Dark Vomit!

[Antonio65]

Pallina just threw up this

Very watery, dark brown, with tiny pieces of wet food in it. The smell wasn't bad, a bit like iron, maybe.
Pallina hadn't been eating for about 8 hours, but she isn't hungry.
In the last two-three weeks she's been vomiting every morning, but lately she has vomited up to 4 times a day. This one was the second time today.

I placed a quarter dollar and a euro coin to give you an idea of the size of it.

We already have an appointment on next Wednesday for a complete check up.

Never seen such a dark vomit before. Is it bile?

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi - I have seen quite a few results of cat vomit and never anything that was dark like this. Can you send that picture in to your vet, tell them of the frequent vomiting which is also troublesome, and ask them what they think and if you should be bringing your cat in sooner?
EDIT, do they know she isn't eating? Is she still drinking and using her box? Tell them these things as well. Keeping my fingers crossed!

 

[Furballsmom]

The more I think about it, when you talk to them, if they don't suggest coming in sooner ask them, rather tell them, to move your appointment up - her not eating is not a good thing and although I'm not a vet, I really don't think she can go on like this for another day or so, nevermind not until next week.

 

[Antonio65]

Furballsmom ,
yes, the vets have been told that Pallina is eating much less.
Her usual was two 80 grams cans a day, now she's at one can only, when I'm lucky, on some days she eats a bit less than one can.

Her not eating refers to the last hours. This morning I didn't give her her usual meal because she still had half a can from last night. My wife told me that around 11 am she had eaten it all. I opened up another can at 7 pm (it's 8:45 pm here now) and she just smelled at it. Totally uninterested. She's eating right now, but with little appetite.

She is drinking, but with different amounts daily, on some days she drink as little as 40 ml, some other days she drinks up to 110 ml. On average it is 70 ml a day.
All fine in the litter tray.

What I have to say is that I'm fostering a kitten who lives in another room, but Pallina knows she's in the house and is a bit under stress and discomfort. The times and dates match.
I think that this is the reason for her lack of appetite, but the vomit, especially like the one of tonight, is totally new here.
She usually throws up in the early morning and it's just clear juices, or some food-colored juices. This dark brown, nearly black has scared me!

The vets know that her appetite has diminished and that she's throwing up more frequently. I called them on Tuesday morning and they told me to go there sooner if needed.
She has been taking a liver supplement pill for over 7 weeks, but in the last days she was throwing it up so I discontinued it to see what will change.
I'm gathering as many details and info as possible before next Wednesday, so that the vets will be, likely, able to tell me somthing more.
I don't think I have understood what you mean by "move your appointment up". Does that mean to ask them to visit Pallina as first patient of the day on Wednesday?
If so, yes, we'll be the first. The appointment is at 9 am.

Apart from this, she's rather lively and alert.
Two days ago Pallina chased the neighbors' cat down to their home, and she was running so fast that I had difficulty at seeing where she was going!
Consider that she's nearly 17.

So, I hope she's just a bit under stress or that she has had an empty stomach for too a long time. But dark is worrying.

 

[Furballsmom]

Whew, at least she's getting some sustenance but it certainly doesn't sound like enough. Keep trying to get her to eat more - will she lick food off of your finger? Do you have some tuna, tuna juice, sardines, goat milk, kitten food, kitten replacement milk powder or liquid, or a treat she likes that you could mix into her food?
I meant an earlier day - next Wednesday is a long time away for a cat that isn't eating and is throwing up all the time and with more frequency. Even an empty stomach vomit would not be dark like this.
Does she go outside to the point that you can't see her, in other words would she have eaten something two-three weeks ago? Or is it the liver pill that could be causing this - but in all honesty at this point I'm not even concerned about the why/what as much as the fact that she really needs hydration. I'm truly not trying to scare you I'm just trying to emphasize that there are all sorts of liver and kidney problems that occur when a cat isn't getting hydration/food.
Hang in there!!

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

I would email the vet the photo of the vomit asap. And, from my own experience, I think waiting till next Wednesday for a visit is too long of a time to wait. Vomiting up to 2+ times a day for days in a row (you said she's vomiting up to 4 times a day now) is not at all good.

 

[Antonio65]

No, unfortunately Pallina won't lick food off of my fingers, she never did it.
Furthermore she has IBD (I should have mentioned that in my first post, but it's a condition I already told about in other threads, so I took it for granted) and can only eat a specific wet food.

She gets out only when supervised and never goes very far, as a matter of fact she never steps out of the lawn, the day she chased the other cat was an exceptional episode!
Occasionally she has chewed on grass, but last time she did that was at least two weeks ago.

I suspect of the liver pill because she's been throwing up the outer film of the pill a few hours after she took it.
I called the company that produces it and they told me that it is very unlikely that the film could induce an intolerance, but just in case they adviced me to suspend it for a week or so and see if there's any difference. I suspended it as from Tuesday.
I want to see if something changes until Wednesday so that the vets can evaluate the thing.
Anyway, meanwhile I could hydrate Pallina with some sub-Q's.

 

[Furballsmom]

ok, keep a really close eye on her.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

Yes, anytime a cat is vomiting so much, sub-Q fluids is a great idea.

 

[Antonio65]

I would email the vet the photo of the vomit asap. And, from my own experience, I think waiting till next Wednesday for a visit is too long of a time to wait. Vomiting up to 2+ times a day for days in a row (you said she's vomiting up to 4 times a day now) is not at all good.

Yes, Pallina vomited 4 times on Monday, that's why I called my vet the next day.
She threw up early in the morning, as her usual, then she threw up later in the morning, again in the mid-afternoon and the last time 5 minutes after taking the liver pill.
Such a high number of times never happened before and hasn't happened again since.
Today twice.
Other days it's just the early morning vomit.
It's not an empty stomach vomit, because I leave food out at night.

