HELP! Diarrhea and vomit!

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Christie~
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Joined: Thu Oct 30, 2008 1:21 pm

HELP! Diarrhea and vomit!

Post by Christie~ »

Please help! Our cat (1 year old) all of a sudden yesterday started having diarrhea (I counted 4 times), and this morning I saw that he vomited as well. He HAS been drinking water which is a relief, and I think that yesterday morning he might have gotten his paws on some scrambled eggs. He only eats wet cat food and occasionally some dry food but there has been no change in his diet. He hasn't had a loose stool since last night and I am not sure when he vomited but it must have been last night since we have been watching him closely all of today...

What do I do (other than the mandatory vet visit of course)? I boiled up some rice for him and although he refuses it now I feel that he will eat if it he gets hungry and it will be delicate enough on his poor stomach. He has fresh water, and lots of attention. He is still playing a lot, running about and purring and I don't think he is dehydrated (I did the back of the neck test), but I would rather avoid the vet visit just yet if I can.

Thoughts? Thank you so much!!
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Traci
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Re: HELP! Diarrhea and vomit!

Post by Traci »

I'm late coming in, and since you posted this morning, hopefully he is feeling better. BUT, this in no way means you should wait and see. Rule of thumb when you know your cat is sick, you get to a vet ASAP. Diarrhea and vomiting are serious problems, especially when combined and could be the result of nearly anything from bacterial infection to toxic ingestion or obstruction, to viral disease, you must not take chances.

Diarrhea and vomiting also cause dehydration, and chances are, he IS dehydrated. Every hour that he is without food and normal water intake equals more dehydration.

You cannot just boil rice and feed it to him, you have to add cooked white chicken to it, no fat, no salt, no spices, nothing. Just boilled white rice, thoroughly cooked white chicken or use canned white chicken in water. Even so, he may not eat it, and you need to ensure he is getting proper nutrition and fluid intake, another reason to get to the vet.

Don't take chances, get him seen by your vet or an emergency vet ASAP, tomorrow is Friday and you don't want to be without a vet over the weekend or increased emergency fees on a weekend. You do not know the cause of the vomiting/diarrhea, and don't know if it will resolve on its own or require vet-prescribed antibiotics and fluids given by the vet.

Btw, check your home for any evidence of chewed plants, strings, toys, etc that he could have gotten into, if you find anything suspicious, you definately need to see a vet AT ONCE. Even if you don't find anything suspicious, you need to get to the vet.
..........Traci
Christie~
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Oct 30, 2008 1:21 pm

Re: HELP! Diarrhea and vomit!

Post by Christie~ »

Traci thank you, you are a life saver!

Added chicken, he ate. Today he is much better, no vomiting at all and only had a slightly mushy stool this morning. Will re-introduce him to some wet food tomorrow morning.

I found that putting his water in a tall glass made him drink more... I also moved it to another room which also seemed to make a difference.

Thank you for the tips and the response, I really appreciate it!!
Christie~
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Oct 30, 2008 1:21 pm

Re: HELP! Diarrhea and vomit!

Post by Christie~ »

Also - called the vet and explained everything... she suggested we keep a close watch (as we did) and just see if things got worse. We recently moved and she thinks it could also be stress from the move manifesting itself a little bit late.

Thanks again!!!
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