Sick Kitten

[SoonIHope]

My kitten, Albi, is about 7 months old and has been totally healthy up to now, but day before yesterday she threw up three times. Having grown up with (indoor-outdoor) cats that threw up on a semi-regular basis, I wasn''t too concerned at the time since she seemed to be eating/behaving normally. But then that night she didn''t want to eat any of her dinner and ended up just curling up on her bed and sleeping during the time she usually goes totally insane running around the apartment and playing with all her toys. So I was a bit concerned about that, but figured we''d let her rest all night and see if she ate her breakfast in the morning and how she was feeling then.

She ate most of her breakfast and seemed to be back to normal yesterday morning, but then only ate about half of her lunch and not much of her dinner. But she was her normal zippy self yesterday and very playful and her eyes had their normal spark so I figured she just still wasn''t 100% but was on the road to recovery. But then THIS morning, she wouldn''t touch her breakfast AT ALL. She seemed to be acting normal, and was pretty playful, but slightly more complacent than usual (like when I picked her up she just stayed in my lap, not in a purry way but just kind of staying where I plopped her, which she usually won''t do. She either is purry and cuddly or she squirms to get away after a second.)

Soooo...should I be worried? I feel like her behavior is now 85% normal, so she has obviously been eating enough food not to be really weak, but I''m just used to her meowing and meowing at us for hours before her regular mealtimes begging to be fed and then voraciously eating the whole thing the second we give it to her. We have been giving her the same type of food as always, and when she wouldn''t eat that first meal after she threw up, we opened a new can of food just in case there was something wrong with that one or she had a bad mental association with it or whatever. She''s an indoor cat and we looked around and don''t think there was anything she could have eaten sitting around (no plants or food left out, etc) so I really just have no idea why she suddenly got sick!

Any advice? Should I call a vet, or give her another day and see if she eats normally tonight? I''m just getting worried!!!

 

[Lorelei]

Get the vet to check her Albi just to be safe. It is probably nothing to worry about, my cats get gastric upsets often and normally a few hours witholding food will sort them out with plenty of water but as she has seemed a bit unwell and unlike her normal self, especially as she is quieter I would take her for a check up. You could always ring the vet for advice, but generally I prefer to play it safe and let the vet tell me there isn't anything to worry about! It might settle on it's own and you know her best but my advice is to speak to your vet. Is she urinating normally and passing faeces? Any diarrhoea? Has she been wormed recently or have you treated her with a flea treatment or anything? I wonder if ecf is on the forums, she might see this and advise further

 

[SoonIHope]

Thanks Lorelei! I feel so much better just having someone to talk to about it!!! Whether or not she''s actually sick, this is definitely a case of overly protective first time kitten-parents.

Her litterbox has been completely normal and she hasn''t had any deworming/flea/any other kind of medication lately, which is why I''m so confused by the sudden change.

I think I will take your advice and call the vet today and arrange for a check up. Thanks!!

 

[Catmom]

Oh, poor Albi. I hope she feels better soon! I think it is a good sign that she is still eating something each day. I would call my vet and discuss her symptoms and leave it up to him as to wether he wants to see her right away or to wait and see.

 

[Lorelei]

No worries Albi! I am so familiar with that sick punch in the stomach when a beloved pet seems " not quite right." I always play it safe, especially with vomiting due to the risk of dehydration etc ( don't panic!) plus it makes them so miserable and I always prefer to tackle this stuff as fast as possible if a days " watchful waiting" doesn't do the trick. I am sure it is just a little gastric upset and she will be back to normal in no time, they can give her an anti sickness jab which can help sort things out and give the digestive system a chance to get back to normal if needed, but give them a ring and please keep us posted! Also a bland diet will be needed for a few days then gradually reintroduce her normal food as she gets better and can tolerate it.

Just had a thought, what is the vomit like? Do you think she is trying to get rid of a hairball? This might be a possibility, mine keep throwing up until they get rid of it if they have a build up and this makes them tired and off their food, just a thought, still check with the vet, but does she seem to be " coughing" at all and then is sick? Sometimes mine will cough and retch but not bring much up until they actually shift it. See what your vet thinks. I am not saying it is that, just that it could be a possibility, especially as she is toileting normally.

 

[SoonIHope]

Thanks Catmom! From your name you certainly sound like a good person to be getting advice from!

I think I'll call them and strongly hint that I'd like a check-up and see if they think I'm just being silly.

