1196. An apartment cat's lifestyle -obsturction of LI or torsion as seen on X rays?

Today, Feb  17, 2015, 2 days before Chinese New Year, I phoned the owner of this 6-year-old female spayed cat that was warded for vomiting frothy yellow stuff and passing watery reddish brown stools on 3 days earlier. The cat lived on the 2nd floor and would go outdoors every day for around 15 minutes. This was her routine but on Feb 5, 2015, her owner had to bring her for treatment of acute gastroenteritis.

"She has recovered  fully," the lady said. "What is the cause of her vomiting and diarrhoea? Dr Daniel did not give me the reasons."

"It is not easy to pinpoint the exact cause," I said. "The blood test was normal. The stools analysed did not show ova, cysts parasites, leucocytes and erythrocytes. The urine had some bacteria and blood.

"X-rays cannot show the cause. But I suspect large intestine obstruction as evident by the transverse colon showing lots of gas. Dr Daniel thinks it may be a torsion."

I had given the dog IV drip, baytril and spasmogesic SC and warded her overnight from Feb 4 to Feb 5, 2015.  Today, I phoned the owner and received the good news that the cat had recovered within 2-3 days of going home.

As to the cause of the gastro-eneritis, it would be related to the outdoor lifestyle of this cat. Perhaps she had eaten something poisonous or had cleaned her chemical contaminated paws. "Now she is kept at home and she is not happy," the lady told me that the cat would want ro go out whenever she opened the door.

"Best to keep her inside the apartment," I advised.