Expert: Jessica - 12/20/2009

Question
Our cat Ian has for the last 3 to 4 days been licking his lips and gagging.  He threw up for the first time today.  Primarily stomach fluid.  He is sociable and eats as well as plays with our other cats.   We have a new  kitten and Ian  had  been eating kitten food for about two weeks.  The gagging began two weeks after eating the kitten food (Iams).   We  are really concerned but  can't really afford an expensive vet bill now.  Can you give me any suggestions.
thank you,
Diane Askren

Answer
Hi Diane.  Very unfortunately, this is one that only a vet can treat.  There are no medications on the market that can stop nausea in cats without a prescription, although sometimes catnip will calm their stomach a bit.  Place one teaspoon of dried catnip into one cup of boiling water and allow to steep for 10 minutes.  Then, strain out the catnip and offer the cat the tea, or syringe-feed up 1/8 a cup.

But Ian may have contracted something from the kitten.  The protozoan germs coccidia and giardia are common in kittens.  They cause nausea and vomiting and often diarrhea and can be spread through sharing litter boxes.  These must be treated with a prescription from the vet.

Roundworms are intestinal parasites that cause nausea and vomiting, as well.  These are also spread through sharing litter boxes.  The symptoms typically develop about three weeks after contracting the worms.  There are over-the-counter dewormers.  I don't really like the ones for cats, as they are less effective and not as safe as the ones vets will give you.  The vet would most likely give you pyrantel pamoate, the ingredient in most human pinworm medications and also in the dog dewormer Nemex.  You can safely use these in cats.  Both can be ordered online without a prescription.  I recommend the pyrantel pamoate for humans because it's more concentrated, so you won't have to give as much.  If you get the 50mg/ml strength, you can administer 1/2 ml (1/10 teaspoon) per ten pounds of body weight.  If you use Nemex, which is much more diluted, you should follow the same dosage instructions for puppies.  Whichever product you use, you will need to repeat the treatment in 3 weeks.  Be sure to treat all cats in the house so that they don’t pass them back and forth.  Also, make sure to scoop the litter boxes of solid waste every day, as the eggs become infective after 48 hours.  Removing the stool will dramatically cut back on the number of eggs your cats are exposed to.

Nausea and vomiting can be caused by more serious ailments, including kidney failure, liver failure and pancreatitis.  Your vet will need to perform blood tests in order to diagnose these, although this may not be deemed necessary depending on the exam.  At my vet hospital, these tests run $90-$150, depending on exactly which tests are run.  If you can’t afford this, be honest with the vet, and they should begin with the most conservative treatments.

Licking the lips is likely in response to his nausea, but it can also indicate dehydration.  Your vet can administer fluids under Ian’s skin to correct this.  They can also give him an injection of an anti-nausea medication or send you home with pills.

I hope he’s feeling much better soon!

Jessica