Is my cat's diarrhea, vomiting, and low energy related to a hairball?

Acute vomiting and diarrhea, especially with poor appetite and lethargy, are certainly cause for concern. This could be caused by an infection, something stuck in Max's intestines, or a metabolic problem. At the veterinarian, they will examine him and probably take x-rays and run some lab work to look for the underlying cause of Max's issues. I wouldn't wait very long to go to the vet since Max is so young and small and so can become dehydrated quickly. See if you can get in for an exam today.

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! I am so sorry that Max is sick! We are not legally allow to prescribe medications because we are unable to examine the pets, which is required to have a client-veterinary-patient relationship. A week is a long time to be sick. Causes of vomiting and diarrhea are: intestinal parasites, viral or bacterial infections, he ate something gross. he has something stuck (blockage), pancreatitis, inflammatory bowel disease, food allergy/intolerance, reaction to new food/treat/table food. In an ideal work Max needs a Vet exam, a fecal test for worms and X-rays of his belly. If that is fine then I would deworm him, start an anti-nausea like cerenia (veterinary only) or metoclopramide for the vomiting, metronidazole for the diarrhea and put him on a commercial intestinal diet like Hill's i/d until his stools are normal. If you truly have no access to a Vet. I would deworm him with pyrantel or drontal, change his cat food protein source (chicken to beef or fish to chicken), and start a probiotic like Purina Fortiflora. I wish you the best! https://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=3464

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Alonzo. It could be irritating from the hair ball or it could be due to a stomach illness. I can give you a home remedy for him see if that helps. I recommend withholding food for tonight, then feed a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in his normal diet. If the vomiting continues in the absence of food, he refuses to eat the bland diet, he vomits the bland diet, develops diarrhea, stops drinking water, starts vomiting water, or becomes very lethargic, he will need to see a vet right away. I hope this helps!

Poor guy. It sounds like Simba could very well have inflammatory bowel disease if he is vomiting this much. The next best step here though to ensure we have not missed anything is some baseline bloodwork (check organ function and clues) and an abdominal ultrasound to look at the intestines for signs of inflammation. If inflammatory bowel disease is the most likely cause, then Simba will need to go on a prescription diet for best results. Some good options to consider are: Royal Canin Hypoallergenic Hydrolyzed protein, Hlil's Z/D Ultra or Royal Canin Selected protein PR. A short course of steroids should also be considered to help calm things down. Here is more information on inflammatory bowel disease in cats and the treatment options in detail --> https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=7393377 Another possible causes here is a hairball obstruction, so it is important to get Simba to your vet for radiographs of his stomach and look into this possible cause. If a hairball trichobezoar (hairball mass) is the cause, then it may need surgical removal. If it is not a severe case then your vet likely will try some stool softeners and hairball formula to see if this can resolve the issue. I hope that Simba does well moving forward and that you get a handle on her frequent vomiting episodes. Best of luck and take care.

Thanks for the images. It doesn't appear to be blood. Blood in vomitus is usually much darker. That appears to be a mix of chewed or partially digested food, bile and hair. Monitor for continued vomiting, lethargy or loss of appetite. These are symptoms that should be addressed by your veterinarian. Consider a short fast, maybe 12 hours, then offer a bland diet in small, frequent amounts for a day or two. Transition slowly to the regular diet afterwards. If Luna will allow, increase brushing or grooming to decrease the amount of hair ingested. You can also use Laxatone or PetroMalt paste to help her pass hairballs.Find either in the local Petco.

Poor Theodore! He could have hairballs, or he could have a GI illness, pancreatitis, a foreign body, or may have eaten something rotten. Given that he's not lethargic and seems normal, I'm going to suggest you try withholding food and feeding a bland diet to see if that helps. I recommend withholding food for 12-24 hours, then feeding a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in his normal diet. If the vomiting continues in the absence of food, he vomits the bland diet, develops diarrhea, stops drinking water, starts vomiting water, or becomes very lethargic, he will need to see a vet right away.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Dry heaving / vomiting could indicate a hairball obstruction, dietary indiscretion, systemic disease / infection, etc. I would recommend withholding food for at least 6-8 hours and then initiate a bland diet as outlined below. If the symptoms does not resolve or it worsens, I would recommend having a veterinarian take a look at Tiddles so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please take the time to mark this question as helpful or not as it helps us to improve on the quality of our answers to other pet owners. Thank you kindly! GENERAL INFORMATION A bland diet is a diet that is soft and highly digestible. It is low in fiber, fat and protein and is high in carbohydrates. Bland diets are generally composed of a single carbohydrate source and a single lean protein source. The most common bland diet is boiled rice and boiled lean chicken breast, without skin and bones. Since bland diets are low in fiber, stool production slows and defecation is less frequent. Bland diets are fed to rest the gastric system and to help promote normal stool formation. Animals that are physically sick should not be fed bland diets as a method of treatment. PRIOR TO FEEDING A BLAND DIET Pets should be fasted for 12 to 24 hours. Young animals should not be fasted for more than 12 hours. Fasting will allow the intestinal system to relax and minimize acid secretions that may irritate and inflame the intestinal lining. During the fast small amounts of water or ice chips may be provided. Never fast a sick animal, it may cause disease progression and death. BASIC BOILED RICE AND CHICKEN BLAND DIET RECIPE CARBOHYDRATE SOURCE: Boiled white rice LEAN PROTEIN SOURCE: Chicken breast, no skin and bones BOILED RICE: 1 part white rice with 3 parts water boiled for 20 – 25 minutes or until the rice is easily crushed. BOILED CHICKEN: De-fat chicken breast and boil in water for 10 – 15 minutes or until the chicken meat is easily pulled apart and cooked all way through. MIXING INSTRUCTIONS: Finely chop the lean protein and mix 2 cups carbohydrate source and ½ cup lean protein source. STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Bland diets can be premade and stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of 48 hours. The bland diet can be cooked in a batch and frozen in feeding sized portions to minimize preparation time. Thaw and warm the frozen diet prior to feeding. PERMITTED LEAN PROTEIN SUBSTITUTIONS Pork loin, egg whites, low fat cottage cheese. 7% low fat hamburger, plain low fat yogurt. PERMITTED CARBOHYDRATE SUBSTITUTIONS Boiled potatoes, boiled spaghetti, Minute rice. PERMITTED COMMERCIAL BLAND DIETS Science Prescription Diet I/D, Eukanuba Veterinary Diet Low Residue, Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Intestinal HE. FEEDING INSTRUCTIONS Estimate 25% of your animal’s diet and feed that amount of the bland diet every 6 – 8 hours. Smaller animals will require less and larger animals will require more adhering to the same carbohydrate to lean protein source ratio. The bland diet should be fed for 4 -5 days with no treats or other food sources until stools are firm. TRANSITION BACK TO A NORMAL DIET Never transition back to a regular diet rapidly. Transition back to the regular diet over a 1 week period. Start by adding 25% of the regular diet to 75% of the bland diet and feed that combination for 2 days. If stools continue to be firm then continue substituting the regular diet in 25% increments and feeding the combination in 2 day time intervals until the diet is 100% regular diet. Minimize treats for 1 week after moving the diet back to 100% regular diet.