WHAT is making my cat throw up?

[Judystilldreamsofhorses]

She’s absolutely fine in herself, eating as normal (begging for treats), playing, chatty, in and out to the garden. Thursday she had been a bit sick when I got in from work. Friday fine. Saturday she was sick in the early hours (2am-ish) and DP thinks it was a hair-ball. Today she threw up about 4.

On Thursday night/Friday I gave her poached chicken. Saturday DP went and got Royal Canin hairball food and she had that, then again this morning.

We rang the vet on Saturday and they said just to keep an eye on her, and as she was well in herself not to bring her in. We have access to a vet-nurse line through insurance and I called them today. The nurse said to ring our own vet again tomorrow and to feed her snack sized portions of her usual food (not the RC) at intervals until then.

I’ll obviously call the vet again tomorrow, but any ideas? She’s nine, and I actually had her at the vet in June because of vomiting and the vet said she thought she had probably eaten something she shouldnt have but was given a clear bill of health. That time she was definitely not herself (although by the time of the appointment had perked up considerably, of course) whereas now she reminds me of a guy I was at uni with who would “tactical chunder” then keep drinking - she throws up then goes straight to her dish looking for food.

Tax paid below.

I don't have any definite answers but it's reassuring that she seems fine in herself.

Our cat recently started puking, once a day at first, then it got to the point where he couldn't keep any food down at all, started losing weight & became lethargic. We took him to the vets & they gave antibiotics & anti-nausea pills. He wasn't sick anymore, but once he finished the anti-nausea pills he started being sick again.

He then made a huge racket and puked up a MASSIVE bunch of grass - not lawn grass, but whole, 10cm long leaves from a grass plant in the garden.

We took him back to the vets, they took bloods and gave Fortiflora probiotic to sprinkle on his food.

He was back to normal immediately and hasn't been sick since. Just after he puked the grass, we then gave him his worming treatment (it was due in 3 weeks but thought we'd cover all bases).

Bloods came back clear. We still don't know what caused it - maybe he was eating the grass to self-medicate, or maybe it was the grass sitting in his belly all along that he couldn't get out. It has since been dug up! Maybe it was worms.

I'd try keeping her in for a while. Give her the worming treatment & treats as normal and see what happens. Weigh her if you can to monitor that too.

My cat absolutely LOVES the Fortiflora, he now pretty much refuses food until we have put his 'magic sprinkles' on it. You can get it on Amazon or PetDrugsOnline.

Hope she feels better soon x

I have a pukey cat.
Never got it investigated.
Seems to be his normal.
12.5yrs later & no regrets.
He has a few tells, we've learned to spot.

Managed to get a vet appointment late this afternoon. She’d been sick when DP got up for the red-eye this morning - it always seems to be after she has slept for a long time. She is absolutely fine in herself and I had to practically fight her for my own breakfast this morning (toast with lactose free Philadelphia!)

@robinsnest1967 we are keeping our paws crossed for you - can you come back and update?

I have a puker and a weird poo-er - both ten, both had loads of vet visits for it, both concluded that that's just what they do and they're healthy and happy.

One had antifreeze poisoning when she was young and it was very obvious, she wobbled into the kitchen and fell over then lay there yowling, and I had her at the vet within fifteen minutes - had her stomach pumped and was fine, but I think you'd know if it was that.

She's the puker and eats loads of grass outside - vet has also concluded after ten years that it might just be that she likes grass rather than is eating it because she already feels sick.

Other one just very rarely has solid poo but when we treat that as ibs the medication makes her stop pooing for four days then throw up everything from those four days in half an hour. So while more tests are probably on the horizon, while they're happy and healthy the vet is also happy and puking and weird poo not a worry unless they get lethargic and go off their food 🤷‍♀️

Cats are weirdos. Hope you get some answers this afternoon!

Boycat was a dedicated puker. He would bolt his food despite them having dry down 24/7, I think it was due to them having been feral for their first year so not knowing when they next meal would appear.

Even after years here, he would go through phases of bolting food even the dry, he would go there for a nibble then sort of not be able to stop & eat faster & faster. He would then throw it up within a few minutes, so it would literally be kibble that was a bit damp sometimes. It was amazing just how much he could pack into his stomach! He did slow down after a few years, but always had the tendency.

