Ask the Veterinarian/My cat Binx

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Expert: - 2/6/2011


Question
Hi,
My 12 year old cat is vaccinated, fleaed and wormed, and seems to happy and not distressed, however the last few weeks she has been throwing up, usually once or twice a week, but she does go outside so it could be more. She also drools sometimes. She eats dry cat food, and she will usually just eat little bits at a time throughout the day. I would like to take her to the vet but i know my dad will say it's nothing, so i thought i'd find out if it could be anything requiring treatement, and i will take her myself if that's the case.

Thanks :)

Answer
Well Courtney, the one thing you don't mention is what is she eating? Has her food been changed recently?

A 12 year old cat is pretty close to 77 years old in human years, so many things can start to change at this age. Some concerns I would have about a cat that is drooling, vomiting and not eating well are: How are her kidneys doing and how are her teeth?

Kidney failure is unfortunately very common in cats over 10 years old and persistent vomiting can be a sign of this. So can drooling.

But because they can drool with teeth that are bad, painful or gums that are sore it is hard to tell which problem it could be.

A trip to the vet's is warranted here and soon. Kidney failure can be treated if caught early enough and she can live many more years with it. Teeth can be treated depending on the problem of course.

But this is not "nothing" and she does need to see the vet soon. Let your Dad know that it is very important that you do not wait. Call you vet Monday morning and make an appointment for her.
Please let me know how she does.  

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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 answer questions about 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.

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

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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!).

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Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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