# Kitten vomiting and having diarrhea



## Fiera (Aug 30, 2010)

I got my kitten from the animal shelter 5 ago, and he's around 9 weeks new. I switched his food pretty quickly becuase I didn't even know what he was on at the shelter, and put him on Wellness.

However, for the past two days he's thrown up in the morning and had diarrhea. He also ignored his food this morning. Is this something to be concerned about? He has a vet appt tm to be neutered, and I don't want him going into it sick and weak. His energy seems normal, but I don't know...What do you think could be causing this? I'm just concerned about the poor little guy as a first time cat person


----------



## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Yes, at 9 weeks old this is definitely something to be very concerned about. Vet visit is needed today, they do downhill very quickly at his age. I wouldn't recommend surgery tomorrow.


----------



## Fiera (Aug 30, 2010)

Great, now I'm really nervous :/ I just called the vet and made the appt, the receptionist wanted him in today too...I really hope he's okay.

Couldn't the diarrhea be caused by the food change? I don't know about the vomiting though.


----------



## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

A rapid food change to a rich food like Wellness could certainly cause gastric upset in your kitten. It's important to get him to the vet, though, because diarrhea and vomiting can quickly and dangerously dehydrate him.

Laurie


----------



## Fiera (Aug 30, 2010)

Thank you so much for your advice Laurie & Doodlebug, I'm so glad I asked for help and made a appt asap, it's in 1 1/2hr actually. I'm glad because now signs of sickness are evident: he's been sleeping ALL day, hasn't eaten anything....This hit very fast, I'm very anxious to take him in, he's such a tiny lovebug--he's just been knocked out


----------



## ragdoll (Aug 30, 2010)

Let us know how you got on, hope hes ok x


----------



## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Hope the vet visit went well. Sorry I was so cryptic in my other post...I was at work and had a customer needing attention, but wanted to get the post made in case I didn't get back to it quickly.


----------



## Fiera (Aug 30, 2010)

No, it's totally fine, it defintely motivated me to make that vet appointment! SO...

The vet gave me antibiotics in case he has an infection like guardia (?) and also dewormed him in case he has internal parasites. If he doesn't feel better then we'll go back for a parvo test, blood panel, etc. 

HOWEVER, the vet told me to only feel boiled chicken (bland things) until he feels better in a few days and slowly start mixing it with cat food. But Baloo won't eat any boiled chicken. He hasn't eaten all day so I felt really bad and snuck him some BB dry kibble, and he actually ate some! So should I ignore my vet's advice and keep feeding him cat food since it's the only thing he'll eat? Also, he doesn't even generally like his dry food, so I feel like maybe he'd eat more if it was canned. So should I just go for the canned food? He wouldn't eat ANY food earlier today, so it seems a waste to not feed him cat food now that's he's actually willing to eat it. The vet said he's underweight, and he is :/

ALSO, bonus question. When I got him to the shelter he had a big belly. With me however, it has totally receded. Could that have been a sign of worms? or maybe just low quality food?


----------



## Auntie Crazy (Dec 10, 2006)

Were you feeding him kibble or canned Wellness?

I don't know about the swollen/receding tummy... did you mention that to the vet? If you didn't, could you call him and ask about it?

Eating something is far preferable to eating nothing. The vet recommended boiled chicken because it's incredibly bland and won't irritate a distressed tummy, however - especially with an already underweight kitty - I would totally feed whatever the little baby is willing to eat and able to keep down.

AC


----------



## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

Fiera said:


> The vet gave me antibiotics in case he has an infection like guardia (?) and also dewormed him in case he has internal parasites.


Unfortunately, the antibiotics and dewormer can also make him feel oogy and inappetant. There's often some gastric upset with these drugs.



> HOWEVER, the vet told me to only feel boiled chicken (bland things) until he feels better in a few days and slowly start mixing it with cat food. But Baloo won't eat any boiled chicken.


Bland food would be best if you could get him to eat it, but I agree with AC - it's more important that he eats SOMETHING than that he eats bland food. Still, you might try putting the boiled chicken in your blender or food processor with a little water from a can of water-packed tuna and maybe a smidge of his favorite canned cat food, then see if he'll lap that up. If it's still a no-go, then feed him whatever kibble or canned food he is willing to eat. Just feed it in very small meals every 3-4 hrs so you don't overwhelm his gut bacteria.

It might also be helpful to buy some acidophilus at a health food store and sprinkle a tiny bit into his food once a day to help repopulate his good gut bacteria.



> When I got him to the shelter he had a big belly. With me however, it has totally receded. Could that have been a sign of worms? or maybe just low quality food?


A bloated belly could be worms or could be overfeeding large meals. If it was worms, the dewormer will take care of it. If it's overfeeding, feeding small meals more frequently will take care of it.

Laurie


----------



## Fiera (Aug 30, 2010)

He is getting canned Wellness, and I did tell the vet about the belly-worms correlation and he agreed. I just didn't feel like I got very much out of our 10min consultation after waiting 2hrs to be seen. 

What is acidophilus? What section should I look for that in? And it's great that these meds might exacerbate his existing issues.  I'm realllyyyyy crossing my fingers he'll retain his appetite tm morning.

Do you guys have any suggestions for other bland foods I can try feeding instead of chicken? Otherrwise I'll just try wet again. Thanks so much you guys! I'm really worried about my skinny little guy.