Lorelei, I looked online about different reasons for vomiting and the hairball type vomit didn't sound at all like what she had. It was sort of grey-ish brown and pretty liquidy without lumps or anything. The second time was the same look, but less of it, and the third time was kind of bubbly and more translucent, more spit-like. All three were within about a half hour period. My instinctive feeling was that she had eaten something bad and wanted to get it out of her system, and just once she had cleared it out she wanted to spit up a little more to be sure. Man, I never thought I would describe vomit in such a detailed way on a public forum! Sorry everyone!

She hasn't been coughing or retching at all since then, but it's just so weird when we repeatedly put her in front of a full dish of fresh food and she won't even look at it, just walks away.... I'll call the vet in a little bit...

ETA: And yes, I just feel SO HELPLESS when I'm looking into her big eyes and she doesn't look quite right!!!

I just want to make her feel okay again!!!!

 

[Lorelei]

Bah - just typed a reply and was kicked off! Best to be safe Albi and call the vet as you are doing, please keep us posted, I am sure she will be fine

 

[Miranda]

I hope your sweet kitty gets well soon! I''d call the vet just to be safe. My kitty was very sick in November. She wasn''t eating and vomiting often. I know it can be dangerous when kitties don''t eat. We never figured out what was wrong with Fluffy, (the kids named her) but, she made a full recovery a few days later. She spent one day at the vet running tests and she had iv fluids. Albi doesn''t sound that sick, though, so I hope I didn''t scare you. My friend''s cat was recently sick for a few days with something like this. He got better a few days later, too. Wonder if it''s some kind of cat virus? Hmmm...good vibes going out to Albi!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Oh no poor Albi! You might remember when Madison got sick. She was SOOOO sick. She was throwing up probably 20x a day. Not eating (even her favorite foods) or drinking ANY water. Her litter was also empty. She was not playing and was so weak. Even her face looked different. We took her to the vet and they gave her fluids. The vet was very worried since she is a smaller cat and really doesn''t have any excess weight to lose. She still was sick so after almost a week we took her to the animal hospital. I really thought she was dying. They did blood test to see if she was having kidney failure (which is common for cats) and X-rays to see if she ate something that could cause a blockage. Both were fine so they gave her more fluids and some pills and sent her home with us. She ended up getting better as quickly as she fell ill. We never did figure out what caused it but I am not pushing my luck. I would suggest taking her to the vet. It is expensive. In all we spent over $500 on her while she was sick but it is worth knowing if it''s something serious. They are like our children so I can really relate. It is so hard seeing her so sick.

 

[SoonIHope]

Thank you Miranda & Tacori!! I am sorry to hear both of your cats were sick and so glad that they''re doing better now!!! Yes, Tacori I do rememember when Madison was sick, that was so scary!

I just got off the phone with the vet and she has an appointment for tomorrow afternoon. I also talked to a coworker who was telling me about when his cat had some sort of intestinal blockage that the vet was worried about, but then it just passed on its own, and that combined with all of your stories is making me feel much better!! But I still want to take her in just to be sure. It really was scary this morning when she seemed to be acting pretty normally but then I had her in my lap and she was just sort of sitting there blankly with this empty expression in her eyes...

Hopefully she''ll have a big dinner tonight though, and be totally fine tomorrow and the vet won''t even see a problem by the time she gets there! And thank you everyone for your support!!!

 

[Lorelei]

Albi, don't give her too much food tonight, just a little and often and as plain as possible, to allow her system to recover gradually and of course plenty of water. Very often if their stomachs are still sensitive, eating too much can make them throw it back up, just a very small amount to begin with is fine, about a tablespoon say, then give a little more if she keeps it down in a couple of hours.

 

[SoonIHope]

Thanks for that advice, Lorelei, I wouldn''t have known to do that! I appreciate your checking up on this thread and helping me out sooooo much!!!!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Good luck tomorrow. Keep us updated. I will be sending you and little albi positive thoughts. (((hugs)))

 

[Catmom]

Date: 4/25/2006 3:34:41 PM
Author: Lorelei
Albi, don''t give her too much food tonight, just a little and often and as plain as possible, to allow her system to recover gradually and of course plenty of water. Very often if their stomachs are still sensitive, eating too much can make them throw it back up, just a very small amount to begin with is fine, about a tablespoon say, then give a little more if she keeps it down in a couple of hours.

This is great advice. Also if you have any rice on hand if you mix some cooked rice with a little bit of her food or some chicken it can often help settle upset tummies and it usually stays down[also helps with the dreaded diarrhea]. I''m glad she is seeing the vet tomorrow just in case.

 

[SoonIHope]

Thanks Tacori & Catmom! Hugs & advice are both much appreciated.

