My 7 Y.o. Female Shorthair Calico Cat Vomits

[fenya7]

1. 
   Please help with your expert opinion. We are going to the Veterinarian tomorrow, but right now, I am very worried. She vomits occasionally - about once in 2-3-months, usually it is a hair ball. A few months ago, she vomited without hair ball and the stuff was mostly liquid, a little greenish. I thought it could be grass that she ate day before. She loves grass and when I can get her clean grass I gave it to her. It now is winter in Southern hemisphere, very hard to find good grass. We moved to Uruguay 9 months ago. She did not like her new home and was not in a good mood for a long time but eventually she settled OK.
   She is very playful, energetic, loves to be brushed, etc. Two months ago, she vomited some liquid stuff, whitish or colorless. I immediately contacted a Vet by the phone, he said it could wait if she behaves OK. I did not want to traumatize her with the taxi ride, she hates travels. OK, I was away for almost one month, a good friend took excellent care of her, she was totally OK. I came back from the States August 22, and my cat was perfectly OK. Good appetite, drinks water, in a good mood, poops normally, once a day.
   THIS MORNING however, while she was playing in my bedroom, throwing things down, I thought it was a sound of her play. I checked what was going on. When she vomits, she coughs, but this time I did not hear her coughing. I found her vomit on the floor and took pictures. This time it is liquid, clear in color, with just a hint of yellowish. There is nothing solid, only watery and almost clear vomit.
   She was running all over the place, playing and talking with me in her usual demanding way - play with me, brush me, etc. Totally OK behavior. BTW, she vomited today before having her first meal, so I don't think her vomit has anything to do with her food.
   She is a 100% indoors cat, no contact with other pets.
   She had a very thorough vet exam end of November of 2018, before our flight to Uruguay. She was totally OK and healthy. It now is cold, so I am postponing our visit to the vet, but today I will go to the vet with the photos of her vomit and make an appointment for tomorrow.
   In the meantime, I need your opinion.
   What is your opinion? Thank you all very much.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. It does sound like it might be related to hairballs. You can try something as simple as butter/margarine and put it on your finger or her paw to have her lick it off. Or, 1/8 teaspoon of slippery elm added to her food. Some members also recommend canned pumpkin (no additives) to try to help their cats pass hairballs.

 

[verna davies]

You could also put a small pea size blob of Vasaline on her nose or paw to lick off. It usually works for mine after one day.

 

[LTS3]

Frequent vomiting of clear liquid could indicate IBD or other gastrointestinal issue. Some vets can palpate the abdomen and detect abnormalities in the digestive tract walls and make a tentative diagnosis of a gastrointestinal issue. Further testing may be needed to get a definitive diagnosis.

 

[fenya7]

Thank you all for your excellent input. We were to a vet, she is OK, he says, it is NOT frequent enough to worry. Whew! I overreacted...

 

[MissClouseau]

Does she vomit or regurgitate food?

If it's the latter and she doesn't eat fast, or she doesn't overeat at times, and no hairball (very possible though.) Then I would suspect of IBS over stress or food intolerances.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Cats - Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, Recovery, Management, Cost

 

[fenya7]

Does she vomit or regurgitate food?

If it's the latter and she doesn't eat fast, or she doesn't overeat at times, and no hairball (very possible though.) Then I would suspect of IBS over stress or food intolerances.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Cats - Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, Recovery, Management, Cost

Thank you Miss Clouseau. I spoke with our Vet, he says that she does not regurgitate often, actually it only happened two times in two+ months. So we will continue watching. Thanks for the very helpful info. Best from Fenice and Mom :-))