----------



## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

Acidophilus is a probiotic. Just go to a health food store and request it. They'll probably have it in capsule or powder form. Either one is fine. If you buy capsules, you can administer it by opening a capsule and sprinkling a tiny bit into your kit's food once a day while he's receiving antibiotics and for about a week afterwards. Alternatively, you can buy probiotics formulated for pets at most pet stores.

You can try boiling some lean hamburger and pouring off the fat before feeding it to your boy. But do also try putting the boiled chicken in your blender with some tuna water (or plain water) and a bit of canned food. He might really go for the chicken if it's in a form that he can lap up, and the extra water would do him good right now. You can make it even more appealing by warming it in the microwave for a few seconds to bring out the aroma. Just don't get it too warm or he'll reject it because of the heat.

Laurie


----------



## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Adding a little plain meat baby food to the boiled chicken may make it more appetizing for him.


----------



## Olivers-Slave (Jul 25, 2010)

one thing I am doing for my new cat who won't eat is I sweat liver and give her the juices. When she was 100% not eating on her own that is one thing I could slip in and she would eventually eat it (and with it a lil of the wet food) 

what you do is your put the liver in a jar and seal the jar. Then get a pot of normal water and put the jar in it (it doesn't have to completely cover just enough to cover the liver) then (with jar inside at the same temperature as the water) bring the water to a simmer. Let that simmer for a while (I am still testing what is best, its something my mothers maids did for her in Nicaragua when they were sick). Just until the liver starts "sweating" all the juices and nutrients out. (atm I do it for about a half an hour) Then just give that juice to the kitten. The whole liver is to hard for my current cats stomach cuz she hasn't eaten for god knows how long but the juices are just fine and they will contain all the nutrients that the liver has anyways. I then just give the rest of the liver to my other healthy cat who eats it right up. 

it is the same basic idea of a pressure cooker sooo be careful.

-Make sure to warm the jar up WITH the water. Don't put it in after the water is simmering otherwise the jar will crack. It has to be the same temperature as the water at all times.

speaking of all this, time to get another batch going shes already drank the first batch ^_^

good luck


----------



## Fiera (Aug 30, 2010)

Thank you guys so much for the advice. I already tried the liquified chicken, etc. idea and he lapped it right up. His appetite has actually been fabulous since last evening and this morning. He wants cat food, human food, everthing. I am celebrating over this. His lethary is also gone and he is bouncing around as usual. I'm getting the probiotics for his dinner today.

One thing that I am worried about is that he hasn't pooped since about 2pm yesterday, and it's 11am right now. He's been up and about since 7ish. I figured yesterday that it was due to his empty stomach, but he should be bursting by now! Usually he poops twice a day. He got into pooping position in his litter a few mins ago and I saw his muscles contract once or twice. Nothing came out and he scampered away. He did the same thing yesterday evening a couple times it nothing coming out. He wasn't straining hard or anything it seemed, but he did give it a try a few times to no avail. Hope this doesn't mean trouble and he'll be able to go soon.


----------



## Fiera (Aug 30, 2010)

Ugh, he did it again: he tried to poop but nothing came out...so he gave up. Could this be constipation? Hopefully it's not some kind of internal blockage


----------



## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

I doubt if it's constipation since antibiotics generally cause the opposite problem (diarrhea). It's possible that the dewormer may have killed off a large number of parasites that could conceivably be obstructing his bowel, so you should probably give your vet a call to discuss the behavior you've seen.

Laurie


----------



## Auntie Crazy (Dec 10, 2006)

Fiera said:


> Ugh, he did it again: he tried to poop but nothing came out...so he gave up. Could this be constipation? Hopefully it's not some kind of internal blockage


Unfortunately, this is seldom a good sign. I second Laurief's suggestion... give your vet a call.

Good luck!!!

AC


----------



## Fiera (Aug 30, 2010)

I called the vet office and they said if it's only been one day then to not freak out. If it persists til 2 days then we may need to arrange an appt. So I guess we'll just have to see. :/ I'm really crossing my fingers he'll push something out! Thank you all again for the knowledge and support, it's been invaluable.


----------



## Auntie Crazy (Dec 10, 2006)

Fiera said:


> I called the vet office and they said if it's only been one day then to not freak out. If it persists til 2 days then we may need to arrange an appt. So I guess we'll just have to see. :/ I'm really crossing my fingers he'll push something out! Thank you all again for the knowledge and support, it's been invaluable.


Well, that's encouraging! All my fingers and toes are crossed for you, Fiera, and your beautiful girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

A dose of hairball remedy (or Vaseline) or some fiber (canned pumpkin, Slippery Elm, unflavored metamucil, or Benefiber) may help loosen things up.


----------



## Fiera (Aug 30, 2010)

I totally forgot to update, I got too excited with the relieving results! Quite some time past 24 hours, Baloo DID defocate and produced a nice, healthy, solid poo!!  I am so relieved! His apetite is great, his energy is normal, is elimination is regular...all seems well. His is also gaining weight because I have been feeding him 24/7 to fatten him up, and the results are great! I want to thank all of you so much...without your help I wouldn't have known what to do and Baloo might not be a healthy little boy right now. You guys are great and very knowledgeable, thank you!


----------



## Auntie Crazy (Dec 10, 2006)

Yay! Fiera, that's wonderful news!


----------