 

[movie zombie]

yes, get to the vet and make sure to describe the vomit....it is important. brown no lumps sounds like deep gastro upset and should be checked out to be safe. hairball throw up is not brown.....

since my 7 cats are indoor felines, i buy them sprouted greens to have to munch on....wheat grass from the farmers market.....but oat grass, etc. would also work.

movie zombie

 

[rainbowtrout]

since you presumably have no way to tell if the kitty is running a temp, I would take her into the vet or sacrifice a human thermometer to check. Cat temp "normal" runs about 102, I belive. Even if she doesn''t have a temp might be best to take her into the vet soonish.

 

[blodthecat]

Yep...Lorelei has good advice in this department. Sound advice.

We find it hard to withdraw food, but it is the best way to give the digestive tract a rest. As long as there is plenty of fluid available.

In a very young cat, it is very unlikely that there is anything sinister going on. However, if in contact with outdoor cats, you need to make sure your cat has yearly injections for cat flu and enteritis, and is treated for worms and fleas.

>^..^< meow

 

[Kaleigh]

Good luck at the vet tomorrow. I hope she feels better soon. It''s always scary when our pets get sick, hugs!!! Lisa

 

[AndyRosse]

Oh Albicocca, so sorry Albi isn''t feeling so great. Everyone has given you excellent advice, and it is great to hear that she is still eating a bit and drinking and using her litterbox.

Whenever a cat stops eating, increases eating, or decreases eating, call your vet. It can be a sign of something serious, or something minor like a tummy ache. Better safe than sorry. And don''t worry, your vet will not think you are crazy, since you only have Albi''s best interests at heart. And if he or she does dismiss your concerns, then it is time to find a better vet.

All last week I was dealing with something similar...my cat had an anal sac abscess which resulted in us having to give him antibotics. Well, the antibotics upset his stomach (even though he has been on this exact one many times in the past), which caused him to only eat a little bit. I tried everything, turkey, tuna, treats, etc. He would only eat one or two little pieces. My vet gave him a shot of Pepcid I believe and took him off the antibotics and within hours you could tell his tummy was feeling better. We are basically back to normal now.

Let the vet give Albi a once over to just make sure there isn''t something more serious going on, that way your mind will be at ease.

Good luck tomorrow!!!

 

[FireGoddess]

Michelle, glad to hear kitty is back to normal and doing better.

Albi, sorry to hear your kitty is under the weather. Hope everything goes well at the vet tomorrow.

 

[Lorelei]

Bump Albi as I see you are here now! How is she doing today?

 

[SoonIHope]

Hehe, thanks Lorelei! She ate a bit of rice mixed with food last night (hehe although she picked out most of the meat food and left most of the rice), and was behaving quite normally and ate alllllmost as much as usual for breakfast this morning! Plus she seemed extra bouncy and playful this morning, and she even ASKED MY FIANCE FOR FOOD!!!!

She normally rubs up against his legs right before meal time and meows and stands up on her hind legs reaching her paws up to his knees looking at him with these mournful you-haven''t-fed-me-in-months eyes, but she hasn''t done that since the day before she threw up until now!!!!

So I''m hoping she''s all better now, but we still have the vet appointment this afternoon just in case. Thank you so much for your support everyone, and keep your fingers crossed for me that she''s really over it now!!!

 

[Lorelei]

Thats great news Albi, hopefully she is over it now and it was just a little gastric upset but keep the appointment until you are sure she is ok. That is excellent that she is behaving like a starved beast as usual, those are good signs!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Albi that is GREAT news! She probably just had a little bug but it is a good idea to get a second opinion. Sometimes they get upset stomachs just like us.

 

[AndyRosse]

Albi, great news!!!!!

 

[SoonIHope]

Thanks Lorelei, Tacori, & Rascal!

I am soooooo relieved already, but still really looking forward to hearing a vet tell me she''s okay too.

So wish us luck tonight!

(And next week...we''re finally getting her spayed...

)

 

[Lorelei]

Good idea to have the vet check Albi, especially as she is being spayed next week. It is a different thing entirely to have a professional eye ran over her and it makes you feel much better, I know I can''t rest until my vet has given mine the once over! Good luck later with her.

 

[Catmom]

YAY, Albi!!!!! I am so glad she is feeling better and back to her hungry self.

 

[Mr Majestyk]

I hope the pussycat is OK. Nothing worse than an ill pet. One of my cats hurls a hairball now and again, but if I see hair in the mess I figure it''s OK. I try to use food that matches the carpet color and a few sprays of Resolve and a little brush work take care of the mess most of the time.