Vomiting water, not eating, lethargic

catman12

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Jun 23, 2020
Messages
28
Purraise
6
Sorry for the long read. Hey all,my cat is a mix between a siamese and a birman, not sure exactly which one since he was gifted to us. He's getting up there in age, hes about 13-14. Today is day 3 of symptoms, he's become very lethargic. After he drinks water he stands over it and gets nauseous and throws it back up. Not like a regular hairball type throw up but full on throw up. It's hard to gauge how many times a day he's throwing up for I'd say 5+. Took him yesterday to the vet and got rolled out an 1100$ bill which wasn't a surprise. Doc said he has tenderness in the stomach area, severely dehydrated, and lower body temp (he said it was 98.6). Every time I pick him up, he lets out this painful meow, and has barely enough energy to use the bathroom to pee. I had him on an IV last night, and this morning with a different doc. In the years that we've had him, this is his 2nd time at the vet. Only other time was he got neutered last year, and the bloodwork was perfect. I don't have experience with cat problems, so I want to know what you guys think... Today is day 3 and he's throwing up a lot less, still not eating though. I'll be making an appointment for him for tomorrow to get bloodwork and whatever else he needs. Thanks for reading.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #2

catman12

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Jun 23, 2020
Messages
28
Purraise
6
Also worth mentioning, we switched the cat litter around the same time this happened from fresh step to arm and hammer clump and seal. I don't know if this is important. We have since reverted back.
 

Kieka

Snowshoe Servant
Staff Member
Forum Helper
Joined
Sep 6, 2016
Messages
11,394
Purraise
19,964
Location
Southern California
What did the vet tell you as possible causes? Other then the IV, what else has been done at this time?
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #4

catman12

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Jun 23, 2020
Messages
28
Purraise
6
Vet said possible pancreatitis. I took him in at around 10pm to an emergency clinic. Other than IV's nothing else has been done. I'm about to call my other clinic to schedule an appointment.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5

catman12

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Jun 23, 2020
Messages
28
Purraise
6
He also said it could be anything. But 1100$ is a pretty penny... Plus it was an emergency clinic so the prices are inflated. He just said he needed xrays, bloodwork, iv's.
 

Kieka

Snowshoe Servant
Staff Member
Forum Helper
Joined
Sep 6, 2016
Messages
11,394
Purraise
19,964
Location
Southern California
I've had many emergency visits and $1100 is steep if all that was done was a physical exam and IV for fluids. My cat had an emergency appointment followed by seven day hospital stay with IV, syringe feeding, xray, full blood work and ultrasound for $3,000.

If xrays were done you should have been able to see if there is a blockage or anything along those lines. Basic blood work should have been include for $1100 which would let you know blood counts. Something is definitely wrong in the abdomen. Tender abdomen and vomiting alone though is not enough information. That points to basically anything wrong in the abdomen from blockage to growths to organ damage to severe constipation.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #8

catman12

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Jun 23, 2020
Messages
28
Purraise
6
No, I took him home. I got him IV's to keep him hydrated and nothing else. He's not throwing up today from what I can see, he's just sitting under a chair all morning so far after I took him for another IV 3 hours ago. I have called and made an apt for him for tomorrow. I posted here to get an understanding of possible causes since I have no idea what it can be. The symptoms are so generic, it could honestly be anything... Thanks for replying at least.
 

FeebysOwner

TCS Member
Staff Member
Forum Helper
Joined
Jun 13, 2018
Messages
22,431
Purraise
33,191
Location
Central FL (Born in OH)
Hi. It might be helpful if you list all the things they did that cost $1100. And, if you know/have copies of all the tests. For example, if they did bloodwork, what all did they check, and what were the results? Same detail for the other items that were included in that $1100 would go a long way in letting us know what could be possible causes.
 

Kieka

Snowshoe Servant
Staff Member
Forum Helper
Joined
Sep 6, 2016
Messages
11,394
Purraise
19,964
Location
Southern California
I would call your regular vet and tell them it is an emergency. See if you can drop him off and they slot him in whenever they get a chance. Three days is too long to be unable to keep anything down. Even with hydration going into fatty liver disease as a byproduct of whatever the root cause is is a serious risk.
 

