Feral Cat Vomiting and Wants Water. Help?

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Robyn - 16 Jun 2004 01:37 GMT

Hi, it's me again. Hoping for some quick advice, as it's too late for a
vet tonight. One of my recently adopted feral cats has been doing a lot
of vomiting today and I'm getting concerned. She's not vomiting food,
just small amounts of white stuff, like spit. When it started, I picked
up the food and water dishes, to get her system to calm down. It doesn't
seem to have helped much, she's still vomiting about once every 90
minutes or so. The thing is, she's desperate for water, and keeps
running through the house looking for it. Should I give her a little so
she'll maybe settle down, or continue to withhold it? Any other advice
would also be helpful, because she's still pretty feral, and putting her
in a carrier for the vet will be extremely traumatic for her, if it can
even be managed. She permits gentle petting, but nothing else, we can't
pick her up or handle her yet. Help?

Thanks,
Robyn

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zuzu22@webtv.net - 16 Jun 2004 02:19 GMT

>The thing is, she's desperate for water,
>and keeps running through the house
>looking for it. Should I give her a little so
>she'll maybe settle down, or continue to
>withhold it

Don't withhold water. The cat will get severely dehydrated from the
constant vomiting. It sounds serious and if it were my cat I would be at
the ER or on the vets doorstep when they opened in the a.m. ,
appointment or no.

Your best bet to catch her and get her to the vet is to wear a pair of
heavy gloves, grab her and dump her butt first into a carrier that is on
end with the opening facing towards the ceiling, then quickly shut the
door.

Megan

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Robyn - 16 Jun 2004 04:46 GMT

>> The thing is, she's desperate for water,
>> and keeps running through the house
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
>
> Megan

Thanks Megan. :-) When this started earlier today I checked several
vet websites to see what the symptoms could mean. All advocated
withholding water and food to let her system settle and break the
vomiting cycle. It was her desperation to find water that worried me. I
took your advice and offered a small amount of water. She seemed to
settle after that. It's now been about 3 hours since she last vomited,
and she's sleeping peacefully in her hammock. Hopefully she just got
hold of something bad and is over it. I'll offer a bit more water and
some food later. We're going to watch her closely, and will call the vet
in the morning, or take her if the vomiting resumes. I'll post again and
let you know how she is.

Thanks again,
Robyn

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m. L. Briggs - 16 Jun 2004 06:44 GMT

>>> The thing is, she's desperate for water,
>>> and keeps running through the house
[quoted text clipped - 28 lines]
>Thanks again,
>Robyn

When we are sick, it is advised to drink lots of liquids. It seems to
me you should definitely let her have water,,Even throwing up is
easier if you have water in your stomach.

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Robyn - 16 Jun 2004 16:10 GMT

>>>> The thing is, she's desperate for water,
>>>> and keeps running through the house
[quoted text clipped - 32 lines]
> me you should definitely let her have water,,Even throwing up is
> easier if you have water in your stomach.

Thanks for your reply. :-) I agree that liquids are good if you're
sick, but if something in your stomach is *causing* the sickness, it's
best to abstain. The vet agreed that withholding was the best thing.
When she started looking for water, it was a sign of recovery. Farkas
took a little food and more water later in the night. This morning, I
restored full amounts of water and food. (Much to the relief of the
other cats.) She's feeling her old self again, and is in fact helping me
type this. :-) She won't let me pick her up yet, but she sure likes
petting! As I said before, hopefully she just got into something bad,
and this is the end of it. Thanks so much for the advice, from both of
us. :-)

Robyn

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Cat Protector - 16 Jun 2004 17:18 GMT

You should not ever withhold water from a cat. Just like us they can get
dehydrated. Also, a Web Site can't take the place of a regular skilled vet.
It might help in some cases but it is better to consult a vet if the problem
persists.

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> Thanks for your reply. :-) I agree that liquids are good if you're
> sick, but if something in your stomach is *causing* the sickness, it's
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>
> Robyn

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Robyn - 16 Jun 2004 17:49 GMT

> You should not ever withhold water from a cat. Just like us they can
> get dehydrated. Also, a Web Site can't take the place of a regular
> skilled vet. It might help in some cases but it is better to consult
> a vet if the problem persists.

We're talking a few hours here, not days on end... When the water and
food stimulates the vomiting, the stimuli needs to be removed for a
while, to stop the cycle. It's true of humans, too. I had a bout of
severe vomiting a few years ago and the first thing the doctor did was
tell me to stop food and fluids and see if that helped. As far as the
cat goes, every Veterinary website I checked concurred with this, as
well as my cat medical book. And as I stated, the *vet* said I did the
right thing. Withholding of food and water for up to 12 hours is
standard protocol for vomiting. I was just unsure about when to
reintroduce it.

Robyn

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Laura R. - 16 Jun 2004 19:12 GMT

circa Wed, 16 Jun 2004 12:49:54 -0400, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav,
Robyn (nutfish@bellsouth.SPAMSUCKSnet) said,

> > You should not ever withhold water from a cat. Just like us they can
> > get dehydrated. Also, a Web Site can't take the place of a regular
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
> standard protocol for vomiting. I was just unsure about when to
> reintroduce it.

Ignore him; he's not right in the head.

Laura

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Sherry - 16 Jun 2004 17:53 GMT

>You should not ever withhold water from a cat. Just like us they can get
>dehydrated.

snipped

I'd have to agree with CP. A vomiting cat dehydrates so quickly. If they're
willing to drink (cats don't ever over-do themselves on water anyway)...I'd
hate to withhold the water.

Sherry

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Laura R. - 16 Jun 2004 19:12 GMT

circa Wed, 16 Jun 2004 09:18:19 -0700, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav,
Cat Protector (catprotector@cox.net) said,

> You should not ever withhold water from a cat. Just like us they can get
> dehydrated. Also, a Web Site can't take the place of a regular skilled vet.
> It might help in some cases but it is better to consult a vet if the problem
> persists.

Hey, Astral Wingnut- the OP *did* consult her veterinarian. I surely
do wish you'd at least *try* to read.

Laura

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Experience is the name every one gives to their mistakes.
-Oscar Wilde

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Gail - 16 Jun 2004 17:41 GMT

Yes, don't ever withhold water.
Gail

> >The thing is, she's desperate for water,
> >and keeps running through the house
[quoted text clipped - 34 lines]
>
> - W.H. Murray

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