Expert: Jessica - 4/3/2010

Question
I have a two year old cat who up until two days ago was acting fine. Two days ago she threw up some bile with a white worm about 4 inches long. Since then she has not eaten and threw up another last night of about the same size. I took her to the vet today and she got medicine however the vet was telling me that it is unlikely she would lose her appetite and vomit with worms. Now I am worried and am wondering how unlikely it is. How long should it be before she is feeling better and is her behaviour normal? Should we just leave her alone or should we force feed?
The vet wanted to do an exam to see if she swallowed something and a bunch of tests to find out if she has any other conditions. We just simply cannot afford to that at that the moment.She has never shown any problems until she passed the worm.
Thank you,
Sandra

Answer
Hi Sandra.  I agree with your vet that it's unusual for a cat to lose appetite due strictly to worms.  Worms can certainly cause diarrhea and intermittent vomiting.  But it's more likely that you're noticing she's vomiting up worms because her stomach is so empty now that she's not eating.

Generally, some complete stomach rest is recommended when a cat is vomiting, for a day or two.  However, supportive care with fluids underneath the skin is strongly suggested to prevent dehydration and provide some electrolytes.  Your vet can show you how to give fluids under the skin at home.  These are generally pretty inexpensive (about $20 for a bag with the line and needles where I am, but you will probably be charged an additional office visit for the vet to give you instructions).  If you are unable to afford this, I would try force-feeding your kitty after two days' stomach rest with some chicken baby food.  This is not a complete diet for cats but it's the easiest thing for them to digest, and it's okay to feed as a temporary diet.  Try feeding her a teaspoon (5 cc's or ml's) at first, then graduate to a tablespoon.  You'll want her to eat at least two jars a day, ideally, as long as she can keep it down.  If she does well, switch her back to a canned cat food after a week.

I do think it would be great to follow up with some blood tests and/or an x-ray if the vomiting continues.  Hopefully, though, this is just a stomach virus that will pass with a little TLC.

Best wishes!

Jessica