Grinding teeth, vomiting, feeling sad and worried

Hi all. My cat, Dexter, has been doing well for a while. He's been on Lantus since August 2018, and has been pretty stable. I keep hoping he will go into remission, but his number keep on chugging along the same as they've always been.

Anyway, I'm here because of new (but possibly related?) symptoms. Dexter has been grinding his teeth for a few weeks. I only hear it early in the morning before his breakfast/shot, and I've wondered if it's related. I've needed to get him checked, but going to the vet is extremely stressful for him, so I've put it off until today. Dexter vomited up his entire dinner on Friday night, and this morning had the loudest teeth grinding session I've heard yet, followed by some vomiting. He's still cuddly, using the litter normally, with a normal appetite. Right now, he's curled up on the couch next to his brother kitty.

I have an appointment with my vet at 3 pm, but that's almost 6 hours from now, and I'm spinning. Does anyone have any insight before I go in? My quick google search (I wish I was prohibited from using google) makes me think he's having kidney failure and we'll get bad news at the vet today.

 

Hi!! So with kidney failure the appetite would be tremendously suppressed if existent at all. Grinding or bruxism as it is called can be from something in the mouth itself. There maybe a tooth or gum issue. Try to take a look. Also check the ears as sometimes an infection can create pain which can manifest as weird behavior. Is there anything new in the environment that could possibly cause any stress for your kitty?? Changes in food?? Sometimes GI discomfort can manifest with this behavior. How are the stools? Maybe a trial course with cerenia to see if it’s anti inflammatory properties will help your kitty. Has there been a history of GI problems? If all these check out okay then bloodwork would help rule out metabolic issues. Good luck with your kitty and hopefully it’s not too serious especially where he appears outwardly normal.

 

Hi, sorry to hear Dexter is not feeling well, do ask for a full blood chemistry, grinding teeth, feeling down and week can be symptoms of anemia, and do insist that the vet get a very good look at his teeth and mouth because it can also indicate some mouth problems (this is the most common reason for this kind of symptoms)

Is ok to google things it helps getting informed but don't go ahead of things wait until you get his test results, and after that if there's something wrong with his kidneys do remember that kidney problems are manageable and they can be pretty ok and happy even with that

 

When I searched, I didn't come across anything related to bruxism and kidney issues. Please let us know what your vet has to say.

 

How did you make out at the vets today with your kitty?

 

Hi all! Thanks for your responses today. I was reading them at work, even though I wasn't able to respond on here. You all did a good job talking me off the ledge with your rational responses!

We just got back from the vet, and although I don't fully know what's wrong yet (blood results will come back tomorrow), she ruled out pancreatitis and bladder infection, and did not find any ketones in his urine. Her best guess without the test results is possible protein resistance or GI inflammation, or possibly GI disease. We haven't changed his food recently, so he could possibly have started resisting what I've been giving him. She said that his tartar and gums look normal, and is due for a cleaning, but didn't see any inflammation or sign of abscess. She said that if he keeps vomiting that she recommends an ultrasound of his stomach and intestine to see what's going on in there. So... no terrible news, but still feeling slightly lost. They gave him an anti-nausea shot so he seems content right now.

Again, thank you all for your messages today!