9 yr old housecat throwing up bile--has not eaten food or been able to keep H2O down in the past 24 hours--also has not passed any waste products--what to do
Optional Information: Age: 9; Female; Breed: catAlready Tried: crying, force-feeding water,
Hi,
Has she been unable to urinate, defecate or both?
what did she eat just prior to this?
is she indoor?
does she have any known health issues?
Thanks,
Terri
She has not urinated or defecated since Thursday--I cleaned out her litter box yesterday morning. Also, she was incontinent on Thursday early evening--both stool and urination on the mat leading into her litter box. Her stool was very hard and in small clumps. I am not sure of the timing of when she last ate. I think she last ate Iams cereal cat food--the hairball treatment formula--during the late afternoon on Thursday. She is an indoor cat. Her known health issues are simply that she has a major hairball about every five weeks. When she has a hairball, she throws up food. I adopted Mitty as an adult, so I do not know what her exact age is--probably around 9 or 10 years. Thanks.
Dear friend,
Not pottying for two days is quite serious. It can mea she has a blockage or her systems are shutting down. A large hairball can cause an impaction.
See if she will drink milk as that is the best natural laxative.
Most constipation is due to inadequate fluid in the bowel so your baby should eat food with a bit of water added to prevent this in the future.
Yes, you can also put vaseline on her paw for her to lick off.
The average is one to two bowel movements a day. However, a cat can manage as long as they have a good defecation every other day. Any longer than that and the stool can become toxic in his system.
Most constipation is caused by inadequate fluid and fiber in the colon. A high fiber diet should help as long as she eats it.Never feed Science diet as it not a great food - vets push it because they sell it but there are much better ones.
A natural remedy is canned pumpkin (not pie filling) a teaspoon a day added to her food. Some people also give an ounce of milk daily as most older cats are calcium deficient.There are also several vet scipted drugs like lactulose and cipracide. The problem with laxatives and enemas are the same with humans. These artificial stimulants interfere with the normal peristaltic waves of the intestine and repeated use can cause further constipation, obstipation and even megacolon.
Please refer to the following links and info:
"The causes of constipation and obstipation are many, including diet (ingested hair, foreign bodies, bones); environment (a dirty litter box, lack of exercise, hospitalization); painful defecation (anal abscesses from cat-fight bites or feces- matted hair [long-haired cats are particularly susceptible]); obstructions (tumors and improperly healed pelvic fractures that restrict movement through the intestines); and medications (for other conditions). And watch your cat's weight. Obese cats can become constipated.
Chronic constipation and obstipation from specific causes can result in a distended colon that has poor movement (megacolon). Sometimes, though, megacolon occurs when the muscular movement of the colon wall, which propels fecal material through the colon, diminishes for some unknown reason. As a result, fecal matter comes remains in the colon where it becomes drier and harder. Over time, the enlarged, impacted colon loses most of its muscular ability (motility) and becomes a loose pouch filled with dry, concrete like material. Unfortunately, veterinary science has yet to discover the causes of this condition known as idiopathic megacolon."
Here is the rest of the article:SOURCE:
http://pets1st.ca/articles/00046ConstipationAndYourCat.asp
Here are others I think will be helpful:
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_constipation_and_megacolon.html
http://www.petshealth.com/dr_library/felconstip.html
http://marvistavet.com/html/constipation_and_megacolon.html
She should see a vet if she does not go two hours after the milk or contiues to be blocked.
Please let me know how he is doing. I will always be here for both of you.
I hope she feels better very soon.
Sincerest best wishes,
Experience: Expert in pet health and behavior. 20 year experience with animals.
Reply to Terri Riba's Post: What if I am mistaken and it is not bile that she has thrown up but some sort of green mucus? (I have never seen a cat throw up bile before and I grew up with many housecats.) She has been sneezing the past few days. I have given her milk and she's drinking it pretty well...
Green is usually bile.
Sneezing can be an upper respiratory infection but it would not stop her from pottying:
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/feline_upper_respiratory.html
Let me know if she keeps the milk down and if she moves her bowels.
I will stand by to hear from you.
She has slowly been drinking her milk--when she is not drinking the milk, she's leaning her head on the bowl. Because of her lethargy--she's not moved more than ten feet from my bed during the night and she is usually all over the house during the night, I'm going to take her to the local vet that opens up in about 45 minutes. Thanks for your assistance.
I think that is the right thing to do.
Please write the second you get home and let me know how she is.
Thanks for you accept.
Sending as an info request so you are not charged again.
Best wishes,
My cat was in severe ketoacidosis, extremely dehydrated, and her kidneys and liver had shut down. She died this morning.
I am so very sorry. My heart goes out to you. My sincerest condolences for your loss.