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About Jana Connell RVT, CVT
Expertise
PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT do birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience
I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

Organizations
Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

Education/Credentials
Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

You are here: Experts > Animals/Pets > Pet Birds > Ask the Veterinarian > very sick cat

Ask the Veterinarian - very sick cat

Expert: Jana Connell RVT, CVT - 11/7/2009

Question
my cat got sick a couple of days ago, he presented with vomiting, diarrhea and crying a howling cry.
we took him to the emergency vet and she gave him some ranitidine and the vomiting got better, the diarrhea was not horrible at this point, the next morning we took him to our regular vet and he said that he might have eaten something bad %26 he gave him a injection to help the nausea. my cat has had a history of renal insufficiency. but he said he did not think that was what was wrong. This morning when i woke up his diarrhea got really bad, not a lot comes out but he squats and strains, and only a little trickles out, he does not have a obstruction. we went back to the vet for the third time and she gave him a injection again and prescribed metronidazole, but he is still crying and straining to pass a small amount of diarrhea. how log until these meds work %26 he gets better?
and can you give me any advice?

Answer
Straining doesn't mean that he still has diarrhea, what it means is that it feels to him like he has to go, but there might not be anything in there.

While you didn't mention his age, I am going to guess he is an older cat- at least older than 7. Some older cats will develop a diverticulum in the intestines and that will cause the vomiting and diarrhea.

A diverticulum is a pocket in the intestine where fecal matter can get lodged, thus causing some toxic buildup which starts the vomiting. If they are big enough they can rupture and these can be fatal.

They are not common, but anytime a cat presents with both vomiting and diarrhea they are something to investigate. Cats rarely ever eat anything that will make them sick like this other than house plants or antifreeze and these are not the symptoms of antifreeze toxicity.

So I think his main problem is higher up in his stomach, small intestinal area- which is very painful and that is why he is howling and vomiting.

It takes about 24 hours for some of these medicines to kick in. You might want to try some baby food rice and chicken on him- it does help with the stool, gives him something bland for his stomach and is low sodium.

Otherwise that is about all I can add. Please let me know how he does.

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