Sick kitty! Need advice!!!

[davsand]

Poor Chaucer kitty started puking early in the week. Nobody saw him do it, but Monday AM we found three puddles of non-digested cat food and yellow gritty fluid (like partially digested cat food). Cat acts FINE. He's playing and interacting with us--actively pissed that we are withholding his special kitty treats. Drinks a lot of water--but since I am worried about preventing dehydration I don't get terribly worked up about it.

Tuesday hubby works at home all day and the cat sleeps most of the day in "his" chair. Gives hubby a hard time because hubby refuses to give him treats and has taken the food bowl away. I give the cat some turkey baby food (a small amount) and some cooked ground turkey. There is no puking and cat acts fine.

Wed am cat is acting fine and I give him a small amount of his dry food. Go to work, come home and cat is fine. I give him a small amount of his dry food and he nibbles on it over night and it is gone this morning. I relented last night and gave him ONE cat treat before bed.

Today I leave for work and since the cat has not puked for a while, we give him back his food bowl with his regular food in it. I also give him two cat treats in observation of our regular morning ritual.

Hubby gets home around three and cat is fine. Hubby walks out to collect our kid from school and in 10 minutes time he's gone the cat pukes right inside the front door where hubby finds it immediately. Upon inspection, hubby locates a less fresh offering across the room.

Cat bowl is now put up and cat is restricted to water again. Cat still acts fine--he's mostly been laying in my lap this entire time and he just chased my daughter away because he hates it when she sits on HIS foot stool which is in front of the chair we've been sitting in. He's still begging for treats and seems mighty pissed to have no food bowl again.


Now, a few things to know:

He's an indoor cat exclusively.
He's 6 years old.
Neutered male
He weighs 14 lbs.
No hairballs have been observed.
We have not changed his foods or his treats--nothing new has been introduced to his diet that we know of.

We are in the middle of a freaking blizzard and will probably be snowbound for the next few days. I am scared that there is something serious here and I just can't figure out what it might be. A trip to vet is not happening for a day or two unless I harness up a dog sled.

I have NEVER had a cat do this before. I have lived with pukers before--they'd eat in a hurry then puke it back up--but that has not been his pattern. Similarly. he is a short hair and has not had problems with hairballs...

Any ideas from the wise cat lovers at DU? Ideas of what to do or what might be causing this?


Thanks!


Laura

[Critters2]

1. ...

My Moses did this when his hyperthyroidism was beginning, but he was 17 yo, so can't really compare the two. Now that I think about it, this sounds rather like Sophie's pancreatitis. She was on antibiotics for a week or two, then switched to a high quality food (Wysong) and has no problems now. But it could be a lot of things.

Critters
always willing to step up and respond when she doesn't know what she's talking about :)

[davsand]

8. Good to hear from you.

It is the "lot of things..." part that has me worried. Are you getting hammered up there in your neck of the woods yet? It started down here early this afternoon and it is pretty ugly out there. They have already closed the courthouse for tomorrow--so you know it has to be bad!


Laura

[Critters2]

17. We've been getting snow all afternoon, probably 3-4" on the ground.

Supposed to get 6". No wind with this, though. After 50 mph winds night before last, this is downright pleasant. Unless you're driving on 80. Apparently, there are a LOT of crashes on 80. My neighbor said it took him 45 minutes to get from the IL 71 exit to the IL 23 exit (the two Ottawa exits--very close to one another), and he passed 3 accidents on the way. The local paper's website says a man was killed in an accident on 80. So, it's either really slick or poor visibility or both. I'm betting both. Haven't heard of any closings yet, though.

Hope you find out what's happening with Chaucer. Any news on the tax exempt issue?

[Sanity Claws]

2. No advice

Sometimes the manufacturers change the food without noting it on the package. I know one of my cats threw up after eating a brand he had eaten for years. I changed the food and he stopped throwing up.
It seems to make sense to see your vet but in the meantime, try changing the food.
Also, why don't you post this in the Pets group? You will probably get more of a response.

