When do you call the vet?

15 years ago

My 7 month old kitten threw up several times last night. I could tell she wasn't feeling well as she didn't play as much as she normally does and she hid under the couch for a few minutes. She also always cuddles with me at night and she was on the bed but at the very end and didn't purr at all if I pet her. Instead she sort of acted as if she was irritated by me and moved away. Around midnight she cried this loud cry and then threw up what looked like everything she'd eated the entire day. (A LOT of food!!) The last time she'd eaten was about four hours prior to this. She then drank some water and jumped back on the bed. She threw up twice more (just liquid) during the night. Around 4am she was crying and scratching in the attached bathroom at the bathtub (like she was frantically digging up cat litter) so I grabbed her and ran her downstairs to her litter box and she had diarhea (very bad) for about two minutes (I have five litter boxes and she used four of them)

Back in September after coming back from a week vacation she acted like she didn't feel well and then started throwing up and after that she refused to eat for 3 or 4 days. I took her to the vet and they put her on iv fluids, gave her antibiotics but never found out what was wrong with her. She recovered after two treatments with iv fluids and I brought her home and one night she just started eating on her own.

It was a scary ordeal (she was a young kitten then and dehydration can be fatal) and last night when she started throwing up I thought she was going through the same thing she did a few months ago. I was going to call the vet as soon as they opened today. This morning before she had the attack of diarhea I had thought she was feeling better because she "talked" to me and jumped up on the bed and snuggled and purred like she normally does. A few hours later she was sick though. I've locked her in my bedroom so I can monitor what she eats (she may have eaten needles off the artificial xmas tree because she keep climbing it) So far she has eaten almost a whole can of soft food (her appetite seems fine now) and she drank a little water and has peed twice in about 2 hours. She has thrown up again yet. I am worried because of what happened last time but this time at least she is eating for now. Should I take her to the vet? I have another cat that throws up every time she eats too fast (she just did this today) so its not as though I freak out every time one of them throws up. But my kitten has never done so except for the one time she was very ill.

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Comments (14)

User
15 years ago
I would at least call the vet and let them know she might have eaten plastic tree needles. If she did eat them, she might have an obstruction and that's why she keeps throwing up everything she eats. Here are some of the symptoms listed:

Gastric foreign body in cats - what to watch for

# Sudden loss of appetite
# Vomiting
# Excessive drooling
# Abnormal bowel movements (wrong color, consistency or amount)
mazer415
15 years ago
I would suggest taking your kitten in. Something is obviously wrong and even tho she is bouncing back after a bit, she is still obviously having trouble. I think the vet needs to do a more extensive exam to rule out as much as possible. I hope your kitty is okay.
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joepyeweed
15 years ago
Its hard to know when to go to the Vet. I do try to fell around to get a sense of how uncomfortable they are...

I probably wouldn't go to the Vet for isolated incident of vomit and/or diarrhea. I'd probably try some pumpkin first. As long as the furby is still eating, drinking, peeing and pooping, I'd probably wait a couple days.

But if eating, drinking, or eliminating stops, then I would go, right away. But that is not something you can detect right away, its takes time to observe.
cat_mom
15 years ago
Vet, vet, vet....
Elly_NJ
15 years ago
The symptoms you mention are classic symptoms of When To Take Your Cat to The Vet. Remember that cats are stoic, and by the time they show symptoms, they may have been sick a long time.

Do you have plants, or anything toxic in the house? Did the vet do a blood screen the last time she was sick? You should get blood work under these circumstances.

Let us know what happens.
todancewithwolves
15 years ago
I think we all know when they need to go to the Vet. You get that gut feeling. Throwing up that much and diarrhea, she has to be dehydrated. Something is wrong.
pamghatten
15 years ago
I agree ... I tend to err on the side of caution than not. Throwing up and tthen diarrhea needs to be looked into.
newhomeseeker
Original Author
15 years ago
Yes, last time she was sick they did blood work and didn't find anything abnormal. She seemed fine yesterday afternoon. She was playing like crazy and eating like a little pig and then I left for 2 hours and came back and she would just lay on the floor and stare at me. SHe stared at me for about 2 hours straight. Like she was trying to tell me she didn't feel good and wanted me to make her feel better. I petted her and picked her up and she didn't seem to mind. Didn't purr though. she followed me around the house and I called my mom's friend who is a vet tech and explained her symptoms and she said she probably had an upset stomach. My kitty laid in the room on the floor (in cat pose where they tuck their feet under them) the whole time I was on the phone. She slept while I talked. I took her to bed with me (nightly ritual) but she wanted to sleep under the bed instead of on it. Tried to get her to eat or drink but she wasn't interested. She did pee though. So I didn't think she was dehydrated. About an hour later she threw up and then had diarhea. After that she was her old self and cuddled with me on the bed and purred.

This morning she was not interested in food at all but did drink some water and peed again. I called the vet as soon as they opened and have an appointment for her this afternoon so we'll see what they say. Thanks for everyone's advice!
User
15 years ago
Please let us know how she makes out, o.k.?
newhomeseeker
Original Author
15 years ago
We are back from the vet and the good news is that my kitty didn't eat anything off of the xmas tree. Bad news is she has an intestinal bacteria that is contagious to both my other cats and us! She has an antibiotic and something to calm her stomach. She ate a very small amount of food when I brought her home. I'm keeping her in my bedroom away from my 3 other cats so hopefully they don't get this too. She's not happy being stuck in the bedroom but for the most part is ok.
pamghatten
15 years ago
I'm glad that you at least know what it is ... and can treat it.

Sending best wished that you and the rest of your family and fur balls don't catch it, and that she has a speedy recovery!
User
15 years ago
Wow! Make sure you wash your hands, a lot! I'm glad you took her in and found out what the problem is. I hope she gets better soon.
todancewithwolves
15 years ago
That's great news! Hope the rest of you didn't get the bacteria.
newhomeseeker
Original Author
15 years ago
Just wanted to report that my kitty seems to be doing much better. Last night I let her out of the bedroom for a few hours and she was running around the house like crazy. Playing, jumping around tossing her toys into the air. So far my other cats seem fine and every time I let the little (sick) one out of the bedroom I get rid of all food and water so she can't eat or drink something and then my other cats eat or drink after her and catch this bug. She is eating rather normally now and demands her food in the morning and evening. She hasn't thrown up or had diarhea since we returned from the vet's. They gave me something to calm her stomach but so far she hasn't seemed to need it so I'm just giving her the antibiotic. She is a totally different cat than she was two days ago so I am glad my baby is feeling better. Thanks for all the support. I appreciate it!

When do you call the vet?

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When do you call the vet?

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