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My cat's gums are black and she vomited blood. What could cause this?

Submitted: 230 days and 2 hours ago.

Category: Cat

Value: $15

Status: AWAITING CUSTOMER ACTION

Age: 12; Female; Breed: shorthaired tabby

Already Tried:
Nothing so far. She just vomited and that's when I checked her gums.

Posted by Drew 230 days and 2 hours ago.

Info Request

How old is she? How long is this going on for?

230 days and 2 hours ago.

Reply

She is 12 and this just happened minutes ago. She has been on Denamarin for about a year or so if that makes a difference.

Posted by Drew 230 days and 2 hours ago.

Info Request

Did she vomit pure blood, or was it just some flecks/streaks of blood in the vomit?

Are her gums normally pink?

230 days and 2 hours ago.

Reply

Her gums are normally pink and the blood was fresh and light in color.

Posted by Drew 230 days and 2 hours ago.

Info Request

Is there any chance that she has been exposed to any chemicals or poisons, especially rat poison?

230 days and 2 hours ago.

Reply

She did run outside this evening for a very short time. Other than that, no.

Posted by Drew 230 days and 2 hours ago.

Info Request

How is she acting? Is she lethargic, or normal? If you look at areas on her body with little hair (like her ears and belly), are there any unusual bruises or other marks?

230 days and 2 hours ago.

Reply

She seems to be acting normally. She is not a high energy cat to begin with. Her fur is thick and she has an undercoat but I can't see and bruises.

Posted by Drew 230 days and 2 hours ago.

Info Request

What else was in the vomit other than blood? Is her abdomen painful if you squeeze gently?

230 days and 2 hours ago.

Reply

There was nothing else. Just the blood. She does not appear to be tender in her abdomen.

Answer

Thanks for the information.

I'm a little surprised at these symptoms, because I would have expected a cat that's vomiting blood to have some other signs of illness going on -- and to be honest, black gums aren't really an indicator of anything -- dark brown, dark red, pale/white, yellow, blue are all possible colors of gums in various medical situations, but black usually is just pigment, so this is honestly a mystery.

I honestly think the best thing to do would be to have her examined by a veterinarian, so that she can be fully evaluated, and possibly have some tests done to check her out -- blood tests and x-rays would be useful to determine if anything is going on that is cause for concern.

Accepts:
Expert:	Drew
Pos. Feedback:	100.0 %
Answered:	4/7/2009

Veterinarian

Feline Medicine and Surgery

230 days and 2 hours ago.

Reply

Okay, maybe I didn't describe her gums well. They appear swollen and are dark in color maybe not exactly black. I do know they are normally pink because she had dental work done last year and I remember looking specifically at her gums.

Posted by Drew 230 days and 2 hours ago.

Info Request

ok, thanks for the information. Is there any chance you could take a picture and upload it for me to see?

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Question

My cat's gums are black and she vomited blood. What could cause this?

Optional Information

Age: 12; Female; Breed: shorthaired tabby Already Tried: Nothing so far. She just vomited and that's when I checked her gums.

Info Request

How old is she? How long is this going on for?

Reply

She is 12 and this just happened minutes ago. She has been on Denamarin for about a year or so if that makes a difference.

Info Request

Did she vomit pure blood, or was it just some flecks/streaks of blood in the vomit? Are her gums normally pink?

Reply

Her gums are normally pink and the blood was fresh and light in color.

Info Request

Is there any chance that she has been exposed to any chemicals or poisons, especially rat poison?

Reply

She did run outside this evening for a very short time. Other than that, no.

Info Request

How is she acting? Is she lethargic, or normal? If you look at areas on her body with little hair (like her ears and belly), are there any unusual bruises or other marks?

Reply

She seems to be acting normally. She is not a high energy cat to begin with. Her fur is thick and she has an undercoat but I can't see and bruises.

Info Request

What else was in the vomit other than blood? Is her abdomen painful if you squeeze gently?

Reply

There was nothing else. Just the blood. She does not appear to be tender in her abdomen.

Answer

Reply

Okay, maybe I didn't describe her gums well. They appear swollen and are dark in color maybe not exactly black. I do know they are normally pink because she had dental work done last year and I remember looking specifically at her gums.

Info Request

ok, thanks for the information. Is there any chance you could take a picture and upload it for me to see?

Related Cat Questions

Age: 12; Female; Breed: shorthaired tabby

Already Tried:
Nothing so far. She just vomited and that's when I checked her gums.

Did she vomit pure blood, or was it just some flecks/streaks of blood in the vomit?

Are her gums normally pink?