If your cat is suffering from diarrhoea or is vomiting but otherwise seems to be in good health generally, something a cat owner can do is to withhold all food for 24 hours and restrict water intake to small drinks every few hours.
We have to make sure that the vomiting is not a one-off vomit due to a hairball or due to antibiotics for example. Antibiotics alter the normal flora in the gut. If my cat vomited twice in one day I’d watch and probably withhold food as suggested above but ultimately it is about judgment.
This is a case where careful observation and a willingness to take your cat to the vet as soon as required is the rule which guides us. Home treatments are fine but they are limited unless you are very experienced and you work with your vet. I know that some cat owners do this.
If a cat is vomiting a great deal water should be restricted to very small amounts but not withheld completely as it will cause dehydration.
This allows the digestive system to calm down and rest while preventing the loss of fluids from the body. Loss of fluids can cause dehydration.
After the cat has stopped vomiting give him some more water. If the water is kept down, larger amounts of water can be given.
For diarrhoea, an over-the-counter drug for home veterinary use is suggested by some vets: loperamide (Immodium) at 1 mg per 10 pounds of body weight given orally every 12-24 hours. No idea how you give a cat that stuff orally, however 😉 .
After 24 hours a small amount of bland food can be given. An example would be strained meat baby food (high in meat protein). We are told that well-cooked white rice mixed with pieces of skinless chicken breast which has been boiled to remove fat will normally be tolerated. There are hypoallergenic commercially made cat foods which are bland. Hill’s Prescription Diet Feline i/d is recommended.
This bland diet should be provided for several days after a bout of diarrhoea or vomiting.
Pumpkin is said to help when treating both constipation and diarrhoea.
Important note:
- Common sense tells us that our cat should be carefully observed at this time for other signs of illness, and if there are, and if the vomiting or diarrhoea persists a veterinarian should see the cat as soon as possible.
- If the patient is a young kitten – call the vet and go for advice asap.
You paint a picture of an animal loving community. I hope you receive a reward of some kind somewhere for your kindness. Cindy sounds nice as does your roommate.
I try to be. I will stick up for those who need it, and you don’t want to see what I do when I see someone abusing a child, elderly person, or animal.
This year for Christmas my neighbor Cindy got me some cat toys and treats for the cats, and I got her dog a few chew toys and new orthopedic bed (Pugsley is about 14 years old I think Cindy said, and arthritic). My roommate will pick up cat and ferret supplies if I’m running low on food or kitty litter, and I’ll pick up dog food and chew bones for her dogs.
My other roommate also has a cat, so there’s 7 cats total in the house, and we all look out for each other’s pets. We also tend to look out for one another.