Vomiting-Please help!!!

So, Boops threw up in several spots around the house while we were at work today. They weren't big food piles or true hairballs, more of splatter streaks. This has, of course, set me into a slight panic mode- my husband does not understand. His appetite has also been decreased for the past few days, but I was chalking that up to getting him off schedule this weekend when we were out of town. He isn't "acting sick," but should I worry? What should I watch for?

 

And he just threw up again. More splatter. I am stressed.

 

Looking at the spreadsheet, his BG is really high day-to-day. He might have ketones. Test him. My cat never throws up but she did when she had ketones in very high quantities. Does he seem lethargic to you?

 

We just tested Friday, and no trace of ketones. Can they come on that quickly?

 

He doesn't seem that lethargic- maybe just slightly so.

 

Yes. have a look at my Barsa's spreadsheet, the comments column. But don't panic! It might be something else.. If he does have ketones, syringe-feed him water for now, flushes them nasty ketones out.

 

How can I test when he isn't peeing currently? He just hopped on my lap and is purring.

 

@julie & punkin (ga)

 

Oh right! I forgot about that because I'm lucky my cat is so obedient. I just put her in the litterbox and she will pee for me if she can

Well don't worry too much, he is purring! That's a good sign, really hope it's nothing serious. You'll test him when you can.

 

Ketones can go from trace to large in a matter of hours - same day.

I think you need to increae his dose by a full 0.25u - not sure how you can measure that from a 0.4u, but he's having nadirs over 200.

I'm not sure what to suggest about the vomiting. I'd probably call the vet and ask for advice.

 

Just put in a call to the emergency line.

 

Would he be purring and acting semi-normal of he had high ketones?

 

J.D. was purring when he had DKA. I'm not trying to scare you, but purring can also be a way for the kitty to comfort themselves.

 

That probably depends..on a cat. But from experience, my Barsa does feel them. If ketones are there, she won't purr. High sugar, even above 25 (450) does not affect her as much as ketones. They're like poison, very toxic. Also, when she had them in lower quantities (traces and light pink colour on the strip) there was no vomiting.

 

if you put "vomiting" in the subject line, then people who know about it will respond.

 

Cats purr if they are happy or to self-sooth. Just because a cat is purring doesn't mean you should ignore other signs that your kitty is sick.

Please make sure that Boops didn't eat anything problematic -- a plant, string, etc.

 

He is still trotting around and mostly acting normal if a bit subdued. Vet says don't sound the alarm, but let her know if something changes.

 

I understand about the self-soothing thing- he does that when his stomach rumbles after eating. This purring is in response to being petted or loved on.

 

I used to put the litter box in the middle of the living room where I was hanging out and wait for a pee (you can put plastic wrap on top of the litter, if you don't think you can catch it in time) and have a big sigh of relief when I found no ketones. I would try to catch a pee and get a test, and hope you get no ketones.

 

See my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools for details on checking for dehydration and checking breath odors.

 

Does anyone have experience with a cat that got backed up by a hairball? He has done something similar to this before and eventually passed a crazy poop. After, he was fine.

 

If he is obstructed by a hairball, he may need an enema at the vet. They don't always pass them successfully.
See Feline Constipation for more info.

 

Erin, is he eating? Drinking water? When he lays down, is he meatloafing? Does he seem uncomfortable? If he's not eating, how does he act when you present him with food? Does he smack his lips and turn away?

 

OK, so update for this morning. He ate almost all of his food overnight and hasn't vomited yet. Cross your fingers for me! He was also super lovey and trotting around this morning. I do think we need to increase his insulin a little more. We also ordered a blood ketone tester so I won't have to drive myself crazy. He seems to be feeling better and he did have a pretty gnarly smelling poop last night, although it was solid and actually just what I would hope for his poop to look like.

 

Keeping fingers crossed that Boops will keep improving.

 

So no more vomiting. Great news!

 

Glad he was able to eat and keep some food down. And the blood ketone meter can be really helpful, especially if he's ever had them before. They show up in the blood an average of 2 weeks from high glucose levels starting, and then show up in the urine an average of 5 days from that, so finding them in the blood gives you a head start on intervening.

 

No more vomiting. Seems back to his old self mostly!

 

Paws crossed for it to be the new status quo....