FeebysOwner

TCS Member
Staff Member
Forum Helper
Joined
Jun 13, 2018
Messages
22,431
Purraise
33,191
Location
Central FL (Born in OH)
Even with hydration going into fatty liver disease as a byproduct of whatever the root cause is is a serious risk.
And, if this were to be pancreatitis he NEEDS to be eating tp help treat it - either via syringe or tube feeding.
Echoing Kieka Kieka , get your regular vet involved, and make sure they get copies of everything that was done at the ER vet.
 

daftcat75

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 7, 2018
Messages
12,641
Purraise
25,128
Pancreatitis is not a wait-and-see kind of condition. It's very painful and can be destructive to his pancreas. That could be the reason why your cat doesn't feel much like eating. It might not be either. Fortunately, there's a blood test for that. It's call fPLI. Go get him tested. You can also get him a prescription for an anti-emetic (stops the vomiting) and an appetite stimulant while you're waiting for the result on that test. I went through three vets before one of them tested my Krista for pancreatitis. Sure enough, that's what she had. Once we got her on a treatment plan that included anti-emetic, appetite stimulant, and lots of small, highly appealing foods (mostly Tiki Cat tuna flavors) throughout the day, rather than twice a day gut bombs, slowly but surely she came around again. You should also talk to your vet about syringe feeding, either by mouth or with a feeding tube. I prefer the feeding tube because it's less stressful on the cat and it takes his reluctance to eat out of the picture.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #13

catman12

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Jun 23, 2020
Messages
28
Purraise
6
Sorry for not responding I brought him in as an emergency today. They did bloodwork and an x-ray. Bloodwork was good. Kidneys were good. Doc said his stomach was tilted at an off angle or something along those lines. They gave him anti nausea meds, appetite meds, meds to move him bowels, and another injection under the skin to hydrate him. Doc said that he's severely dehydrated again. They had to take blood sample from his neck. Also according to the doc, the bloodwork doesn't signal pancreatitis. He's still very sluggish and not eating. I put out deli turkey and a can of food along with dry food, as per doctors advice. They offered to keep him there for the night with an IV but I don't trust them. Will be going back tomorrow if he doesn't improve. I really don't know if maybe he ate some litter while cleaning himself, and got poisoned by it. Well, till tomorrow.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #14

catman12

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Jun 23, 2020
Messages
28
Purraise
6
Also thyroid was good.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #15

catman12

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Jun 23, 2020
Messages
28
Purraise
6
Today is day 6 and I honestly don't know what to say. He's been hospitalized for over 48 hours now. They did an ultrasound on his abdomen and found fluid. They did a vision test and are saying that he's blind which I can't believe since he was walking around the house the day I dropped him off. Also said his heart wall is a bit thicker than normal, and are doing an ultrasound on it. They're also getting a sample of the abdominal fluid and sending it off to a lab. All these things coming so fast and out of nowhere, I'm honestly at a loss of words...
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #16

catman12

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Jun 23, 2020
Messages
28
Purraise
6
Any advice or experience you guys can share is appreciated. I don't trust doctors, human or pet...
 

Kieka

Snowshoe Servant
Staff Member
Forum Helper
Joined
Sep 6, 2016
Messages
11,394
Purraise
19,964
Location
Southern California
That does not sound good. Has he ever been tested for FIP? I know where I am it is a specialized test not included with normal blood panels.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #18

catman12

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Jun 23, 2020
Messages
28
Purraise
6
Not that I know of. I've been reading about it and there doesn't seem to be a test that can differentiate between the mutated strain and the regular coronavirus. It just picks up on the antibodies of either.
 

Kieka

Snowshoe Servant
Staff Member
Forum Helper
Joined
Sep 6, 2016
Messages
11,394
Purraise
19,964
Location
Southern California
Not that I know of. I've been reading about it and there doesn't seem to be a test that can differentiate between the mutated strain and the regular coronavirus. It just picks up on the antibodies of either.
Yeah, but knowing if your cat has the base coronavirus or not can narrow it down. I know that one of mine is a carrier so if she shows signs of FIP its more likely. Unfortunately, FIP is one of those illnesses that you have to rule everything else out and be left with just that option.
 

BlackCatOp

Black Cats Rule!
Adult Cat
Joined
Dec 3, 2019
Messages
233
Purraise
238
Location
Cat Cuddling (USA)
Not that I know of. I've been reading about it and there doesn't seem to be a test that can differentiate between the mutated strain and the regular coronavirus. It just picks up on the antibodies of either.
Yeah, but knowing if your cat has the base coronavirus or not can narrow it down. I know that one of mine is a carrier so if she shows signs of FIP its more likely. Unfortunately, FIP is one of those illnesses that you have to rule everything else out and be left with just that option.
Sorry your kitty has been sick. I experienced a similar issue with one of my several years ago. Everything but a super high WBC count was normal but kitty was lethargic, painful and nauseous. After spending several days in the ICU he luckily recovered. But I don’t know what was wrong or caused it.

Anyways, regarding FIP, it is quite rare is cats over the age of 3 years of age so I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Also, if you look on his bloodwork, the A/G ratio in cats with FIP is low (below 0.4). So if the A/G ratio is greater than 0.8, then FIP can be essentially ruled out.
 
Top