When To Go To The Vet?

[cmthoen]

I am a first time cat owner. My sweet gal is named Penny. I have owned other pets, but having a cat has been a little different.
That being said, Penny got sick on Friday night (throwing up) and continued all day Saturday. She was extremely lethargic and that is not like her at all. She laid under my bed on her heated blanket most of that time, only coming out to throw up. Sunday, she was back to her regular self.
So my question is, what should cause alarm and make me take her to the vet? I was extremely anxious the whole time, since this is the first instance of her being sick. My dog, as he got older, would get sick like that at least once a week and we got used to it, he'd get better in a day or two. I am just afraid that if I downplay it, I could be harming her in the long run by not getting her checked out in a timely manner.

 

[daftcat75]

Throwing up, even hairballs, may be sadly common but it is never normal in cats. That said, if this was a one-off event and she seems back to normal, you may let it slide this time. But if it happens again, I'd take her in. You don't want to get used to it. Even frequent hairballs can be signs of developing intestinal disease like IBD or lymphoma. Cats can also get dehydrated very quickly from throwing up. I would have taken mine into the vet on the second day of throwing up or the third day of not eating. That's not a hard and fast rule. That's just what I've worked out with her and her vet over the last year or so. She has IBD. So throwing up for her is never a shrug and forget it event now.

 

[cmthoen]

Good to know! I think I would have ended up taking her had it been a weekday, just for peace of mind. And I absolutely would have taken her if it continued to a second day. I was so nervous, checking on her every 30 minutes.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. A one time shot of vomiting is not a big deal, but a full day of throwing up, not eating (or, drinking, I presume?), combined with lethargy seems a bit out of the ordinary. There is no doubt something that triggered it.

What was she throwing up, and had she eaten anything differently, or gotten into something she shouldn't have (either outside or inside)? Those are the types of details you need to make note of.

I don't know how old Penny is, but the older she gets the better it is to have a baseline set of blood work to refer to as she ages. Easier to pick up on subtle changes that can be missed if there is no history to compare new blood tests to. So, if she hasn't had a recent check up/full blood panel, you might consider that in the near future!

Here's hoping there is no more throwing up for Penny!!

 

[MissClouseau]

Oh I feel you! My Hima is my first full time cat, I have always had dogs and it's a whole different game with cats over "cats hide sickness" alone. Good news is things get easier and easier over time as we learn our own cat's language better and go through different experiences + learning other people's experiences so we can compare them to our own cat.

Obviously there are things that prompt an emergency visit (throwing up/urinating/pooping blood, neurological symptoms, not eating for 24 hours or more because then there's fatty liver risk, seizure just to name a few). The rest depends on the cat and circumstances in my opinion. The cat's age, if they have a disease, how unusual something is for a particular cat, how stressed they get at the vet, the human's budget, how good the vet is... these all need to be a factor in the decision.

Generally speaking my personal rule is if I had a toddler and the same symptoms happened with her whatever I would do, I do that with Hima. I would wait for a day to see if it will get better? I wait with Hima too. I would take the toddler to the ER? I take Hima to the vet ER.

 

[Timmer]

Sometimes it is just a judgment call when to take them in, but I would worry with all day vomiting about dehydration. I don't think it's something to ignore. I would probably take the cat in for a check up even though she seems OK now. Because, you know, they can't talk and tell us how they feel.
I recall years ago having a cat and I hadn't had her more than 4 years. She had started losing weight and I did notice but she was eating good so I figured well, just wait awhile. One night she was vomiting non-stop and I had to take her to the ER. Long story short, turned out she was in end stage kidney failure. She only lived another six weeks. Had I taken her in sooner, I probably would have had more time with her. I just didn't know.

 

[cmthoen]

Such wonderful information! Thank you all! And Timmer , that is honestly my biggest fear. They cannot tell us what is wrong and so we have no idea what might be going on.