I just got a kitten from the pound. They sent her to be spayed and when I brought her home she was fine, but?

Question

last night she stopped eating and drinking and started throwing up. The vet said to stop the antibiotics because they could be making her sick, but she's still throwing up, just bile, and after I gave her water. This is my first kitten ever, so I have no clue if this is normal for them or what the signs of dehydration would be. It's the weekend, so I'm really worried about it getting out of control. Any ideas?

Answer 1

Hi Carrie,

I assume the vomit is green in color, which is why you mentioned bile? Or perhaps is it the color of the food you are feeding your kitten?

If you go to the vet, take a sample of the vomit. Your vet will thank you for it. It greatly aids them in identifying the cause of the vomiting.

Below is a link on many reasons why cats vomit. Some causes are relatively benign, and some are more serious. These ideas will help you decide whether to take your kitten to the vet. They range from dietary indiscretions, pancreatitis, bowel obstruction, eating too rapidly, intolerance to specific food items, and diet change.

Is your kitten still bright-eyed, playful, and active? If so, those are good signs. If your kitten is listless, inactive, and appears very ill or does not want to move, these would be reasons to consider a vet visit.

If this is a new kitten, it could be something as simple as a diet change. A sudden change from one brand of food to another could cause a dietary upset. However, if your kitten has completely stopped eating and drinking, and has no interest in either, it could be an intestinal blockage, which would be an emergency. This may not be the case at all; just something to consider. Is your kitten running a fever? Normal temperature is between 101.5 and 102.5 degrees Farenheit. (I assume the kitten is above 4 weeks of age when giving you that temperature range.) You can take its temperature rectally using a digital infant thermometer with a dab of Vasoline on the end of it. Do not insert the thermometer more than 1/4". (I don't know how young your kitten is, so be careful; since you have never done this, you may want to wait for the vet to do this.)

Sometimes, if a kitten has started vomiting over something mild such as a dietary indiscretion, it will need a medication to calm its stomach to get it to stop that reflex. (However, never give such medications without a recommendation from your vet.) Sometimes you must withhold food and water for a short period, no more than 12 hours, to let their stomachs settle. (Again, until you know why your kitten is vomiting, you should not do this without consulting your vet.) However, if the kitten has been doing a lot of vomiting, there is a danger of dehydration, because they are losing fluids and electrolytes if they vomit too often. Dehydration is a dangerous and potentially life-threatening condition.

You mentioned your kitten was recently spayed. Perhaps your kitten is nauseous from the surgery and is having a reaction to the anesthetic. If they are offered food or water too quickly after surgery, they can easily vomit.

Look at the overall condition of your kitten, keep track of how often it vomits, try to take its temperature, then decide whether to take it to your vet. If the cat is vomiting several times an hour, and has been since last night, I would definitely take it to the vet. If your kitten is only vomiting when you offer it water or food, you will have to use the other factors to help weigh your decision. I hope the link below assists you in making your decision.

http://www.2ndchance.info/vomiting.htm

Edit: Some additional information, since you mentioned your kitten was recently spayed. As mentioned, your kitten could be having a reaction to the anesthetic. If they are offered food or water too quickly after surgery, they can easily vomit. If the surgery was just performed, they need at least 24 hours to be able to properly handle food and water. From this site: "As when any anesthesia is used, stomach upset can occur. To help avoid this, we recommend that you restrict the amount of food and water to which your pet has access. 1. Don't offer any food or water for 2 to 3 hours after you return home. After that time, you can offer a few pieces of ice, or a small amount of water. 2. If your pet does not vomit up the water, an hour later you can offer a small amount of his/her regular food (8-10 pieces dry, or 1 tablespoon canned food). 3. Gradually increase the amount of food and water over the next 24 hours. 4. Do not be alarmed if your pet does not eat or drink the first evening." I got that from this site: http://www.animaltrustees.org/ata-spayneuter.htm

Good luck. I hope your kitten feels better soon.

Answer 2

Usually when a kitten stops eating or drinking there's a reason. The danger comes when they become dehydrated. To check for that, pinch up a fold of skin on the kitten's shoulders. Let go of it and if it snaps right back down quickly, the kitten is not dehydrated. If, however, it goes back down slowly, then she is becoming dehydrated. To encourage her to eat you could get some canned cat food and put about a tablespoon on a paper plate and heat it in the microwave for a few seconds until it is just lukewarm. What this does is release the scent of the food. This may get her interested in eating. Instead of water, you could offer her Pedialyte, which is an electrolyte solution given to babies when they are dehydrated. I know it's safe for cats because my vet recommended it when I had some sick kittens. Even if she starts to feel better, I'd still call the vet on Monday.

Answer 3

Antibiotics can really make a cat nauseous and sick to their stomach. It's probably what's causing it.

If it was a problem with the spaying, you'd be seeing a fever in the cat, and her not wanting to move around much, but usually not anything being thrown up.

See if she's alert enough to look at you or track a cat toy. Pull a string in front of her and see if she slaps at it. If she does any of these, she's fine till Monday when you can get her in for a check. But I'm pretty sure, from what you've described, that it's a reaction to the upset stomach caused by antibiotics. Have the vet make a note in her file that she could be sensitive to the type that was prescribed. There are other antibiotics that don't cause that in sensitive cats and you may need to request those in the future.

Answer 4

YES!!!!!! If she's throwing up bile, she obviously can't keep anything down. That means dehydration may already be a problem. Maybe try to call a 24 Hour Veterinary Medicine Clinic. Explain what's up. Does the Vet have an answering service or someone on call for him for the weekend??? He should, if he doesn't! Seems like your Vet should have made a point of following up with you since he/she knew the kitten was struggling after surgery to keep any food down. That's not cool! Makes me mad!!!!! But, try to, at least, speak with a Vet, if you can't incur the expense of going in to see the doctor. Very good luck with the kitten! I hope you have her for many, many, many years to come!

Answer 5

One sign of dehydration is pale gums. Also, when you pull her skin it should bounce back automatically. If it doesn't she is dehydrated. Is she not eating at all or is she throwing up everything she eats? If you feed her then give her canned food with a lot of gravy in it. That will help with any dehydration. Can you call the vet and ask them for any more advice? If you think she is dehydrated it would be best to take in her to the vet on an emergency basis. If your vet does not do this find one who does. I hope she gets to be feeling better soon.

Answer 6

If she is throwing up just bile then she has vomited up all of her food. In order to calm her stomach and digestive system withhold all food for at least 12 hours and water at least 6. She needs her digestive system to rest. She is sick from the anesthesia. They probably gave her too much for her body weight.

Keep her calm this is not the time to be playing just some nice pets and soothing talk

Answer 7

That is worrysome, I'm sure you don't want to incur the cost of weekend vet, but I would at least call someone. I have never seen antibiotics do that in any of my animals, but sickness has. To be on the safe side, call the vet.

Answer 8

Some cats do things just because they are mad at you. However shes probably sick from the operation and she should start to get better soon. Of course if she doesn't improve then of course see the vet. There are animal hospitals that are open on weekends and late at night.

Answer 9

Take her back to the vet and/or get a second opinion.