Worried/cat throwing up and scratching bum

[tigercat]

We have a cat who is about 16 months old. He has thrown up several times today. He has pooped and peed a lot in the last 24 hrs. He is also scooting across the floor as if he is scratching his bum.
He has seen fine in the last couple of hours and hasn't thrown up since. We washed his butt as there seemed to be some stuff on it.
He is an indoor/outdoor cat although he is on a halter and a leash. We are not sure if he got into something that didn't agree with him or what. He does stay in our backyard. The only other thing is that today was a very busy day. We had our bed taken away with one company and another company came and brought our new one in. It was very busy and confusing. As well we had our 3 grandkids here for the day. They are 3, 5 and 7. I wasn't sure if all the stuff going on just got him upset.
He is our first cat so am unsure what to do.
tigercat

 

[lizabu]

I got a kitten once that kept throwing up. It turned out he had worms. It was easy to fix. They sell this medicine that you can mix into wet cat food.

 

[LilyWDW]

Is he eating and drinking? Does he have diarrhea? Is there blood in his stools? Is he active or lethargic?

Vomiting can be caused by many things. Worms, infection, food, and much more. If he is eating and drinking and is not lethargic then I would wait and call your vet in the morning and ask them what to do. If he has not been eating and drinking or is lethargic then I would call an emergency vet and most likely take him in.

 

[tigercat]

He has been drinking and eating some. He is outside right now. He doesn't seem lethargic but will watch him. I had wondered about worms and have looked at his poop. I didn't see anything and I didn't see any blood. I will keep an eye out for that though. Will look into worm medicine tomorrow if he isn't any better. Thanks for the insights.
tigercat

 

[sonnyjane]

The butt-dragging is a pretty common symptom of worms. Emergency vets charge an arm and a leg so if it doesn't get worse, you can hold off until Monday, but definitely get it checked out!

 

[RNMOM]

When one of our cats was young he chewed up some string and part of it was passing but would retreat back up into his bowels when he would go. The vet ended up keeping him for a day and giving him some lubricating type of medicine to help him go and it passed. Otherwise it could mean surgery.

He may have some partial bowel obstruction hence the vomiting so take him in when you can. If he gets sicker don't wait for Monday. I choose to have an indoor cat to avoid them getting into stuff I can't control. At least indoors I know what they have to chew on.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

First thing I would think of is an infected/blocked anal gland or sac. Not common in cats but it does happen, my sister's cat gets this at times. Since you say there is "stuff" there and the cat is dragging it's bum, it is probably the cause. The gland will need to be expressed and the cat will need antibiotics.

Worms are another possibility.

A vet check on Monday would be a what I would do.

 

[LilyWDW]

If you think he is eating and drinking enough then you should be okay to wait until Monday. If you notice any drastic changes in food and water intake, energy levels, or anything else then you need to head to the emergency vet.

 

[tigercat]

Well it is the afternoon now and he has been eating and drinking. He has been outside all morning trying to get the birds so maybe it was just something he did eat and it is gone or he was just really anxious yesterday. I know that he doesn't like too much going on in the house (other than the 5 of us) and likes to hide. Yesterday he couldn't go to his usual hiding spots because they were in my bedroom. I am keeping an eye on him but I think I may still see about getting him something for worms.
tigercat