My cat is vomiting, not eating, and has fluid in belly. What's wrong?

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! From the X-rays, I can see that Mara's abdomen appears to be filled with fluid. It is obscuring his liver and intestines from being seen and there may even be a small amount in his lungs. Unfortunately it is impossible to tell what the fluid is from the x-ray alone. His blood work shows some abnormalities with his electrolytes, which may be if he is not eating or from fluid in the abdomen. Mara also has a high white blood cell count, these are the cells that are responsible for fighting off infections and increase if there is one present. Your vet can run some additional diagnostics, and perform a tap and remove the fluid as well as a blood test to determine if Mara is infected with FIP, a mutated form of a common virus that cats are exposed to. I hope this helps!

In my opinion going to the ER would be best, although you may not be able to have a full ultrasound until Monday morning. Some potential causes of fluid in the abdomen include an infection or abscess in the abdomen, diseases like FIP, or cancer. If there were an infection it would be best to start treatment sooner rather than later. An ER vet could take a sample of fluid to examine for signs of white blood cells or bacteria and might be able to perform a limited ultrasound. It's also possible that a specialist could be called in to perform a full ultrasound if needed over the weekend.

Fluid in the abdomen is called ascites. I agree with your vet that FIP (coronovirus) is the most likely due to your cat's age but there are some other possibilities (none of them good): 1. heart disease 2. tumor/cancer 3. liver disease Coronavirus is constantly mutating so it is actually not easy to test for. I'm not sure what tests your vet did but that may be why they are getting negatives. I suggest you refer to this link for more information and go over this with your vet. ( https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/feline-infectious-peritonitis ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

I'm so sorry to hear that you and Sam are going through this scary situation. With normal blood work and the normal ultrasound, I would be concerned about the disease called FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis) which is an uncommon response to a common virus in which the abdomen fills up with fluid and cats don't tend to recover from it. I would also continue to be concerned about cancer even though you're not seeing any signs in the fluid or on the ultrasound. A tumor has to be at least a centimeter in diameter before it can be seen an ultrasound, so it's not unusual for something to just be too small. Unfortunately, without a diagnosis, it's incredibly difficult to treat. And even with a diagnosis, at his age, it's mostly bad things that it could be. At this point, your vet is probably focusing on palliative care to keep Sam comfortable by removing the fluid, keeping him well hydrated, making sure he is comfortable. I would recommend talking to them about his prognosis and your goals for him.

I’m sorry to hear about your new kitten. Food substances would remain within the inside of the GI tract and would not be found as free liquid in the abdomen. Your veterinarian obtained the fluid by inserting a needle into the abdominal cavity just through the abdominal muscle. They would not have pushed the needle into the intestines or stomach itself where the food slurry would have been. Abdominal distension and yellowish fluid in a sick young kitten is very concerning and FIP would be a possible diagnosis. I hope you get some answers soon. Thank you

That could be caused by an accumulation of fluids in the abdominal cavity caused by FIP (feline infectious peritonitis). A check up and single radiograph (or sometimes only clinical examination) could confirm this clinical suspicion and give you treatment options. Unfortunately the prognosis for this disease is poor. Differential diagnosis could be represented by parasite infestation. 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.

It sounds as Jixie is suffering from a gastrointestinal condition, possibly an infection. it could also be due to ingestion of a foreign body material. i would recommend taking him to the vet the first chance you get as it does sound serious, he will need to be checked first, if the vet thinks it's a simple gastrointestinal infection he will need an anti vomiting injection, antibiotics and a special food for a few days in order to get better.