My cat is on antibiotics for bladder, kidney or UTI. She hasn't

Ask Your Cat Question. Cat Experts Answer You ASAP.

(Not a Cat Question?)

My cat is on antibiotics for bladder, kidney or UTI. She hasn't eaten for 4 days and is still drinking plenty of water. She vomits twice a day (usually an hour or two after she has her antibiotic medicine.

She is showing small signs of improvement (clean coat, using litter box, moving around, purring at our petting, able to get up on chairs) unlike several days ago when she just lay near dead on her side.

She had blood in her urine but no white blood cells were present. Her bun was above 90. She showed improvementwithin 48 hours of antibiotics being administered.

My question is regarding the length of time she's refusing food. Oe hour ago I was encouraging her to eat a little chicken and rice and/or drink a little milk but the smell made her retch and vomit a clear thick substance with striations that looked like egg yolk.

Also: when we moved her litterbox to the room where she rests - we noticed that laundry detergent was dripping from a cupboard above. Now we are concerned that she may have been poisoned by laundry soap into her litter box all these months.

Any help is appreciated.

Customer (name blocked for privacy)

Status: Closed Value: $8

Hi,

When a cat doesn't eat for a period of time, such as you describe, they are at risk to develop hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver disease), and this needs to be treated by a vet right away. This is probably what's happening and is why you saw yellow streaks in the liquid that she vomited. She has nothing in her stomach, so she's vomiting bile and acid. When the stomach is empty, it produces acid, which in turn causes nausea, and that's probably why she vomited at the mere smell of the food.

Your cat should be brought back to the vet to assess this situation, and she may need nutrition IV. It's very good that she's been drinking, as that will help clear up the UTI, but the antibiotics could be irritating her system as well, and may need to be changed.

Also, and most importantly, if you feel she might have ingested some of this liquid laundry detergent, she should be treated for possible poisoning, as well. Do you have a vet ER nearby? If not, look in your Yellow Pages under Veterinarians and find a local listing that shows emergency hours/emergency phone number. I feel it's extremely important that she be seen today!

Please keep me posted on her condition and what the vet tells you.

Cher

If my answer is helpful please click ACCEPT. Click reply for further clarification. My only goal is to provide 100% helpful answers. Thanks for the opportunity to help!

Relist:
This morning Chloe's appetite rebounded some. She ate 1/2 Tablespoon of homemade chicken with rice and at least 4 pieces of her dry food kibble. No vomitting 3 hours later.

We're having a good day! After five days of roller coaster emotions - this morning she ventured to find me in bed and even groomed and nibbled my hand. Her nose was finally wet! Her purr was deeper and automatic. She even made biscuits on the carpet and wiggled on her back a moment! I was so happy that little tears squished out of my eyes. It's the little things...

Right now - everything is mimicking normalcy but with considerably less volume and more naps.

The vet I took her to last night for a re-evaluation gave me an organic charcoal mint solution in electrolyte water (kitty Pepcid?) to help with the nausea and tummy acids. Worked like a charm so far - good response within 12 hours. Vet suggested we keep with the same antibiotic because response in 48 to 72 hours is great sign.

Her bloodwork and urine we took two days ago didn't indicate a poisoning response said our vet, but fortunately the laundry soap leak will NEVER be a source of anxiety or hazard again!

We're discussing prevention and the introduction of Hills K/D after a few more weeks; since, Chloe is 11 years old now and her achilles heel is turning out to be kidney/UTI related. A fun kitty water fountain is shiping today to encourage future drinking. She's a poofy ragdoll coon mix so we have to keep her hindquarters cropped with our new handy cordless pet clippers to reduce bacteria. Girlfriend will also on a carefully measured diet now - fat kitty (though recently slimmer).

Chloe is my first and only feline and I blame myself for my slow mental adjustment to senior cat mentality and care/prevention: water encouragement, extra monitoring, additional grooming, dietary adjustments, pet steps for tall pouncing targets, and the heated orthotic nap pad. I hope other pet owners have the opportunity to adjust faster and more preventatively than I did.

Thanks from the bottom of our paws! I hope we get another 11 healthy years.

Mew - purr,
Angela and Chloe

Hi Angela and Chloe,

What a beautiful response! You've made my day!
: ) I'm so glad that Chloe is showing signs of improvement and doing more 'usual' things you're used to seeing. She sounds absolutely gorgeous and like quite the affectionate furball!

Please don't be so harsh on yourself! Every experience is a learning experience and right now the most important thing is that Chloe seems to be on the road to recovery, you've been made aware of many new things to monitor in the older cat, and you KNOW you're never going to have to worry about a leaky detergent bottle again! : )

Thanks so much for sharing all this information with me and my best thoughts and purrrs go out to you and Chloe! I do hope you'll keep me updated on her situation and pray she continues along this positive path to wellness!

Cher : )

If my answer is helpful please click ACCEPT. Click reply for further clarification. My only goal is to provide 100% helpful answers. Thanks for the opportunity to help!

Think you can answer this question?
Login or Become an Expert

DISCLAIMER: You acknowledge that any information you may obtain from individuals you contact through use of the JustAnswer service comes from those individuals, not from JustAnswer, and that JustAnswer is not in any way responsible for any of the information these third parties may supply. The site and services are provided "as is" with no warranty and no representations are made regarding the qualification of an Expert. Responses and comments on JustAnswer are for general information and are not intended to substitute for informed professional advice (such as medical, legal, investment or accounting) and do not establish a professional-client relationship. JustAnswer is not intended or designed to address EMERGENCY QUESTIONS which should be directed immediately by telephone or in-person to qualified professionals. Please carefully read the Terms of Service.

JustAnswer > Cat Breed Info and Feline Health Care

Bladder/UT or detergent poison?

Related Answers