Expert: Jessica - 4/22/2010

Question
When we left on vacation, we had to leave our cat in a pet hotel. Before, he used to be really, really hyper, and after the hotel, he is really sick. He used to have something like asthma about 3 times a day, and we took him to a vet. They gave him a shot and said if it , bring him the next day. It continued, so we brought him back. The professional vet gave him some really painful shot and said that if he continues coughing and breathing hard, they will have to make an X-Ray. We took him home that day, and he seemed fine. He doesn't cough anymore, but now he eats nothing at all, only drinks water. He also vomits about 5 times a day with some kind of foam or just white. He used to go to the bathroom and his pee was brown, and he pooped really badly. Now he doesn't even go to the bathroom, is really thin, vomits, very weak, and we don't know what to do. What is happening to our cat? He is only 4 and a half months old. Please help!

Answer
Hi Anna.  I'm not sure what's wrong with your kitten, but he needs to get back to the vet right away.  It's not normal for the urine to be brown, and going just a day or two without urinating can kill a cat.  I'm sure the vet will want to do some urine tests to see if the kitten has a urinary tract infection or urinary tract crystals.  He may even have a urinary tract blockage or kidney failure.  Blood tests will be helpful in determining this, as well.

Fecal blockages are just as dangerous as urinary tract blockages, although they take a little longer to become dangerous - about 4 days.  Both conditions can cause vomiting and refusal to eat.  The vet will palpate your cat's abdomen to determine whether the cat's bladder or bowels feel full.  If the bladder feels empty but the bowels feel full, your kitten may be given an enema, or a surgery may need to be performed to remove the feces.  Sometimes, the intestines may be blocked because the kitten has swallowed something that's blocking them such as a piece of plastic or a string, which pulls the loops of the intestines shut.  If this is true, the foreign body will need to be surgically removed.

Potentially, your kitten could have a very severe parasitic roundworm infestation if he has not been dewormed.  These can cause coughing early in the infection, since immature worms enter the lungs and are coughed up into the throat.  Then, they migrate down the esophagus into the stomach and the intestines, where they grow into adults.  The coughing subsides, but then the cat often begins vomiting.  Although rare, in extremely severe cases, the worms can become so numerous that they cause intestinal blockages.  This would not explain his urinary symptoms, however.

The vet might need to do x-rays or blood tests to determine your kitten’s blood cell counts, organ functions and his feline leukemia and AIDS statuses.  I would recommend going ahead with these tests to get to the bottom of his illness.  The best treatment can be suggested after a physical exam, and after the results of these tests, if warranted.

Best of luck!

Jessica