I will email the photo to the vets, they will see it tomorrow (right now it's 9:30 pm here).

 

[Furballsmom]

I remember my cat got into a fight, got bitten and we didn't realize it (he's a longhaired cat so we couldn't see it) and all he did after the fight was sleep and not eat. We took him in the following day as he still hadn't eaten and the vet said that not eating, or even just barely eating, is a clear signal that something is wrong. She also said that anything out of the norm, like this vomiting that your cat has not done before, is another signal of something that needs to be looked at with any cat but most especially with an older cat.
I so hope there isn't anything bad going on with her but like PushPurrCatPaws is suggesting, waiting isn't a good idea.

I will email the photo to the vets, they will see it tomorrow (right now it's 9:30 pm here).

Also, you can be confident the vets will have lots of info to work with already now, due to you being so diligent in keeping track of everything.
We're sending lots and lots of good thoughts your way - let us know what happens!

 

[Shar371]

Dark is worrying... so is the slight iron smell. Iron smell, to me, means blood, or enzymes. This doesn't look reddish, but it's very, very fluid. I'd send the vet the picture, get their take on it. It could be that they'll want to see you before Wednesday.

I love hearing that Pallina was chasing the neighbor down. She's a very spirited 17, and I admire her fire!

 

[nansiludie]

Wow, I've never seen kitty spit up this dark either and I've cleaned up a lot of spit up. I'm thinking this is possibly digested blood. If you can get her to the Vet today or at least tomorrow, that would be good for her. I like the idea the others suggested to send the picture to the vet. It's not bile, bile is yellowish and clear. I can't think of any food that would cause this color of spit up either. If she keeps vomiting this and more of it, definite vet visit.

 

[Antonio65]

When she vomits half-digested food, her vomit is light brown, hazel brown, I'd say...
She ate half a can since half an hour after the episode (a bit earlier than 7 pm) and 9 pm. She's quietly sleeping now, her breathing is normal.

I know it for sure she hasn't been biten by the other cat at the end of the chase. They didn't fight, just a chase.
Pallina is short haired and almost totally white, any wound would have been visible.

The vomited liquid was very runny, not sticking or else, almost like water. No reddish color at all, it was just like dark coffee. The iron smell made me think of blood, of course, that's why I took the photo. But the density of the fluid wasn't consistent with blood.

I would take Pallina in only if absolutely necessary. She is scheduled on Wednesday for a complete blood work (thyroid and all the rest) and an abdomen ultrasound.
Should I take her in now they could not do anything and I should go back again, and Pallina gets easily stressed lately...

Anyway I am not saying I don't want to take her in, I just want to see if I can save her this stress that won't help her at all...

 

[Furballsmom]

I understand, I have that same problem, of the debate whether the super major stress that the Big Guy goes through every single trip to the vet is worth it stacked up against his overall health. It's very hard sometimes on us humans.
Let us know what they say after they see the photo - keeping our fingers crossed that she continues to eat!

 

[artiemom]

That vomit is very worrisome. I have no idea what it could be.. almost looks like blood..
but if it was something which is actively bleeding, it would be bright red.

Antonio65 I would definitely, based on the vomiting multiple times and the strong decrease in food intake, contact the vet to see if you can be seen sooner..

Good to hear you e-mailed the picture to your vet.

((hugs)) fingers, paws crossed

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

I would email the vet the photo of the vomit asap. And, from my own experience, I think waiting till next Wednesday for a visit is too long of a time to wait. Vomiting up to 2+ times a day for days in a row (you said she's vomiting up to 4 times a day now) is not at all good.

That vomit is very worrisome. I have no idea what it could be.. almost looks like blood..
but if it was something which is actively bleeding, it would be bright red.

Antonio65 I would definitely, based on the vomiting multiple times and the strong decrease in food intake, contact the vet to see if you can be seen sooner..

Good to hear you e-mailed the picture to your vet.

((hugs)) fingers, paws crossed

Yes, when I wrote "from my own experience", I meant that when I saw darker vomit coming from my last sweet kitty, who also vomited frequently near her end, it was not a good thing at all. I don't mean to scare you, and I hope it's not as bad as I fear, but it is really very worriesome to me; I agree with artiemom in that. I am really pulling for you and Pallina!

 

[Antonio65]

Update!

This morning Pallina was very lively and was even willing to play, not common of her.
She was very loving and purring and asking for food.
Because I know her too well, I imagined that her asking for food was just a false alarm, so I gave her 1/4 pill of cypro, but she fought a lot and threw it up 1 minute later.
Well, the vomit was clear water with the dissolved pill in it. No traces of food whatsoever, not even a tiny wee drop of red or other colors.
I gave her a new 1/4 pill of cypro.

She had also pooped and everything was fine as usual.

Half an hour later she started meowing and howling, so Iknew that the pill had kicked in, I gave her her usual can of food and she ate it most of it in a few minutes.

No replies from my vets yet, but I am thinking that the worst moment has gone!

 

[artiemom]

Glad to hear Pallina is eating and acting normal ~ that her vomit is back to normal, also...

Wonder what that off color was from?

Sometimes, when Artie does not get the pill down the correct way, he will vomit it up~~ about 30 minutes later...

((hugs))

 

[Antonio65]

New update.

This morning Pallina had a visit for her blood test and an ultrasound scan.
I asked my vet whether he read my email and why he didn't reply to it. Well, he never received it, some problem with the email server, it seems. So he didn't see the photo.
I had it on my phone and showed it to him. He said that it was bad, and that very likely that vomit had some stomach-processed blood in it. He said that it can happen, but since it hadn't happen before and hasn't happened again, he told me not to worry.
So, it seems this is the end of the story