My senior cat is vomiting & not using the litter box. What's wrong?

Poor kitty! In a 13 year old cat, I strongly suspect that she has a medical problem causing these issues. Some common possible causes would include hyperthyroidism, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease. I would recommend taking her to the vet for an exam as soon as you are able to - he/she can do blood work and a urinalysis to help diagnose the problem and get her started on appropriate medication to treat it.

Cats should have a bowel movement roughly twice a day. When they don't, that generally means there is a problem. Sometimes this can be a sign of an inappropriate diet, not enough water intake, a neurological issue or a tumor blocking the intestines. Since she is older and it sounds like it's been a year, I recommend to start with a veterinary visit. Bring in a fresh sample of stool so the vet can check it. Make sure to speak with the veterinarian about food options as well. Increasing the amount of fiber in the diet can often help as can feeding a canned food with additional water added. There is also a special prescription diet made by Royal Canin called Fiber Response that many cats respond well to. Older cats often need more care (just like older humans) so have her examined within the next day or so. I hope this helps.

Hello. I am sorry to hear that Smokey isn't feeling well. Vomiting in cats can be due to many reasons including gastric upset, obstructions (something stuck in the gut where it shouldn't be), constipation, pain and stress. Peeing outside the litter box can be due to a medical condition (urinary tract infection, metabolic disease like diabetes, crystals, or interstitial cystitis). Peeing outside the box can also be behavioral if the box isn't cleaned, if there aren't enough litter boxes (# of cats + 1 = # of litter boxes), or if she isn't feeling well and she is trying to tell you. Also, since your cat is unspayed, she is at risk for pyometra (infected uterus). If she is still bright and happy and wanting to play and eat I would try changing the litter, getting another box, and seeing if this behavior goes away. Alternatively you can bring her to a vet and get her urine checked- this is ideal. If she is not bright, not wanting to eat, and the vomiting continues and she continues to not use the litter I would have her seen right away by a veterinarian as there could be something seriously wrong. Also, since she is unspayed, she could be marking, I would recommend getting her spayed once this illness is cleared up. I hope she feels better soon.

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this. It sounds like your kitty is very ill. I would recommend taking him to an emergency clinic (or his regular clinic tomorrow if an emergency clinic is not possible) for an exam and labwork. This could be something treatable (or at least manageable, if not curable) or it may not be. I would be worried about kidney disease, thyroid disease, diabetes, cancer, and liver disease - it could definitely be other things too, but these are at the top of my list. Good luck with your kitty. Let me know if this was helpful advice or setup a consultation if you need further help.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Chloe. I recommend that she sees her veterinarian. She is either having diarrhea and is unable to make it to her box or she is ill enough that she is just not capable of getting there. Her veterinarian will likely recommend blood work and possibly other testing to determine the cause of her illness. From there, treatment can be prescribed. Older cats are prone to thyroid disorders, kidney disease and pancreatitis among other problems. I hope this information helps!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Sweety! If Sweety didn't eat for several days or isn't eating normally she will pass less stool which doesn't necessarily mean she is constipated. If Sweety is not spayed then I would be very concerned that she has a uterine infection (pyometra) which requires immediate Veterinary care and surgery to remove the infected uterus. This is a life threatening condition. Other possibilities is a urinary tract infection which also require a Vet exam and analysis of her urine and antibiotics. I recommend that Sweety sees a Vet today. I hope this helps and I wish Sweety a speedy recovery!

Hi. Poor Zuzu. Usually when kitties defecate, or urinate, outside the box, they are trying to tell us something, if she isn't urinating, that is definitely a concern. Most likely though, she is going somewhere or she would be a lot sicker. I recommend getting her seen as soon as you can. In older kitties, some of the common problems we see include kidney disease, high thyroid, cardiac disease, diabetes, UTI's, or cancers. So in a case like this, blood and urine will help us rule a lot of those out. So to start I recommend an exam and labwork. Good luck