Help with sudden vomiting and diarrhea

[Mrs Kane]

Hey everyone,

I'm probably just being overly mum, but my cat has been having a problem since yesterday.

She has vomited 3 times. Once last night, once this afternoon and once this evening. She NEVER vomits. I've had her since April and since then she's only vomited once when I gave her a late dinner, which was my bad as I'd been out all day.
Sorry for graphic details but the first two times she vomited her food, the third it was just water.
She also had a little diarrhea in front of her litter tray (which she kept trying to cover by dragging litter from her box to the floor, bless her)

I fed her by hand tonight, piece by piece to make sure it wasn't her scoffing food and then having a reaction to it. It's been 2 hours since then and she hasn't brought anything back up.

I'm probably just overreacting, but I've never had a house cat that vomits consistently. Do you think it's just a simple tummy bug or should I take her to the vet to see she hasn't swallowed anything nasty? She's absolutely fine apart from her spells, as active and affecionate as ever.

[Lilith]

Hi there. Sometimes cats just do this and it clears up by itself. At least with her being a housecat you know that she hasn't picked up any nasties outside.

It's also good that otherwise she's her normal self. I think the danger signs are when a cat is listless, off its food, sitting hunched, coat 'staring', or showing any sign of discomfort. And if the vomiting/diarrohea persists obviously it's a matter for the vet. lf it does go on it can cause dehydration, which can be life threatening in the case of a kitten, which Sofi isn't of course. If the cat's skin is gently lifted into a peak in the shoulderblade area - and stays in a peak, then the cat is dehydrated. But I doubt if Sofi has got to that stage.

A good home remedy for a stomach upset is the 'light diet' - fish or chicken, fed little and often. The remedy for dehydration used to be saline/glucose (teaspoonful of salt and 2 tsp glucose or honey to pint of cooled boiled water) syringed again little and often into the cat's mouth, but I believe this isn't done now and that there are better veterinary remedies on the market for replacing electrolytes.

From my own experience, I wouldn't mind betting that she presents you with a mighty furball pretty soon...even the best groomed cats still do this lol.

Do hope this is a one-off and that, by the time I post this, she's back to normal in every way. Paws crossed for her

[Mrs Kane]

Thanks Lilith Your points really helped.

No vomiting today, though she's not really that hungry. I've been feeding her little and often as you suggested. Being a Sunday everything is closed so I've just been giving her her dry food.

[Crewella]

Mine have the odd 'off' day from time to time too. I only really start to worry if it goes on for more than a day or two, and I give them plain cooked chicken to calm their tums down. I hope she's OK. xx

[Mrs Kane]

Well, she's vomited twice again today. I can't figure it out.

She also hissed at me when I petted her head, and my BF too when he petted her head.

Other than that she's fine. The hissing made me sad though. She's never done that before. She doesn't seem to want any attention.

It's pretty hot over here at the moment. Around 30ºc during the day. Are cats affected badly by the weather?

I don't think I'd be so worried over this, except we're going away next week to America to visit family and Sofi is being left with my neighbour who's going to check up on her every day. I really don't want to leave her when she's being so strange, but I can't back out now.

[Crewella]

My lot don't like it when it's really hot, and are often a bit off their food in hot weather.

I've also had it happen that a bout of vomiting leads to a huuuuge furball, too. My Basil does that about once a year - he's sick a few times and then I find a hairball - I know it's his as it's bright orange!. .

[Lilith]

Aww good luck with her.

Off the top of my head I'd guess that she might be grumpy with the heat and generally out of sorts; there aren't often hot days here in Yorks but when there are, the cats don't do much. I envy you your Spanish sunshine although me, I'm lucky, I go rusty in the rain

On the other hand, I don't want to be alarmist - but could she have toothache? This oughtn't to cause diarrohea/vomiting but sometimes an infected tooth can drain into the tissue of a cat's face (I believe they call this a 'sinus') and cause an abscess. A shame to have to take her to the vet for what could be nothing but might be an idea to get her checked out, especially with having to leave her.

One of mine (Finn) started an abscess on his face and the vet said he'd been fighting. I said he never went out; the garden's secure. The vet insisted he'd been fighting and I insisted he hadn't. I suppose it wasn't impossible for Emily to have socked him one but she didn't generally resort to violence with him and I'd have noticed a scrap going on. I put forward the theory of an infected tooth and eventually they agreed, when they anaesthetised him for his abscess draining, to inspect his mouth. He had scarcely any teeth after his life on the road and a pretty severe dental, but all the same...

Well, I was wrong. His teeth (what there was of them) were fine, but I just wanted to make sure!

So hope there's nothing untoward with Sofi and do hope she's back to normal before you go away.

[Cussypat1974]

I thought my elderly Minnie was on her way out last week when it was really hot here. She was just lethargic and slow, and I put it down to her age. But once it cooled she was back to normal! Having said that, sudden vomiting and diarrhoea can be caused by a zillion things. If it doesn't clear if 2-3 days I would ðefinitely go to a vet.
Someone vo it's here everyday. Yesterday I found a magpie vomited up in the bathroom!

[Mrs Kane]

Thanks for the info guys I really appreciate it!

Well it's just as hot here today. I don't think you'll envy the sunshine much after a few days of this weather Lilith Our fan hasn't been off in days! I envy those that can afford air conditioning over here. Tbh I'm looking forward to America, simply because air con is EVERYWHERE!

Sofi seems better, but then again I said that on Sunday... I'm hoping it's just the hot temperature that's put her in this strange mood. She's been much more friendly today. Lots of purring and leg rubs when we're in the kitchen.
She is a silly soul, as the kitchen is much much cooler than the living room, but she still insists on sleeping on one of our computers (probably one of the hottest areas of the apartment)
She doesn't seem to have any tooth problems from looking in her mouth. She was happy for me to do it as well. She's still eating her dry biscuits with ease. If she's still being sick come Thursday I'll schedule her an appointment with the vets.

[Cussypat1974]

When it was hot here Minnie slept in a cat carrier! With a wooly blanket! They are mad lol. If she is eating and drinking enough I wouldn't panic, just keep an eye out for dehydration, because vomiting can cause that. If it goes on and on then see the vet, but if otherwise well I would wait and see. As I say, there are vomits here every single day. Sometimes it is grass, or magpie remains, or foam, or just cat food from eating too much. Not to mention the furballs!