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At the ER, they would start with blood work. If nothing obvious in the bloodwork, they might perform an X-ray to look for an obstruction. They would have also palpated his belly/gut to see if they could feel if he was full of poop. When was the last time he pooped? It's possible he's barfing because he's too backed up. Beyond that, if they couldn't find anything in the bloodwork or the X-ray, the next step would probably be an ultrasound. In the meantime, they might give him fluids to replace body moisture lost to vomiting and not eating. They might also give him a Cerenia shot to interrupt the vomit signal in his brain. Do you have Cerenia at home? Perhaps you could call your vet in the morning to pick up a prescription for Cerenia pills. Some cats get inappetent on Cerenia. If yours does too, ask for Zofran (ondansetron) instead.
My feeling on this, as long as his barf doesn't look green or smell awful like bile or poop, it's probably not an emergency just yet. I would give it several hours before offering him any more food. Then you can give him quarter portions the rest of the night. Give up any hope or intention of getting full calories in him today. Just consider whatever you can get in him tonight as moisture to keep dehydration away.
Tomorrow is another day. If he's still barfing or not eating by morning, you could call your vet about squeezing him in as a drop-off. Although, if he's insured, or you can afford it, some of those emergency rooms also have specialists and equipment that your regular vet may not have. Unfortunately, to jump the line for a specialist, your cat will likely have to be an in-patient already. When Krista fell off the bed, vomited, and stumbled around on her hocks like she couldn't get to or stay on her feet, my options were to let the ER keep her overnight so the neurologist could see her the next day, or it would take several weeks to go through the front door for that same neurologist appointment.
My feeling on this, as long as his barf doesn't look green or smell awful like bile or poop, it's probably not an emergency just yet. I would give it several hours before offering him any more food. Then you can give him quarter portions the rest of the night. Give up any hope or intention of getting full calories in him today. Just consider whatever you can get in him tonight as moisture to keep dehydration away.
Tomorrow is another day. If he's still barfing or not eating by morning, you could call your vet about squeezing him in as a drop-off. Although, if he's insured, or you can afford it, some of those emergency rooms also have specialists and equipment that your regular vet may not have. Unfortunately, to jump the line for a specialist, your cat will likely have to be an in-patient already. When Krista fell off the bed, vomited, and stumbled around on her hocks like she couldn't get to or stay on her feet, my options were to let the ER keep her overnight so the neurologist could see her the next day, or it would take several weeks to go through the front door for that same neurologist appointment.