[davsand]

9. Good idea. Thanks for the suggestion!

I think he's gonna go on brown rice and cooked ground turkey for a day or two until we can get him to the vet, I do hope that helps him!


Laura

[alphafemale]

3. For one. Be sure he is eating - something.

Tuna, or boiled meat. Just be sure you are feeding him something.

Domestic cats need to eat pretty regularly or they can develop liver problems.

[davsand]

10. We will try some ground turkey later.

I may give him some turkey or chicken baby food before bedtime. I bought several jars earlier this week once we realized his tummy was upset. My logic was that I'd give it to the food bank or the local emergency shelter if we didn't use it all--I'm glad now I bought as much as I did.

Would water pack tuna be ok to give him, ya think? I worried that fish would be a problem...


Laura

[alphafemale]

14. Water packed is probably ok.

But if you've got the baby food that's probably best.

[Coyote_Bandit]

4. Sounds like

it could be pancreatitis - which can lead to kidney failure. The sysmptoms you describe are similar to those I observed in one of my furkids who had pancreatitis. If it is pancreatitis it is painful and the cat may arch its back or have a tightened abdomen - either of which may affect its gait.

Encourage kitty to drink water as it will help to flush toxins. Restricting fat intake is important if it is pancreatitis. Limiting protein and phosphorous are important if kidney function has been compromised. Unfortunately, there probably isn't any way of knowing what is going on for sure without a trip to the vet and some bloodwork.

Sending good vibes to you and your furkid. Hope kitty is feeling better soon.

[davsand]

13. This cat has been acting fine except for the puking.

He plays (actively) he trots around--he acts fine! I have rubbed his belly and back and he just purrs--he does not seem to indicate any pain at all... I have checked him several times for dehydration and he seems to be doing ok with that too. Had he acted "off" in any way I'd have had him to the vet earlier this week. I honestly thought he was better!

I have been stumped with this one!


Laura

[Coyote_Bandit]

16. Can you smell his breath?

Sometimes an unusual or foul breath odor can also signal pancreas or bladder or kidney problems.

I really hope that the problem can be remedied by simply changing kitty's diet. I mention the more serious possibilities because.....well, been there done that - and wish I had known then what I know now about pancreas and kidney problems. My vet explained to me that when a furkid has mild pancreas or kidney problems they feel kind of like we feel when we have a cold - a little tired and lethargic but otherwise pretty normal. It is only when these problems progress that we start to notice more severe impairments.

I sthere any way you can call your vet and ask for suggestions?

[davsand]

21. I haven't noticed anything funky with his breath.

I did check that earlier this week and was just nose to nose with him last night. I leaned over just now to try and smell and he decided to swat at my hair as I bent over (no claws out--he just being himself and playing with me) so I am pretty sure he's feeling at least fairly functional.

I will call the vet's office in the morning. I dunno if they will be in because of this snow storm--but I'm hoping! If I'd had ANY idea he was still sick I'd have taken him in today! I feel like a terrible cat mommy--this is just awful!



Thanks!


Laura

[Flaxbee]

5. hm. can you call the vet at all, just to describe what you've written?

Humans sometimes develop problems with foods that were previously OK to them, perhaps Chaucer has, too. What kind of food are you giving him? Is it a new bag of food? Any way it could have gone bad? New bag could mean something is wrong with the formulation; spoiled food might indicate why a little bit is OK but a lot isn't.

Keep feeding him what he can have - small amounts, baby food, etc... sounds like you can't get to a vet until early next week. But from the pattern it sounds like a problem with the food. One of our guys got a very very bad upset stomach from a pack of Meox Mix moist; I'd switched to 'high quality' dry and would occasionally throw in some 'grocery store brand' canned food/pouches but now I only serve him the specialty-store stuff. He seems much healthier. I guess I don't trust 'grocery store' brands anymore, even though they supposedly fixed their gluten contamination problem(s).

