Yes, cats vomit. Someitmes their food just didn’t agree with them or they nibbled on something they should not have – like an insect that got into the house and they decided to hunt it. As a cat owner, you get used to the occasional fur ball. But when vomiting becomes more than that one time, it’s time to run to the vet.

This is what happened with Walker. A few Friday’s ago, Walker vomited. I cleaned it up and didn’t think much of it. But that night, he vomited again and it was his dinner, not simply a bit of food. Saturday morning, I called my Vet. By that time he had also vomited up his Saturday breakfast. My Vet didn’t have an opening, but said to give him some bland food, maybe a chicken and rice mix, then we set an appointment for Monday morning. He didn’t vomit Saturday night, but he didn’t eat either. Sunday, he vomited his breakfast and I decided to not wait for Monday, but to take him to the Emergency Vet.

There are two conditions I know about that bring on vomiting like what Walker’s episode: Kidney Disease and obstructions. I was pretty sure it wasn’t kidney desease, but was very concerned about an obstruction. At the emergency center, I found out it was neither of these issues. Poor Mr. Walker was constipated. How could they tell? They did blood work and x-rays.

I had no idea a cat could get constipated, but apparently it is very common in cats. In fact, constipatation can become a major concern if not treated properly. There is a condition called megacolon which can be caused by prolonged constipation and eventually require surgery. So while I was extremely relieved he did not have an obstruction, constipation is no laughing matter (a bit of a pun on no fecal matter).

What caused the constipation in Mr. Walker? Well, it’s hard to tell. The Vet recommended I get a water fountain. I already have 4 water fountains in the house located in the rooms they frequent the most. The Vet recommended I feed him wet cat food. He gets wet cat food 3 times a day and has hard cruncies for when he doesn’t like the food. Some days he will go crazy over the same brand/flavor and other days he turns his nose up at it. Go figure. I was asked about how clean the litter is — I clean it minimum daily, sometimes 2X a day and routinely replace the litter with fresh, cleaning the box at the same time.

The vet gave him a enema. I’ve read online where some folks give their cats an enama. DON’T! That procedure is one only a vet should do. We now have a laxative, which I would love to get a video of him getting it. Mr. Walker got wise about the towel burrito. I had to trick him by putting some of his favorite broth in a plate and squirting the laxative in it. Then one day, he started nibbling the syringe and I gently squirted a bit in his mouth. He lapped up that entire syringe of laxative straight from the syringe!

We also got some perscription food for him and even Monroe likes this food. Good thing she can eat it also because these two do everything together! Three of the kitty cams to point directly at the litter boxes so I can see whose doing what daily. The human servant now has a new role — poop monitor!

Moral of the story: always have an emergency veternarian you can take your kitty to. You cannot always count on your vet being open or that they will have an available time slot for a sick kitty. All in all, the cost of this incident was approximatley $2000. During the holidays that can be quite a bite out of the budget. Therefore, get your kitty insured. I pay $35 monthly per kitty on insurance and will get about 80% of this reimbursed.

Here’s to a new year and we pray it is marked by regularity!