Why is my 7-year-old cat vomiting, sleeping a lot, coughing, red eyes?

This sounds like she has an upper respiratory infection that is making her sneeze and vomit from the sneezing, coughing and nasal discharge. Generally cats get over colds in a week or so without treatment. Since Mieko is seventeen I’m more concerned about her since she could become dehydrated if she’s not eating and drinking normally due to having a head cold. I do recommend a veterinary exam and treatment. She may need fluids under the skin to keep her hydrated and perhaps medication to stimulate her appetite. Often dogs and cats vomit when they have a cough so I don’t think the vomiting is the main concern but certainly does need to be addressed if it continues. In the meantime you can use a warm damp cloth to keep her nose and eyes clean of discharge and heat up small meals of wet food with added water to keep her eating. I put it in the microwave for eight seconds which brings out the aroma since cats often stop eating when they can’t smell the food. If she’s not had senior blood work recently they may recommend that also to check her kidney and liver function, and check for anemia and infection. Antibiotics are given only when a viral cold turns into a secondary bacterial infection. You are right to be concerned with an elderly cat so please take her in for treatment so she can get over this quickly. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Mieko.

Hi, and thanks for your question. This sign could be compatible with an upper respiratory tract inflammation/infection or possibly to a tracheitis (inflammatory, allergic, infective). A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics 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!

Hi, thanks for your question. It's unusual to see vomiting and coughing at the same time, although it's possible. Typically, though, the cat is just retching and nothing is coming up. It's likely, especially if your cat is bringing up stomach contents from time to time, that this is solely a GI problem. Vomiting can have a number of causes. Depending on how old your cat is, whether it goes outside, etc, one possibility might be more likely than another. Here are some possibilities: parasites, food intolerance/dietary indiscretion (eating something that made her sick), exposure to a toxin, a blockage either in the stomach or intestines, kidney disease, liver disease, diseases of the pancreas, inflammatory bowel disease, and cancer. As you can see these are all very different diseases. Your vet can help you figure you what's going on with a good physical exam and some tests, probably blood work and x-rays to start with. Get your cat seen as soon as you can.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Vomiting can occur from many conditions such as foreign body ingestion and obstruction, pancreatitis, gastroenteritis, dietary indiscretion, among other possibilities. I recommend that you have them evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. This will likely require bloodwork and abdominal imaging in terms of diagnostics. Treatment would be based on findings. At the very least your veterinarian could start them on medications to make them feel better. In the meantime, keep water available at all times to try to prevent dehydration. Good luck and have a good day!

Hi, and thanks for your question. This sign could be compatible with an upper respiratory tract inflammation/infection or possibly to a chronic rhinitis (inflammatory, allergic, infective). A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics 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!

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that Mittens has been vomiting and is now coughing. Cats can vomit for a number of reasons, including trying to vomit a hairball, eating something they shouldn't have, gastrointestinal obstruction, infection, inflammation, or even cancer. From the information you provided, my concern is that Mittens may have aspirated (taken fluid into the lungs) during one of these vomiting episodes, and is now coughing as a result. Aspiration pneumonia can be a scary thing in cats, and especially if Mittens is not acting himself or wanting to eat, I would recommend bringing him to your veterinarian to be examined. If your veterinarian determines that he has abnormal lung sounds, he/she may recommend blood work and chest x-rays to look for evidence of pneumonia. If present, they will likely start Mittens on some antibiotics. There are other possibilities for Mitten's cough including bronchitis or an upper airway infection, which should also be managed by a veterinarian. I hope this is helpful!

Poor Maggie. There are several things that can cause vomiting and lethargy including hairballs, parasites, upper respiratory infection, eating human food, foreign bodies +/- Gi obstruction, certain viral and bacterial infections and much more. I would stop feeding her milk as most cats eventually get to where they cannot tolerate it. I would try to keep her inside so she can rest and offer her different types of food to try and entice her to eat. If she is still refusing to eat tomorrow or the vomiting is continuing, I would have your vet take a look at her. Your vet will be able to do a fecal, blood work and even x-rays if needed. Your vet will be able to get her the proper meds to help her feel better. I hope this helps!