Vomitting, Diarrhoea, and Normal Temperature?

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Jason - 10 Nov 2003 20:00 GMT

I am looking for some insights or sugestions based on other cat owners
experience with cats with similar symptoms. I left on an over night
trip on Tuesday, my cat Elliott seemed his usual self when I left.
When I came home on Wednesday night he was listless, had diarrhoea and
was vomiting. He has had some short boughts of diarrhea in the past
but nothing serious. I called the vet on Thursday and they saw him.
His blood tests are normal (for a 9 year old), Lymphosytes (sp??) were
a little low but the vet did not seemd concerned. They gave him an
injection of fluid and sent him home. He did not eat or drink anything
on Friday, when I brought him back on Saturday and they admitted him
to emergency.

What I know so far is:
His temerature is normal
He will not eat, or is eating VERY little
He does not appear to be drinking
His blood tests, xrays, and urine tests are all OK
He appeared healthier today but still has diarrhoea
He was not vomiting in the hospital
His vomit was originally white and foamy
This progressed to green after a couple of days
He tends to vomit right after a bowel movement
He was having some inadvertant bowel movement during vomiting earlier
on

The vet seems to be stumped, and I cannot afford an infinite amount of
tests. Has anyone elses cat suffered through this and what was the
cause???

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kaeli - 10 Nov 2003 20:34 GMT

> I am looking for some insights or sugestions based on other cat owners
> experience with cats with similar symptoms. I left on an over night
[quoted text clipped - 24 lines]
> tests. Has anyone elses cat suffered through this and what was the
> cause???

Assuming the cat has been x-rayed for possible blockages, including
bladder stones and gallstones, and that the cat did not ingest any
poisons or toxins, including lawn chemicals, plants, bug repellant, etc,
and has been vaccinated for distemper and that the cat does not have
cancer...

My semi-educated guess...

IBD?
http://www.nhahonline.com/f_gastrointestinal.htm
[quote]
Inflammatory bowel disease is the most common cause of intractable
vomiting and diarrhea in dogs and cats. Although the exact cause of
inflammatory bowel disease is unknown, inflammatory cells probably
infiltrate the gut in response to dietary or bacterial challenges. The
inflammatory bowel disease disorders may strike anywhere in the
gastrointestinal tract, but the small intestine and large intestine are
primarily affected. Middle-aged pets are most often diagnosed with this
disease. The most common symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, loss of
appetite, and weight loss, but symptoms may vary depending on the
severity of inflammation and the extent of gut involvement. A diagnosis
of inflammatory bowel disease is one of exclusion (everything else is
ruled out, leaving only this diagnosis) and requires ruling out many
other diseases that may cause intestinal inflammation.
[/quote]

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~kaeli~
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thinks you'd make a nice sandwich.
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Yngver - 10 Nov 2003 20:43 GMT

>What I know so far is:
>His temerature is normal

Usually a fever indicates an infection, but you can have a sick cat that
doesn't have an infection or fever.

>He will not eat, or is eating VERY little
>He does not appear to be drinking
>His blood tests, xrays, and urine tests are all OK

This sounds a bit like my cat when she had a mild case of pancreatitis. She did
not have a fever. The only test that indicated anything abnormal was a test
that took several weeks to obtain results, and by that time she had long been
back to normal. The test was specific for pancreatitis.

>He appeared healthier today but still has diarrhoea
>He was not vomiting in the hospital
>His vomit was originally white and foamy

That means the cat is nauseated but there is nothing in the stomach to vomit.

>This progressed to green after a couple of days

That means the cat is vomiting bile. Again, it means there's nothing in the
stomach to vomit.

>He tends to vomit right after a bowel movement
>He was having some inadvertant bowel movement during vomiting earlier
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>tests. Has anyone elses cat suffered through this and what was the
>cause???

Unfortunately, these symptoms are so vague as to indicate any number of things,
many not terribly serious. With my cat, the vet prescribed an appetite
stimulant and antibiotics. We only needed one appetite stimulant to get her
started eating again. After that she began to eat normally, but she wasn't all
that sick in the first place. Your cat could just have a case of gastritis, but
the important thing is to get him eating again soon.

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