My cat threw up blood and won't eat or drink. What should I do?

Hi, and thanks for your question. These signs could be compatible with an inflammation infection of the gastrointestinal system and surrounding organs (like pancreas and liver). A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is immediately essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics and possibly further investigations (like abdominal imaging as ultrasound or radiographs) may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

This does appear like blood, but I would first want to know if he/she ate anything that was red colored. If she/he did eat something red colored within the past three hours, then I'd assume this is causing this appearance. If not, then it's likely blood, which indicates an esophageal or gastric ulcer. Bleeding from these locations can be dangerous, because they can lose a significant amount of blood in the stomach and intestines. For this reason, we consider this an emergency and recommend a visit to the vet as soon as possible for an accurate diagnosis and treatment. It's not possible to say exactly what is causing this, as there are a few different possibilities. One possibility is that your cat ate something they were not supposed to like medication, a chemical (i.e. antifreeze), or a plant (i.e. lilies). Vomiting is often the first signs of an exposure to a toxin, so I recommend checking if it's possible for your cat to have eaten anything other than the normal diet. Vomiting and nausea can also be due to an infectious disease, organ failure, or imbalance in the blood. In order to narrow down the possibilities, you would have to take your cat to the vet for an evaluation. If you have further questions or need further clarification, then you may consider having an online consult with one of our vets on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. This way, you can send unlimited pictures and have a text conversation with a vet. I hope that helps and your cat gets better soon.

I am sorry matcha is not feeling well. I would recommend trying to find a veterinarian and take him in as soon as possible. Vomiting with blood can happen secondary to gastric upset , toxins and even foreign material. It is best he gets looked to determine the cause and provide proper treatment. In the mean time I would offer good and a bland diet to help calm his stomach. I hope that helps

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I would recommend withholding food for at least 8 hours and then initiating a bland diet as outlined below. The blood is likely due to gastritis with irritation in the stomach / GI tract. If the vomiting does not resolve or it worsens, I would recommend having a veterinarian examine him so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps and that he feels better soon! Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. 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.

I can see that the vomit has blood in it, which can be caused by stomach ulcers. Dark feces can also be an indicator of digested blood in the stool, which occurs with ulcers. Ulcers can be caused by a number of underlying conditions such as chronic foreign bodies, diet, or kidney disease. The sneezing can be a sign of pain or unrelated to the vomiting (concurrent upper respiratory or lung disease). I recommend having your cat seen by a vet right away. They will likely recommend bloodwork and x-rays to diagnose and localize the issue and begin an appropriate treatment plan. I hope all is well and am happy to answer any other questions you may have!

I'm sorry to hear that Hercules is not feeling well! I understand your concern for your little guy. You did the right thing by first withholding food after he vomited. However, the blood in his vomit is a bit more concerning. It could indicate irritation or ulcers in the esophagus or stomach, parasites, rat poison ingestion or blood clotting disorders. In young cats, one of the most common causes of recurrent vomiting is an intestinal or stomach foreign body obstruction. At this point, I recommend taking Hercules to his vet urgently for an exam and he may need abdominal x-rays and/or blood testing to get to the bottom of things. I hope that he feels better soon!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Bean. Oh no, poor boy! It's very serious that he won't eat and keeps throwing up. He sounds quite sick, and yes I think he needs to see a vet now. I strongly urge you to take him into the ER vet immediately. I hope this helps!