Both of those 2 were/are pretty reasonable with hairballs. The Royal Canin Indoor has some anti hairball effect, and I would also give the anti hairball kibble in a different bowl every few days. Girlcat does the "chuck up for a few days, then big hairball" typical thing, Boycat used to throw up sort of hair soup on a frequent basis, after a day or so of coughing. No idea of what Tobias will be like for that, not caught him puking yet & despite him shedding everywhere in vast quantities not found a hairball yet in 6 months.

Girlcat did suddenly start projectile vomiting once. Took her to the vets & she gave her an anti nausea jab & it stopped. As an indoor cat unlikely to be anything she ate, but she was going through a phase of killing & eating house spiders so could have been that.

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but if she needs bloods will they keep her in/sedate her - how does it work? She's only ever had boosters and a few teeth out so I am just not sure.

Last time one of mine needed blood taken, she wasn't sedated or kept in. Vet shaved her neck and the nurse held her securely and the vet took the blood. Cat wasn't delighted but it was over and done with in a few minutes.

Thanks @Beamur - I am spiralling like a crazy woman here. I WFH on a Monday which is good so I am keeping a close eye on her, and have also arranged to WFH tomorrow afternoon. Thank God my manager is a cat person too!

Mine is like this, too. Can't work out what triggers it as she goes through phases. I have found I must only give her half a packet of wet food, as she gobbles then pukes because she is tiny and her stomach cannot handle the gorge.

Another one of mine, not the puker, won't pee in litter trays either, she'll poo in them, but not pee.
Cats are weird, they drive me mad but I adore all two and three quarters of them
(One played with traffic 9 years ago and lost a leg, a toe and a tooth)

Ours won't use the litter tray unless she is absolutely desperate - we keep her in the kitchen overnight and I think she has used it once in the last five years. She is prone to a cheeky wee in the bath though!

No they don't need to sedate for bloods, as a pp said they just shave the neck & take them then & there. With Boycat they even took a urine sample by needle without sedation, though they did take him down to their operating room to do that (probably for sterility & so IO wouldn't get too stressed either!). See attached pic of Boycat after his blood test - he was smoke black so had a white undercoat, looked really weird!

Oh bless him @Allergictoironing

I still miss him every day, 8 months after he had to be PTS 😢

So sorry, @Allergictoironing

I am now spiralling wildly that she has eaten plants from the garden - I used a scanning app and they are an "autumn crocus" which is apparently very toxic and not a true crocus but part of the lily family. They pop up every year (we didn't plant them, birds must have dropped seeds or something) but this year there seems to be more of them. I don't think she would sit and eat one as such, but maybe pollen blowing? She definitely eats grass. I've taken photos - should I bring one to the vet? God this is the pits, especially as I'm on my own!

Yes I would take pics of the plants to take to the vets, also tell them what you think they are and especially that they are the lily family. Vets can't really be expected to know every single plant that may be toxic or to recognise them, just the common ones.

Cats will eat grass, it's good for them & helps them throw up hairballs etc - I keep a small pot of grass growing for my indoor cats, as this is highly recommended. But they will also try chewing on other plants - my DBro &DSiL's cats had to be shut out of the room with cactii in as they would try to chomp on those!!!

Haha, I meant should I pick a flower and bring it. I am actually going insane here, aren't I? The pics are on my phone so that's fine.

It's not good news for my kitty. She's had bloods done but she suspects liver or stomach cancer, she has a cricket ball sized mass. I get results Wednesday but she said palliative care only 😿😿😿

Oh my goodness, @robinsnest1967 - what terrible news. I am so very sorry.

Oh @robinsnest1967 what awful news.
I'm so sorry.

That's rotten news. So sorry. Poor puss.

We’re just home. Vet gave her a thorough going over (felt her all over, heart, lungs, gums, temp) and an anti sickness jab, and hairball paste to go in her food. If she’s sick in the next 24h we’ve to go back.

Unconcerned about the Crocus thing and said symptoms of toxicity likely to be more immediate/severe and unlikely given that she is well in herself.

What a trauma, it took two of us to get her in the box and she howled the whole way there, all the time in the waiting room, and all the way home.

Mine did this when she had a gigantic hairball. I actually thought she vomited up a rat. It was huge. So the hairball can be stuck and cause then to vomit everything up till they get it out, this was weeks of vomit until it came out

No vomit through the injection which is great news. This morning she looked like she was going to puke, kind of hiccuped, and I grabbed her and rushed her into the kitchen (hard floor!) but we seem to be okay. I am hyper vigilant and still very anxious!