Cammie, Again

Cammie is suffering through another of her digestive episodes. This one seems worse than the others.

It began as usual, earlier this week: my princess throwing up the food she had eaten that day. Nothing would stay down, but she continued to throw up; eventually, the result was just bile. As on previous occasions, I tried applying slippery elm, but again it did not work. She continued to throw up, though this time what was brought up was what I was putting into her by syringe. I decided to take Cammie to the veterinary hospital for an injection of Cerenia, to calm her stomach.

Though the last time, she received the injection without much fuss, now, I was told that she needed an examination first, because Cerenia is a prescription medicine. I know that a prescription could very well be given without an examination, but that wasn’t going to happen this time. And there was no appointment available on this side of next week. However, I was told that I could drop Cammie off and a doctor would look at her between appointments.

This arrangement proved satisfactory. Cammie was examined and nothing was found amiss with her, though she had lost weight. She always does during these episodes; when she doesn’t eat, her poundage drops drastically. She was given the shot of Cerenia.

Returned home, my princess was restless. She drank tiny amounts of water, but not enough to make up for what she had been missing. She wouldn’t eat anything that was offered. But routine is a friend to cats, and when the usual time arrived for snacks, she ate a small amount. She did again at bed-time. Then came the waiting.

The insidious aspect of this illness is that Cammie will not vomit her food immediately. It happens hours later. If it happens long enough subsequent to her meals, the nutrition will at least get to where it is needed. But that isn’t always the case. I wake up whenever I hear one of the beasts wretching in the night. So it was that Cammie woke me about 5.10 the next morning. I found only a small pool of white, foamy bile. There was a bit on her mouth. She had just thrown it up. This meant that the small portions of food she’d eaten at snack-time and bed-time had made it through her system. But it also meant that she is still throwing up - and that she had no interest in the hard-food I had left out during the night.

She ate some Fancy Feast for breakfast, but not nearly enough to keep her going. I isolated her in the bathroom this morning, so I can easily determine if she vomits, and put some water and Recovery into her by syringe. I worry that giving her this food and water will cause her to throw it up, but I felt I had no choice: she needs nutrition and she needs fluids, and I may as well give it to her while she’s under Cerenia’s influence. I will go home at lunch-time again to see the results.

I feel that if my princess can get through this day without bringing anything up, the weekend will look bright.