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Why is my senior cat vomiting and not eating after vet visit?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Male | neutered | 14 years and 5 months old

My 14 yr old cat was in to see the vet this past weekend. We thought she had lost weight but in fact was normal as was his bloodwork. He was prescribed 2 tablets of Cerenia 16 mg for vomiting. 10 minutes after swallowing the wet pill he vomited. He has not eaten anything in the past 2 days. Water is being thrown up. His vet said he was in good health but we are concerned about his not eating even passed up his favorite, tuna. Any suggestions,?

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Lindsey Edwards MVB, BSc, IVCA

Veterinarian

Published on December 11th, 2018

Persistent vomiting and refusal to eat is concerning, especially in an elderly pet where they may be weight loss or dehydration. Given the clear blood work i would be concerned about a possible obstruction, hairballs, tumours or a twisted bowel are all possible. Xrays may be recommended as well as tube feeding to maintain calorie intake until a diagnosis has been reached

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Jacqueline Nobles, DVM, DACVECC

    Veterinarian, Board-Certified Emergency/Critical Care Specialist

    Published on March 25th, 2017

    Ideally, Baxter needs an abdominal ultrasound. If you cannot afford further diagnostics, your options are limited to treat him for suspected inflammatory bowel disease or cancer with prednisolone and mirtazapine. Discuss these medications with your veterinarian.

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    Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on September 3rd, 2017

    I think Pepe needs to go back to the vet for more diagnostics. It's good to know that they ruled-out organ failure and infection, because that will narrow down the problems to search for. I would want to take x-rays and scan the abdomen with ultrasound to check for signs of an obstruction or cancer. Both can cause a decrease in appetite and vomiting. What's most worrying right now is that he's not drinking. Dehydration can happen quickly in these cases and would be the most immenant risk to his health at this time. For this reason, I reccomend taking him back to the vet within the next 12 hours. I hope that helps and Pepe gets better soon.

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