Vomiting kitties

[BarbR]

Yesterday Merrily, one of my (many) cats, was slow to eat breakfast. We added a “topper” of crumbled dried turkey livers, and she ate with gusto. Then she vomited it all back up. A few hours later she was vomiting again. Then she vomited or dry heaved again in the afternoon. I withheld supper and gave her a dose of Ipecac 30c, but she still vomited again three times before midnight. At 1:45 she got up and took a long drink. No vomiting since, but she refused breakfast — even plain chicken broth. It’s now noon. Merrily is usually frisky first thing in the morning, but this morning she did not do her usual scamper about the bedroom. However, I did make her move rooms at 4 am since I had a work appointment. Since then she is just lying around, but that’s what she usually does at this time of day.

Another kitty, Delilah, was also slow to eat breakfast and vomited it up a couple of hours after she ate. That was the end of the vomiting for her, but since Merrily was vomiting so much, I still decided to rest her tummy, i.e., no supper. She ate a light pre-breakfast meal at 4 am and a small breakfast at 8. She is doing fine. No change in activity level.

Note that the two of them do not eat the same food. So, I don’t think the cause is bad food. So far, no one else has shown unusual vomiting (Lucky vomited some fluid with a pine needle. The others don’t bother the garland.)

My hunch is to just to leave Merrily for now to see whether this passes on its own since she is not a “fragile” cat and doesn’t show any discomfort. Does that seem appropriate, and if so, should I reconsider if she refuses supper and breakfast again — as long as she continues to show no discomfort?

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Yes, it does seem appropriate. Waiting and watching as long as BEAM is normal is fine to do for many symptoms.

What is Merrily's age? Does she have any prior vomiting or other GI problems?

 

[BarbR]

Yes, it does seem appropriate. Waiting and watching as long as BEAM is normal is fine to do for many symptoms.

What is Merrily's age? Does she have any prior vomiting or other GI problems?

I don’t know Merrill’s age. She has been with me for almost 3 years. She was full grown when I found her. So, she is at least 4, and I suspect older. I just don’t know how much older. No prior vomiting or GI problems. Her previous problems were generally urinary tract. Her spaying (before I found her) did damage.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Thanks for your reply Barb.

How was Merrily's BEAM for the rest of the day?

What exactly were her earlier urinary problems?

 

[BarbR]

Merrily was pretty quiet the rest of the day, but she ate a small supper without hesitation. I didn’t want to push a lot on her. This morning she is brighter — more herself, but it’s not breakfast time yet.

When I found Merrily she appeared to be pregnant, but the kittens never came. She was urinating outside the litter box frequently. So, she went for a spay, only to find out that she was already spayed, but the swollen belly was due to some kind of damage from the spay that had led to infection. The vet repaired the damage and she had antibiotics. She recovered. After the trip from Nairobi to New Mexico she had another mild UTI. No problems for about two years since.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Great, thanks for the info. Barb.

How's she doing today?

 

[BarbR]

Today Merrily did not eat well — only about half her normal at each meal. But, her behavior is back to normal. Hoping for more normal eating tomorrow.

 

[Dr. Jean Hofve]

Hi Barb, just checking in... hope Merrily is back to her own self and eating well!

 

[BarbR]

There has been no more vomiting since that first day. Now she is eating better, but not like her old self. I’ve been complementing her food with some goat’s milk, which I discovered she loves. She also had a three days of early morning sneezing — early like 3-6 am — and then none the rest of the day. It was like she was gently blowing something out of her nostrils.They weren’t big sneezes. I let her stay alone in one of the bedrooms for a couple of days. She relaxed in a covered bed. Her energy gradually came back. This morning was the best so far.

 

[Dr. Jean Hofve]

Excellent! Thanks for the report!

 

[Dr. Christina]

Checking to see how Merrily is doing - hopefully fully recovered. So glad she likes goats milk. It is always great to regularly offer different foods so when they are not eating you know what they may love.

This may be a great time to create a timeline of the issues she has had, including this digestive one. Also to start a weekly (for now) review of the Early Warning Signs of Internal Imbalance and add any to the timeline. If they are not resolving over the next few weeks, it may be time for a veterinary homeopathic consult.

Anytime there is an acute issue, it is good to be on alert for any subtle signs of imbalance and address them.

Dr. Christina