Hello,

My wife and I have had our little boy Sammy for just over two years.
He was 9 months old when we adopted him, and we immediately had him
tested and vaccinated for FLV.  We have kept him current on all of his
vaccinations since then.

Yesterday morning he began showing some very odd symptoms.  He had
been fine all night (as usual, hyperactive, bouncing off the walls and
waking us up).  In the morning he ate his first meal and immediately
vomited it up.  We didn't think much of this, as he (like other cats)
sometimes eats too quickly.  But he continued vomiting periodically
throughout the morning; eventually the vomit was nothing but frothly
saliva.  He kept doing something with his tongue that looked similar
to licking his chops, and then would recoil in apparant nausea.  He
refused food and water.

We made an emergency appointment with our vet.  He took Sammy's blood
and X-rays of his stomach, kidneys and other organs (not lungs--more
on that later).  The vet came back and said everything looked normal,
in fact he said it would be hard to imagine more normal-looking
results.  He hooked Sammy up to an IV for awhile to rehydrate him and
provide him with enough nourishment to last several hours, after which
he expected Sammy would feel better.  

We were sent home with a perscription of Reglan, which the doctor
explained would control Sammy's nausea.  We also bought some special
food called "EN", which is supposed to be good for a cat experiencing
stomach trouble.

The night went on and our kitty showed no improvement.  He refused to
eat and continued 'dry heaving' and foaming at the mouth.  We bought
him back to the doctor today, and by the time we got to the office his
breathing had become labored.  The vet took X-rays of Sammy's lung,
and showed us the results.  There were black areas in both lungs that
the vet said were abnormal, and Sammy's bronchial tubes were clogged.
The vet wasn't sure what the black areas were.  He said our only
choice was to leave him for the night, where they would put him on an
IV regimen of antibiotics and hydatation/nourishment.

We are frankly stunned.  He went from normal yesterday morning to
gasping for breath today.  And what started out looking like a gastro
problem has turned into a respiratory crisis.  Has anyone seen
symptoms like this before?  I'm looking for any info you can provide.

Thank you,
Jeremy and Cindy