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Cat Panting and Vomitting

Mocha

This morning I found my feline crouched over a pool of white/yellow foam that she had just vomitted. She was panting and her eyes were dilated. She had come from the litter box and looked as if she may have lost control of bowels because there was solid stool on the floor trailing to where she stopped to vomit.
Worried I rushed her to the animal hospital. By the time she got there the panting had ceased and she looked to be fine. The vet has run blood work and x rays. In the x rays he said the pulmonary arteries were enlarged and this looked to be a case of heartworm disease. (blood work will come back tomorrow)
She is very overwieght (21lbs) and has not been losing anything. Appetite is good and she uses the litter box regularly. She is an indoor cat and never is allowed outside.
My question is this the right diagnosis for my baby? I had thought heartworm was suceptible in outdoor/indoor animals. Also, are there any other diagnosis' that anyone else has rec'vd with the same symptoms?

Symptoms: Breathing, Vomiting, Seizures & Fits

• Experienced Advisor Mark Nunez says:

  September 24th, 2008 at 06:51 AM

  Vomitting is a symptom of MANY disease processes.  Mocha's panting could be due to nausea, difficulty breathing, or potentially pain.  Of all cats that are diagnosed with heartworm disease, approximately 5% are indoor only cats.  Heartworms are transmitted by mosquitos and they can certainly get into your home.  Make sure the test that was performed was a feline heartworn combo that checks for antigens and antibodies.  Her weight is a VERY BIG concern.  It will predispose her to diabeties, fatty liver syndrome, heart disease, arthritis, high blood pressure, increase susceptibility to infections, and cancer.  I recommend to discontinue all dry food.  It is loaded with carbs (which cats do not need), it does nothing for the teeth (contrary to popular belief), and it predisposes them to obesity, diabeties, and megacolon.  See what the bloodwork says and go from there.  If it's not heartworm disease and she is coughing, feline asthma could also be a cause.  Either way, wieght loss is paramount.

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• Jason says:

  September 29th, 2008 at 11:34 AM

  Thank you for your response!  Regarding the weight, I understand the concerns behind how big she is and she has been on a prescribed diet since March.  She has been losing a pound per month whcich is what the vet said he wanted to see.  Regarding the dry food opinion, I have researched this quite a bit and have found out that the main preservative in wet food is sodium.  There is so much sodium in wet food that it would prevent her from losing alot of weight because of water retention. (same thing with humans....weigh yourself at the beginning of the week and try eating canned soup for that week, then weigh yourself again) Mocha was very used to eating alot of food whenever she wanted.  The diet plan she is on is using a timed feeder and I have been taking meals away slowly so that she is used to eating less little by little by way of Iams restricted calorie food.  The 21lbs is down from 24lbs in March.  Thank you for your concern. All tests came back negative with regards to possible toxins and heartworm disease.  As I have no plants in my house I looked around for other possible thing she could have ingested and the only conclusion I can come to is the Kaz Vapor Mist syrup you put into a Vicks Cool Mist humidifier.  It was available (not anymore) for her to get to.  The "caution" on the syrup says it acts as a laxitive if ingested which could possibly explain the loss of bowel symptom.  Although the caution says its non-toxic, it could have acted as a toxin in her stomach or could have reacted in a way to make her throw up........panting could have been from the syrup making it difficult for her to breath. She is fine now and I have been keeping a very close eye on her.  I have started using Revalution to make sure heartworm will not ever be an issue.  Mocha and I would like to thank you for responding to the posting.  We both appreciate your time.

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