hello,

My long haired calico kitty has been vomiting ...no decreased appetite.......She has been vomiting clear spit for two days now. Thank you all in advance.

How often do you feed her and how much?

When cats are hungry, when their stomachs are empty (for the most-part), they will throw up stomach fluids. These are fluids that would, otherwise, help the cat digest food. These fluids are, often, mixed with some fur ("hairballs") from the cat cleaning itself.

By the same token, if a cat is hungry and eats fast, or a lot (or both), they will, often, throw up undigested food, merely because it is too heavy for the cats' now-tender stomachs.

When these things happen to my cats, it's a sign that I need to adjust their feeding schedule and, too, quantity. I feed my cats four times a day** and a little less food than I might if I were feeding them three, or two, times a day. I, too, often, have little snacks for them (even if it's just a little of tablespoon, or two, of their regular food) -- this helps tide them over until regular meal times.

[** I'm retired and have no set demands on my time, so feeding them at, say, 2 a.m. is not a problem for me.]

So, you could try feeding your cat a little less, more often, and/or having treats/snacks for her. You could try leaving a little dry food out for her, overnight (so it's there if/when she wants it. Pay attention (or think back to the times of day she vomits. Make sure she gets, a least, a little snack, on hour or so before that time approaches.

I'm just throwing out a few ideas for you. Find a schedule that works for both of you.

Oh, too, cats will, often, eat right away, after throwing up that clear liquid -- a sign that they did so because they were hungry. (When this happens, feed her a little less than you might normally, so it's not as heavy in her stomach; she's less apt to throw up undigested food. Too, then, give her a little more, later.)

Not sure I'm explaining this very well... It's all based on my own experience with cats.