Poor Chaucer! I hope you can figure out what's bothering him!

[TexasBushwhacker]

22. I agree, call the vet!

Whether it's from vomiting or from anorexia, cats are very sensitive to a lack of protein in their diet. We had a siamese who was so upset when my mother went into the hospital for a week. At the time, I just thought, well she'll start eating when she gets hungry enough. The thing was, after a few days, even if she did eat, she couldn't keep anything down. Her liver had started to fail (they call it fatty liver disease) and it's a downward spiral that she just never pulled out of. After about 10 days from the first day she quit eating, the vet said her only chance was to have a feeding tube surgically installed into her stomach. We didn't have the money, and didn't want her to life that kind of life, so we had her euthanized. I never knew a cat could get so sick, so fast.

[Roon]

26. That happened to my Piggy..

My ex and I broke up after 15 years and my ex spent a couple of days moving and cleaning out the house. Piggy knew what was going on because he went through a breakup with his former owner. Anyway, piggy quit eating, his liver failed and I had to have him put down. :-(

[Maraya1969]

6. That sounds similar to one of my cats and she had gastritis.

Basically the same thing I go through. The vet put her on antibiotics and prednisone and I gave her a "unique" diet of Rabbit and rice, (got it in a bag at the vet).

I read one woman on one board that was for parents of cats with this problem say that the only thing that worked for her was cooked chicken.

Maybe you can cook some chicken or even hamburger and just give plain, with no fillers for a few days until you see the vet. It sounds like stopping the treats is a good idea.

[Callalily]

7. Sorry, no advice,

but I'd at the very least talk to your vet. When a cat appears to be sick, typically it's too late! Sorry to tell you that, but it's true!

That all said, cats can live a long time with many maladies, when treated with the right medications. My cat was in kidney failure for years, but I had a wonderful vet who researched treatments and my cat lived many, many happy, comfortable years. She passed away at eighteen years of age!

[LostinVA]

11. Sounds like IBD -- my step-cat has it

He's on Hills Prescription ID food now, which is expensive as hell and has to be bought from the vet. Although, we're going to try switching him over to Evo and rabbit, since that doesn't make him puke either.

[skater314159]

18. Hill's Prescription foods are AWESOME!

And the Hill's company is really great - they have a food research centre where the cats and dogs live in great conditions and have doctors caring for them and thier needs. I recommend Hill's and Hill's prescription food for all my friends' pets - it's the next best thing to making the food at home yourself.

A coupla links from Hill's:
http://www.aafponline.org/resources/guidelines/Feline_Behavior_Guidelines.pdf

http://www.hillspet.com/hillspet/catCare/catCare.hjsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=1408474395183703&FOLDER%3C%3EbrowsePath=1408474395183703&CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198673438174&bmUID=1201831506030

[LostinVA]

20. Do you work for them or something?

Honestly, I can't wait to get the cat off Hill's and onto something more natural. I'm a big fan of the Evo food. If I had a bigger freezer, all the cat and dog would both be on a raw diet.

[skater314159]

24. Nope, Worked at a Vet clinic...

... and I saw the difference that it made in pets' lives. There are great organic foods available, but in smaller markets (like farms or little towns in the middle of nowhere), or with families on a budget, some of those foods can be expensive. I have found in my experience that the Prescription diets can make a real diff. in a pet's life. Of course, it is best to give pets homemade diets, but that is not practical or possible for many people, as it basically requires your Vet to act as dietician for your pet. You're free to feed your pets whatever is best for them and that provides them all of the necessary nutirients and minerals... I was just stating a prefernce based on experience.

:hippie:

[China_cat]

31. Have you ever read the ingredients list on Hill's foods?

I'd start hunting for my animals' food before I'd feed them Hill's in ANY form.

[skater314159]

12. A little advise

I agree with coyote that it sounds like it could be either pancreatitis or a bladder/kidney infection. This means that giving your kitty plenty of water and making sure he stays hydrated is important.

