My senior cat is vomiting & not using the litter box. What's wrong?

Question

Hi there my cat is 14 and has recently began being sick 1 or 2 times a day and not going to the bathroom. I have bought meat and biscuits to help with her urinary tract and to give her more fibre as she is a Maine coon and understand that breed sometimes needs more help as they age,it seemed to help a little but since yesterday she has reverted back to being sick again,not going to the bathroom and just laying in her bed. I'm going to take her the vet this week but wanted a little advice first. Pet's info: Cat | Maine Coon | Female | spayed | 14 years old | 15 lbs

Jessica Keay, DVM · Accepted Answer

I am sorry to hear about Suki! We may need a little more information on what you mean when you say "not going to the bathroom". Do you mean not urinating or not having bowel movements? Not urinating is very concerning and can be a sign of a urinary obstructions (can have causes such as bladder stones, mucus plugs, tumors), dehydration, or severe renal disease. This is something that would be considered an emergency (unable to pee) and should be seen ASAP. If you are speaking of not having bowel movements, then we could be having constipation, which can sometimes end up causing vomiting as things are backing up and this can become a dangerous situation if it isn't treated. Things we sometimes try at home are a hairball laxative such as laxatone (you can find these at your vet or the pet store) or adding a teaspoon of canned pumpkin to the diet, but if she is vomiting along with constipation then the time for at home treatment is passed and she needs veterinary attention. You can read more about constipation at https://www.petcoach.co/article/the-big-no-go-constipation-in-cats-101/

My senior cat is vomiting & not using the litter box. What's wrong?

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