Expert: Becky - 10/2/2006

Question
Thanks for the quick response. I now have another question. He has stopped vomiting now (at least it have been 10 hours since his last episode, much longer than yesterday), but he is still not eating, or drinking that I can tell. He is acting more playful, and seems more like himself today, except for the eating part. I did tell the vet about his not eating while we were there yesterday, and it didn't seem to concern him too much, but he did give Buster a shot of antibiotic "just in case." He doesn't seem to be showing signs of dehydration, but I am growing concerned with his not wanting to eat. Should I try to force something into him, or wait until tomorrow when I can take him to the vet? I am worried that if he doesn't eat something soon, they will have to give him iv fluids, and I'm not sure we can afford that right now (I am out of work right now). I want to help him get better as best I can, which to me would seem to be force feeding him, but I don't want to hurt him either.
Thanks again for your response and well wishes.
Jodi
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Followup To

Question -
Hi there, I've got a question about my sick cat. He is about 21 weeks old, and has been vomiting all day. We took him to the vet after he threw up a roundworm, and they gave him a heavy duty de-worming medication, which he threw up about an hour and a half later, most of it was dissolved, but of course we don't know how much of it actually got into his system. The vet's office was closed by this time, and we were told we'd have to go back on Monday to give him another dose of the medicine. I'm hoping he somehow got enough medicine to at least get some of the worms out in the meantime.Sorry, I know that's a lot of background, but I figured you might need that info.
Anyway, my main question is, is there anything I can do in the meantime to help him feel better? He won't eat, and doesn't seem to be drinking much either, and he looks so emaciated. I feel so bad for him, and I don't know what I can do to help him! We have put him in our bathroom, his favorite place, and we have removed anything he could possibly get into, to avoid him eating anything that could make him worse. We put his favorite blanket in the sink (his VERY favorite spot to curl up), and put all his food and water and the litter box in with him. We have a 2-year-old who doesn't understand that he is sick, so we figured it would be best to keep him isolated for a while so he can rest.
My other question is, is there anything I need to do to "decontaminate" our house? I know the worms are passed through feces, and I am using a temporary litter box right now that I plan on throwing out after the worms are gone, and I have sanitized the usual litter box for after the treatment is done. But I wasn't sure how contagious the worms are- the vet said that they can be passed on to humans- and I don't want anyone in my family getting sick, so I wasn't sure if there are any other precautions I should be taking to make sure no one gets sick.
Thanks in advance for your help!
Jodi

Answer -
Hi Jodi,

It sounds like your kitty is more sick than just worms.  Normally,unless the cat is just infested with worms, they do not display these symptoms.  He probably did get some of the meds into his system, but you really do need to take him back to the Vet to be dewormed again.  But not just for that, but to have him checked.  Cats that don't eat are sick.  Since cats love to eat, it's a number one symptom that something is wrong.  Having worms would not keep him from being hungry.  Putting him in the bathroom is a good idea, simply to let him rest.  You don't have to worry about him passing anything to your toddler unless he actually eats the feces of your kitty.  Worms are passed onto humans only if they have contact by mouth. For instance, if a cat uses a sand box for a litter box and a child plays in that sandbox later and accidentally ingests some of the feces, or touches it and later puts his hand in his mouth.  Do you see what I mean?  Your child cannot get the worms by petting or being near your cat.  He/She has to actually ingest the parasite through contact with the feces.  So don't be afraid of letting your child pet your cat, although right now since he doesn't feel good, it's a good idea to isolate him as you are doing.   No need to decontaminate your house because as I said, humans cannot catch anything from cats except by ingestion of the actual parasite.  Feline diseases etc, are not transferred to humans.  
You could try to tempt your cat to eat with some meat baby food, the kind you buy in the little jars.  That is usually very appetizing to cats.  I would watch him very closely and you can use your own judgement on whether or not he needs to go to an Emergency Vet Clinic that most cities have for weekend emergencies.  
I certainly hope he gets better.  God bless you.

Becky

Answer
Hi again Jodi!
Did you try the baby food?  Most cats LOVE that stuff. Cottage cheese is really good for stomach upsets.. maybe he will eat some of it.  I wouldn't try force feeding him if you are going to the vet tomorrow.  Even if you did, he would probably throw it up.  Sounds like he may have some type of stomach bug and hopefully by tomorrow he will feel more like eating. The fact that he is playing is a GREAT sign!  As far as him being dehydrated, here is how you can tell.  Take the skin behind his neck and pull it up. If he is ok, it should snap back into place. If he is dehydrated, it will stand up.  Hopefully, he is not.  
I hope he feels better soon. I know that you are very worried.

God Bless,
Becky