AboutJessica Expertise I have bred Siamese cats and have years of experience caring for homeless, feral, orphaned, and terminally ill cats. I am knowledgeable in cat behavior, health, history, troubleshooting, breeds, coat patterns and colors, and trivia.
Experience I have extensive experience with cats ranging from breeding to at-home medical care to rescuing homeless cats and placing them in homes. I have assisted cats giving birth and hand-nursed kittens who were neglected by their mother from 2 days old through weaning. I have given supportive care to cats suffering from diabetes, terminal cancer, feline leukemia, feline infectious peritonits, and kidney, liver, and heart failure. I have been through chemotherapy with two of my cats who had lymphoma and have also been through many cutting edge surgeries with my special needs cats.
Question my kitten lost it's mother (we don't know where she went) and so these kind people took him and his brother and sister in and raised them. then his sister started "nursing" on him and they had to separate them. a week after we got him he started peeing blood. we took him to the vet and it turned out because his sister "nursed" on him she had given him a bladder infection. so we treated him and it went away. but today he upchucked this yellowy micture. is he okay? is it hurting him? do we need to take him to the vet? HELP!
Answer Hi Nicole. Cats have sensitive stomachs, and they vomit more frequently than other animals. You can expect to see periodic vomiting throughout his life, and infrequent vomiting is nothing to be concerned over. Thick yellow vomit is usually digested food, and a liquid yellow vomit can be bile, a fluid full of enzymes that helps digest food. In either case, it would just indicate an upset belly if the vomiting were limited to a short period (less than 24 hours). However, if it is happening weekly or daily, or he has a vomiting streak that lasts more than 24 hours, then it is a sign that there's a problem, and he should see a vet.
In kittens, intermittent but persistent vomiting is often a sign of roundworm infection. Most kittens become infected with roundworms very young, sometimes through mom's milk within the first couple days of life. The tiny worm larvae pass in the breast milk and mature in the kitten's digestive tract, where they reach adulthood about 3 weeks later. In a few weeks, they begin to cause major stomach upset, leading to vomiting. Your vet can give you a very safe liquid to treat roundworms. It's generally given in 2 or 3 doses that are repeated anywhere from one to two weeks apart.
If the kitten begins vomiting several times in one day, and it continues beyond 24 hours, the cause is more likely a viral infection or a serious protozoan parasite like coccidia or giardia. You should get him to the vet right away if he vomits persistently over a 24 hour period. He may suffer dehydration, and I'm not sure how old he is, but if he's very young and he can't keep any food down, hypoglycemia might be a worry. Some antibiotics will usually be given for infections like this, and fluids under the skin may be advised to prevent dehydration.
He may have a food intolerance, but I wouldn't make any food changes just yet. I would keep an eye on him and see if the vomiting continues. If this was just a one time thing, you are okay!
