Will she be OK till her appt. Friday?

Question

My Foxxy is about 5-7 months old. I got her right off of the sidewalk infront of my house. It was dark so I though I picked up a squirrel! She was tiny with a pointy face, long fur, BIG BUSHY TAIL. That was in August.
Now she has an appt. to get everything done to her. It is this coming Friday.
Some time late Friday/early Sat. I was told she threw up. I saw clear and foamy puke. She did it a couple more times. Today she did it 2x that I know of. She has not eaten nor drank very much since about late Friday night.
She was very playfull yesterday. Today she took a few licks of milk and water and she licked a pounce treat. She has been a little more sleepy than usual.
About a 1/2 hour ago I cleaned up her throw up and when I looked at the paper towel I found a skinny, whiteish, string that was curled like a broken circle. It was no more than 1 1/2 - 2 inches.
I feel like I should go to a store and buy OTC dewormer till Friday.
Should I do that? What kind of worm is this? Thank you

Thanx for the help so far everyone! I will try the rice/bland chicken to coax her into eating. Even a few bites is good for me.
I love my Foxxy. I have another girl Lucky she is 2 and has all of her stuff done medically.

Answer 1

When pets are vomiting the best thing to do is take their food and water up for at least 12hrs. Then give ice chips, and light food such as boiled chicken and rice. Most turn up their noses at this, but just keep a very small amount of the chicken water to put on the rice. be sure to rinse any excess fat off the breast. DO NOT buy an OTC product for her, and PLEASE don't use any HARTZ products on her, they are known to cause seizures in animals and are facing many lawsuits, at least in Fl. they are. Best thing is to get her to the vet ASAP or go to your nearest animal emergency clinic. Sounds like she has roundworm,and you shouldn't wait till her appt. Call the vet, tell him what is going on, more than likely he will not only give you the best advice, but he may also do all the shots and bloodwork, she's your baby treat her like so. GOOD LUCK. P.S. Don't forget to bring a stool sample with you, the vet will need one, and may even give SubQ fluids to rehydrate her.

Answer 2

She may need a deworming. You don't say how old she is. Sometimes with vomiting and diarrhea it is just best to let the whole intestinal system take a rest so it won't hurt her to fast for a day.

I hope she isn't getting shots, being dewormed and spayed all at the same time. I don't think any responsible vet would do that all together. So the worming should come first and only under a vet's supervision so the right medication is given for the particular parasite she might have. Absolutely don't do this yourself with stuff you can buy at a store. If she has a spay appointment for next Friday call the vet and tell him she may have worms as has been off food, throwing up, lethargic etc. and you might be able to run in to get something for the worms. The vet would like a fecal sample so the type of worm can be identified. Different kinds require different medications and that's why you should not attempt the deworming yourself.

If her symptoms persist the vet will probably want to postpone the surgery.

Answer 3

Cat's who've lived outside, even for a short time, get a lot of intestinal parasites because of their hunting abilities; they eat a lot of small animals that have intestinal parasites that in turn, infect the cat.

The most common intestinal parasites are roundworms. They look like you're describing, and can be expelled via vomit. Often times the cats also pass the worms in stool and have a large, round belly. Roundworms should not, however, cause a decrease in appetite, so there is a chance that it could be something more sinister than a parasite.

Regarding the other intestinal parasites listed - tapeworms will not be vomited up, and will instead be seen as small segments, moving or dry, around the anus. Hookworms and whipworms are also not seen in vomit; instead they're often clinically manifested as diarrhea (sometimes explosive) with, occassionally, blood. They can be a little uglier than roundworms when it comes to the deworming treatments and overall negative effects on the infected cat.

I would avoid over-the-counter dewormers; they can have questionable quality and don't seem to work very well. The roundworms won't hurt her for a few days, and if your veterinarian has seen her for a physical already, you should be able to get some dewormer while you're waiting for her to get her next round of vaccines and spay on Friday.

If her appetite continues to drop off, or her vomiting continues, there is a concern that she'd become dehydrated and need medical attention sooner. Remember, no one knows your kitten like you do, and you should go with your gut. You can try tempting her with things like tuna or chicken pieces to keep her eating, but avoid giving her regular milk as cats are lactose-intolerant. You can, though, give her kitten or cat milk, which you can purchase in most grocery store pet isles.

Best of luck with your kitten. I really commend your concern - your kitten is lucky to have such an attentive and caring owner.

Answer 4

The worm you are describing is a roundworm. I wouldn't purchase over the counter medication. I would call your vet Mon. AM and explain that you have an appt for friday, but would like to get some roundworm medication. They may want you to bring in a sample, so next time she vomits a worm, save it in a plastic bag. Not all clinics are ok with giving out meds without seeing the animal, but it's worth a shot, especially since you do have an appt on Friday.

Answer 5

Hmm, sounds like worms. Tapeworm, hookworm....

The vet will give her medication for the worms. Be sure to bring a stool sample in to the doctors office. If you don't want to wait, you can either bring just the stool in and have them do the fecal floatation test on it for parasites. It'll take about 5 minutes and this way they can prescribe the medication for you. You could also see if they would be able to squeeze you in earlier, like Monday if possible. If the vet hears that she's not eating or drinking, he may consider that an emergency and squeeze you in earlier.

I'd hold off on the milk too. That can irritate a cat's stomach.

Answer 6

Is he's hydrated (moist diapers 3-5 cases an afternoon) i does not be too worried over 2 days of runs. The cough appears like perhaps the croop...attempt sitting in a steamy bathe with him for 20 minutes each and every 2 hours. i does not get lower than pressure out over h1n1...that is an over hyped media brought on panic. Its only a flu rigidity...and honestly, the few individuals I met with h1n1 look to get more effective swifter, with milder indications 2 days on universal, with a hundred and one fevers.

Answer 7

over the counter wormer wont kill all the kinds of worms but it might help..I would give it to her and keep the friday appointment
DONT GIVE HER MILK... milk is actually very bad for cats.. it is probably part of what is making her sick.. pounce treats are not very nutritios either

she should have good chicken and rice KITTEN food only .. and water...
call the vet to see if they can get her in sooner