Mysterious intermittent vomiting for over 2 weeks

[halcyon26]

Cat vomiting

My 3 year old indoor cat has been vomiting frequently (once every day maximum) for 3 weeks now. The vomiting was always a few hours after food, partially digested (no blood or anything strange). We have now been to the vet 4 times a few days apart each time - the first two times she was given an anti nausea injection and antacids, the third time antibiotics (Clavaseptin) in case the cause was bacterial.

Since shes been on antibiotics (today is day 6) she has shown an improvement in that she has stopped vomiting up food. However, she has thrown up a couple of absolutely huge furballs and a couple of times a bit of clear liquid (before/after furballs).

There is no weight loss, loss of appetite, temperature, normal poos. Her brother eats the same food and has not been sick.She had some bloods done yesterday which were completely clear, and also a snap test for pancreatitis (negative). The vet said she seems completely fine other that the vomiting.

I am completely at a loss as to what to do and I am an anxious wreck.

Vet says we can do an ultrasound and Xray if I want, however I am unsure if this is actually necessary as they are being quite non committal about whether she actually needs it. Unsurpisingly she has found all of these vet visits, injections etc very stressful.

I also want to avoid her being sedated. My previous cat had an abdominal scan with a different vet and they completely missed a major obstruction. I brought her home and she deteriorated and they blamed it on the sedative side effects but it turned out to be a fatal blockage and she didn’t make it . Because of this past history and mistrust of vets I am even more stressed about everything than I would be.

I am at a complete loss as to what is going on and what to do re next steps. Any thoughts or advice much appreciated

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

If she is eating and eliminated ok, then there is probably no blockage causing the issue, and since basically the vomiting has ceased, I'm not sure there is any reason to do an xray or ultrasound at this point in time, especially if your Vet is non commital about it. My guess is it was the hairballs all along that was causing the problem. HOW the antibiotics helped though, I have no idea.

Probably the best thing you can do is try to make sure she is brushed often to help with the hairballs, along with some sort of hairball remedy. I find that Vet's Best Digestive Aid works great for this. It's really a big tablet that you can break up and most cats find very palatable. You can also crush it and use as a topper or mix with their food. For my longer haired cat, I can be assured that if I haven't used this on a daily basis, which I give him one, he WILL toss up a hairball! Some people like to use egg yolks to help hairballs. They can be given a few times a week, although they are high calorie, so if your cat is on the plump side, you might want to go with egg yolk lecithin instead. That can be given daily. Or there is always the hairball oily gel stuff (Laxatone) that some cats will eat right out of the tube, and some hate.

 

[halcyon26]

Thanks so much for your reply. Unfortunately when I got home today she had vomited some partially digested food again - there was some hair in it but it wasn’t a hairball. She was hungry and begging for food an hour later. She is pooing less than usual but they said that could be because of the gastro food. I am seeing the vet again tomorrow so will get their view on what they think we should do next.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I don't really have much to offer, but am curious if the food she is eating is on the 'newer' side for her. If so, there could be something in it that disagrees with her stomach a bit (despite the fact it is a gastric food).

There still could be some remnants of a hairball too. I'd give her something for hairballs on a regular basis for now.

Does she have to be sedated for x-rays and/or an ultrasound? My cat never received anything for the former, and was given a very light sedative (butorphanol) only once out of 3 ultrasounds she had - and that was primarily for belly shaving her the first time. The sedative was out of her system within an hour afterward.

 

[stephanietx]

Have you changed her food or opened a new bag recently? Is she pooping?

 

[halcyon26]

I changed her food when she got put onto antibiotics to some (wet) gastro stuff the vet gave me. She usually eats Untamed wet food and a little dry. She has been pooing a lot less since she started eating the gastro food, once every 2-3 days.

I am hoping she wouldn’t need to be sedated although the other vet said she might be, she does get a bit anxious about going to the vet in the car but once there she is fine. I will ask the normal vet tomorrow.

 

[stephanietx]

All of my kitties are stressed when they go to the vet, but they are perfectly behaved once they are taken out of their carriers for the exam. None of them swipe or hiss or bite. They're just dead weight and like to try in my armpit! Covering them with a towel or blanket helps, but they still try to escape via the armpit wormhole.

I take mine to a cat-only vet and 2 of my kitties have had ultrasounds. Neither had to be sedated, so I hope your girl won't need it tomorrow. It sounds like the vet is trying to rule out (or in) IBD. Vomiting can be a symptom of it. You may want to ask for the GI Panel to be run and her pancreas tested. Vomiting is also a symptom of pancreatitis. A B12 shot may also help her.

 

[lisahe]

I take mine to a cat-only vet and 2 of my kitties have had ultrasounds. Neither had to be sedated, so I hope your girl won't need it tomorrow. It sounds like the vet is trying to rule out (or in) IBD. Vomiting can be a symptom of it. You may want to ask for the GI Panel to be run and her pancreas tested. Vomiting is also a symptom of pancreatitis. A B12 shot may also help her.

Neither of our very squirmy cats needed to be sedated for ultrasounds either. One of our cats has IBD that was first (presumptively) diagnosed by ultrasound; personally I would recommend it for symptoms like these. They're very similar to Edwina's -- she's also a vomiter. And she's also had hairball issues. Research has shown that hairballs are not normal and can be a sign of IBD. Here's an article about that by Dr. Gary Norsworthy:
Chronic Vomiting in Cats isn’t Normal After All
Cats should pass hair on their own but aging cats' digestive systems (and thickened intestines that are a sign of IBD) can have slowed motility that helps allow the hair to build up.

Every cat is different but in our experience with Edwina, vomiting partially digested food an hour or more after a meal is often indicative of food sensitivities.

What exactly are you feeding your cat? (I took a look at Untamed and saw that a lot of their foods are fish-based; fish is a common source of issues for cats.) Do you see any patterns to her vomiting? For example, does she vomit after one kind of food but not another? I mention this because if you have any inkling of what's causing the vomiting, dietary changes may resolve the problem, if only temporarily. (We've had that happen by eliminating several ingredients!)

The Vet's Best hairball tablets that mrsgreenjeens are very helpful for both our cats and they love the taste. I think you're in the UK but maybe they're available? If not, egg yolks can work at least as well -- they help increase motility -- just start with small amounts. (I can find a link for you about this if you need.)

I hope your vet will be able to diagnose your cat soon!

 

[halcyon26]

Thanks all for your replies!

We saw the usual vet again yesterday. He re examined her and she has only lost a very tiny amount of weight since the weekend and is well hydrated. He also said the intestinal thickening he had felt last week had resolved. He has concluded that the most likely cause is furballs and doesn’t think that we need to do a scan at this time, just to continue with malt paste/Laxapet, smaller meals and to keep an eye on things for the next week or two. If things don’t improve, we will have to think about doing a scan and/or dietary changes as some of you suggested. She isn’t showing any signs of allergies other than the vomiting but I guess they can come on quite suddenly! I have read that furball problems can indicate that there is some IBD so that’s something to bear in mind. Nonetheless I am hopeful that it is just an accumulation of fur upsetting her.

Here she is last night - we have now gone over 24 hours without any vomiting

 

[FeebysOwner]

Pretty kitty! I hope the hairball treatment does the trick! Did you tell us her name and I missed it?

 

[halcyon26]

Thank you - let’s hope so! She’s called Mabel!

 

[DeesCats]

Mabel is a very pretty cat and I'm so glad she is feeling better. Thank you for the update.

 

[lisahe]

Mabel's such a beauty! And she's so fluffy! I hope what you're doing will do the trick.