Expert: Ali - 2/12/2010

Question
My cat has been making a heaving or hiccuping motion all day, but not making any sounds. he then threw up dark brown sludge which looked like a soft stool. now i just found out his bum has a brown watery liquid coming from it with a little bit of blood. My brother says not to do anything about it. and i can't really afford a vet, so should i just wait and see if he's ok by tomorrow?

Answer
Louie,

It sounds to me like your kitty could be quite sick. Unfortunately the history provided really doesn't give me much information about what's happening to your kitty. I don't know if he's eating, drinking or behaving normally and all of these factors are important when it comes to assessing just how urgently a kitty needs treatment. If your kitty wasn't vomiting and passing very watery stool tinged with blood it may not have been so urgent for him to receive treatment, however from the history you provided I can say this - if one of my cats had these symptoms they would have been to the vet today at the earliest opportunity to be assessed and treated. In cats age makes a difference when it comes to what could be causing the symptoms you're seeing, so does their environment (indoor, outdoor or indoor/outdoor kitty), access to other cats, vaccine status and overall health history so I'm not sure what's happening with him. Since he's vomiting and has fairly severe diarrea he's most likely quite dehydrated at this point, especially if he's been vomiting and passing loose, watery stool all day. There's a good chance that your kitty will need blood tests, possibly an x-ray or two to diagnose what the problem could be and he's probably going to need some fluids given by IV or under the skin to help rehydrate him - beyond that your kitty may also need medication or more invasive treatment to help restore his health depending on what the diagnostic tests reveal.

While I understand that many pet parents are finding it difficult to budget for unforeseen veterinary visits such as this there's a possibility that your vet will permit you to make a deposit against the cost of your kitty's treatment and make regular payments until you're paid off - this often varies based on how long you've been a client with the vet's practice and what their policies are regarding payments. You may even want to consider asking the vet if s/he would permit you to pay via post dated cheques, some vets are more comfortable with such a payment arrangement. Borrowing money from friends/family and making payment arrangements directly with them or using credit to pay the vet bill are also possibilities that would allow you to pay for the medical care your kitty needs. Depending on where you live I may be able to provide you with the names of different organizations that may be willing to pay part or all of the cost of your kitty's veterinary care (some areas have very few resources though so there's a chance I may not know of any organizations that could help you out). I completely understand that in today's economy finances are tight for most people which is why I keep a binder that contains the names of organizations and charities that specifically help pet parents with the financial cost of their pet's medical care. At this point it may even be worth it to find out if your local animal shelter has a veterinary clinic that offers vet care at a reduced rate for folks in tight financial situations. I really wish that I could offer you more help, but this is a medical issue and unfortunately there's little that I can do since I'm not a veterinarian and I can't diagnose what's causing your kitty's symptoms or recommend treatments to help him recover from his illness. If you have any further cat related questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me again, I'll do my absolute best to help you out.