My senior cat is in pain, vomiting, and has diarrhea. Should I see a vet?

Chronic diarrhea in an older cat with vomiting can be a sign of an inflammatory bowel disease or intestinal cancer. The only way to differentiate between the two disease is a surgery to take biopsies of the intestines and have them analyzed. Based on the diagnosis, the diet may be changed or vitamin supplements or steroids may be added to manage her symptoms. They will check for parasite and check her labs for any renal or endocrine disease

Thank you for contacting Pet Coach with your question about Diego! It's very concerning that he's vomiting after he's eating and moaning in pain when he's trying to defecate. There are a number of things that could be causing the vomiting such as kidney failure, GI illness, a foreign body, or cancer. Pain when defecating can be caused by arthritis in his back and hips. a foreign body, impacted anal sacs, or cancer. I think he should see a vet as soon as possible for these symptoms given his age. Please take him into a vet now. Best of luck.

It's a very difficult decision to make as to when to put a cat to sleep or not, and pain certain is a factor to consider. You've done the right thing by trying pain medications, and I'm sorry they have given him diarrhea. I don't know what kind of pain medication was used, but maybe you could talk to the vet about doing a different kind of pain medication to see if that helps him. Arthritis would make it painful for him to crouch down in a litter box to poop, especially if it's covered. You can remove the litter box top if it's covered to see if that helps. Should there be no other pain medications that are suitable for him and you really feel he is in pain, then putting him to sleep would be the best idea. Examine his quality of life, and if you feel it's poor, then letting him go would be the kindest option. I would first talk with your vet about other pain medications before making this decision. I hope this helps!

Poor kitty! In a 13 year old cat, I strongly suspect that she has a medical problem causing these issues. Some common possible causes would include hyperthyroidism, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease. I would recommend taking her to the vet for an exam as soon as you are able to - he/she can do blood work and a urinalysis to help diagnose the problem and get her started on appropriate medication to treat it.

Poor guy. He sounds ill indeed. Many disease processes can cause loose bloody stool including: intestinal parasites, pancreatitis, inflammatory bowel disease, lymphoma (cancer of the intestines), dietary indiscretion (eating something he shouldn't have), and even a bacterial infection. The first step would be to do a full panel bloodwork analysis, fecal exam and urinalysis done on Oliver. This should be ble to narrow things down quite a bit so that your vet can know what Oliver needs treatment wise. I would suggest scheduling an appt for him soon at your local vet. I hope that your pet Oliver is able to recover from his bloody stool and illness. Best wishes and take care.

Causes of diarrhea and vomiting at this age include pancreatitis, IBD, Lymphoma and other types of cancer. it is not easy to diagnose those conditions, she will need some specific blood tests and a specialist ultrasound to start with.

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!