What kind of dry food does he eat? What is the primary protein in it?

Another possibility is that around six or seven years of age, cats (and dogs) can suddenly develop allergies to certain proteins. For example, if your cat has been eating food that is predominantly chicken protein based, they can develop a sensitivity to chicken protein - and a new food with a different protein (for example venison, kangaroo, rabbit, or turkey) needs to be substiuted. This is easily correctable - but one bad thing for your kitty is if he has to switch foods like this to a new diet, he likely won't be able to eat those treats you mentioned. (One possiblity though is you could make homemade treats for your kitty that he would love - I've done that and cats love 'em.)

I would recommend calling your vet - if you have a regular vet, and your phones haven't been knocked out by the storm - as soon as possible and tell her or him what your kitty is experiencing... what you stated in your OP would be great to help build a case history. Make an appointment or arrange to drop off your kitty as soon as weather permits at the clinic, and make sure that blood tests, urine tests and a physical exam are done.

Another thing you should do - and I know this sounds gross - but if your kitty pukes again, or has a bowel movement - and you won't have to wait long to go the vet - it might help your vet if you collect the "evidence" in a baggie so that they can see what the vomit looks like. I know that is sick, but unfortunately having bodily waste or vomitus is often useful when diagnosing pets' illnesses.

I hope that you guys un-snowbound and feeling better soon!

:loveya:
skater pi

[davsand]

19. He's been eating Science Diet.

Always has--went from the kitten formula to the adult formula when he was about a year old and has never changed. The cat treats are some grocery store offering--Temptations I think...

As for collecting specimens, I have even gone far enough to put saran wrap under the cat's back side as she was squatting to collect urine samples--so I am not terribly squeamish about it. (Her name was Tillie and she lived with me for 17 years until I lost her to kidney failure. I miss that cat--still--and it was about 7 years ago that she passed.)

I fed Iams Lamb and Rice for years with Tillie and then I think the quality of the food went to hell. I switched her over to Science Diet back then, and have never fed anything else with any of my cats since.

I toyed with the idea of making cat food when the whole pet food thing was going on, but after talking to a couple of different vets decided to stick with the Science Diet. I'm wondering now if that was the right call--I dunno. My vet swears by it--but I am starting to wonder...

Thanks!


Laura

[skater314159]

25. It might be...

that the store-bought treats are a little too much for his system... which is common since most over-the-counter (available in groceries and markets) pet foods and treats (like human foods) in America are loaded with fats, salts, and preservatives. The closer that your pet food is to the original proteins and nutrients of the food (i.e. not heavily processed) the better it is for your pet.

Unfortunately, the whole pet food scare I think is more indicative of America's need to have our food grown organically and locally (or at least in Canada or Mexico) instead of importing it all from China... our whole system relies on food and materials bought from a country that is polluted, ignores basic human rights, and doesn't see an ethical problem selling something that harms humans or pets. I worked at a vet clinic during the whole pet food scare and the gods be praised we didn't have any of our pets affected... but I know many clinics weren't as lucky.

I recommend discussing this concern over food with your Vet. He or she should explain why they think Hill's is better than other foods available... and if Chaucer does have a health condition, your vet will likely give him a prescription diet. It's always best to discuss your feelings and concerns with your vet and the techs at your clinic... it is really nice to know the owners care, and if the owner didn't tell us, we couldn't know they had questions.

:hippie:

[bluethruandthru]

23. That happened to one of my cats.

He and his sister have always been pukers. But at about the age of 5 or 6 he started having major skin problems. He licked himself raw in patches. We had him in the vet's office countless times trying every kind of cream and salve and antibiotic..but nothing helped. Finally we started talking about diet and all this cat ate was canned Friskies Chicken. He refused everything else I had ever tried to give him. The vet said he probably developed an allergy to chicken and we switched him to prescription Eukanuba with no chicken. I was amazed that he actually liked it! In two weeks his skin cleared up and all his fur was growing back...and he almost never pukes now...unless it's a hairball.

