First, how urgent is this?
Go now
- Blood in the vomit.
- Vomit that looks like coffee grounds.
- Repeated retching that brings nothing up, with a swollen belly.
- Fast breathing or open-mouth breathing.
- No urine at all, or straining in the litter box.
Contact your vet today
- More than two episodes of vomiting in 24 hours.
- No food at all for 24 hours after the vomiting started.
- Yellow fluid or white foam, coming back repeatedly.
- A kitten, a senior cat, or a cat with a known chronic condition.
Record and observe
- One vomit of undigested food, bile or clear fluid, then normal energy and drinking.
- Hairballs, once every week or two.
- Already under vet care: record when and how often it happens, and what came up.
Before you set off
- When and how often, and a photo of what came up.
- Whether there was food, hair, a foreign object or blood in it.
- Anything eaten or chewed before and after: plants, medicines, the bin.
- When the cat last ate, drank and urinated.
- A list of medicines and the time of the last dose.
- Do not give human medicine or anti-sickness drugs; do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own.
What your vet may ask and do
- Ask: when it started, and whether it was once or repeated.
- Ask: any blood, coffee-ground material or foreign object.
- Ask: any recent food change, scavenging, or contact with other animals.
- Do: weight, hydration check, abdominal palpation.
- Do: blood tests (kidney values, electrolytes, pancreatic markers).
- Do: X-rays or ultrasound for a foreign object or abnormal gut movement.
- Do: fluids for a dehydrated or still-vomiting cat, and admission for severe cases.
Where to go in Hong Kong
- Hong Kong 24-hour vet list
- 24-hour emergency, Hong Kong Island
- 24-hour emergency, Kowloon
- 24-hour emergency, New Territories
- Clinics with ultrasound
- Clinics with inpatient care
- What emergency and test fees look like
Call the clinic before you drive over, to confirm tonight's arrangements and the location.