[stuntcat]

15. *kitty vibes*

I got no advice but I'm thinking good things for Chaucer :loveya:

[1]

27. my only suggestion would be... relax...

give the kitty his normal food. don't change anything about his normal everyday food, give him what ever he normally eats, when he normally eats it. and all the water he wants. do the normal routine.

* and i'm sorry that you have to deal with messes right now, that sucks. i just hope its on your wood floors and not the carpet. *

treats are a fun human idea but totally unnecessary, so stop those until this puking thing is resolved.

kitties are tough. they are not perfectly functioning machines. a malfunctioning kitty can be a bother but it doesn't necessarily mean a problem. check his litter box. if kitty is producing a normal amount of "clump", is eating and drinking, and does not appear to be losing significant weight you are probably ok.

ride it out and tell kitty you love him. a lot. even if he does puke on your pillow or your jimmy choo shoes...

[SoCalDem]

28. We have two pukers.. They've done it for ages, and seem healthy

The vet never determined why they puke.. We've changed food and nothing stops it..

They are brother sister..and eat the same food as the others who never puke :shrug:

I'd say they were bulimic, except that they are the two chubbos :)

[Malikshah]

37. We've had male cats who've done that. We've attributed it to gorging

so that others don't get to eat...

Competition thing.

Not sure, though.

[TZ]

29. It does sound a little like pancreatitus, my old cat turtle had it

If it were, your cat might show some pain...excessive meowing...also...You might want to look at your cats stool...If it appears different that could be a symptom too.

[Lady Freedom]

30. Don't change anything till you see the vet!

It could be he ate something he found in the flore. Maybe a bug he saw and went after it. But see the vet to double check.

[China_cat]

32. See your vet.

From experience X2. Hanging out in the water bowl, eating everything in site and begging for more are 2 of the symptoms of diabetes. How's he peeing? Lakes?

When the blood sugar goes up (as after eating dry food...very high carbs) cat tends to puke. Blood sugar evened out or lowered (the baby food, turkey, etc...no carbs, approaching what is called the 'catkins' diet for diabetic cats) no puking.

Try keeping him on as low a carb diet as you can (no dry food, no treats with grains) until you can get him to a vet and see how it goes.

[Kashka-Kat]

33. "A lot of water"? As above poster mentioned a symptom of diabetes

If you're noticing that it's " a lot" of water then that is indeed a red flag. Those treat things are VERY high carb (contain sugar/corn syrup) and the fact that he improved after being off of them and then relapsed when he got back on is another clue.

Now, it sounds like he's not THAT sick yet if he's still happy and frisky which means that it probably can be turned around by by diet (very reduced low or no carb diet - see felinediabetes.org ) Still you'd want to check it out

Diabetes is skyrocketing in pets, particularly cats because in the wild they are true carnivores eating meat nearly exclusively and do not get grains at all except in the stomachs of their prey. (Commercial pet food is vey high in grains/carbs)

Or maybe he's developed allergies as others have said - corn, wheat are common allergens - there are cat foods that use rice instead.

[Vinca]

34. I have a cat who pukes if she gets constipated.

If the box is empty you might give him some Laxatone. Cats, more than dogs, seem to be pukers. It's one of the joys of cat ownership.

[davsand]

35. Nothing quite like the feel of it under your bare foot in the early morning...

With Chaucer it has never been a big problem, but I used to live with two cats that were regular pukers. One would bolt her food then drink a lot of water. The other was a medium hair, that hated being groomed, and still puked regularly when you DID earn bandaids and groom her every day. We got used to those little surprises.

They used to make this stuff called Petromalt that my medium hair loved. She'd eat it off my fingers, and that stuff just smelled awful. It did work wonders, however, on cleaning out her system. I dunno if they even make it anymore...


Laura

[TexasBushwhacker]

36. Not to be gross, but what's coming out the other end?

Does he have a litter box? Is he defecating? If not, I'm thinking that he's got some kind of blockage.