Cat Exploded, but not sure from which end.

Skullo

Hey H/A.

So, my roommate has a cat, and because it's mean, I don't spend time with it. When I'm home and he's not, I tend to stay away from the cat and hang out in my own room.

Obviously, this means the cat goes about its day unobserved. Which led me to discover a "substance" all over my couch about 20 minutes ago, that I'm unsure of which end it came from.

It looked like it took a dump, but there was clearly cat food in it. That could mean it was undigested, but it could also mean that it was vomit.

Of course, I cleaned up the stuff, but I'm unsure of what to do next. Do I try to figure out if its sick? How heavily do I need to attack my couch with cleaning products (like, do I need to make sure its not spreading cat plague?).

I've never owned a cat, so I don't really know what to do with the thing, and he doesn't seem to give two shits about proper pet ownership (the damn thing hasn't even had its initial shots yet, which is what makes me worried about dealing with it) so I don't think he'd even have the proper supplies.

(I have to run to work, so if you need me to describe the stuff better I can do that when I get back. Thanks H/A Pet Detectives!)

L Ron Howard

Not owning a cat, or having tons of experience, but witnessing an event which caused a cat to produce the exact thing you've described, I'd say the cat vomited. I was told sometimes cats eat too fast, and then they become like cows, where they vomit up cud, then proceed to eat it again - sometimes.

ChillyWilly

1. Take care of the couch stain.
2. It's not your cat and therefore, not really your sickness to deal with as far as vet bills or any of that. Call your roommate or, in some other timely manner, let him know what the cat has done. Let him take it from there, as it is his cat to deal with.
3. ????
4. CAT PROFIT

admanb

It probably just threw up, cats do that. You should mention it to your roommate, because if it's doing it frequently and suddenly it could indicate an issue, but it's probably not big deal.

bowen

Yeah cat vomit is brown usually (generally because cat food is brown). If it's got whole pieces of food in it it's almost certainly vomit.

Spawnbroker

Was anyone else severely disappointed that his cat didn't actually explode?

Dr. Frenchenstein

did it smell godawful? (well, worse than cat food, which smells pretty bad on it's own)

it's probably vomit, b/c i think you'd know if it gave your couch a brown shower.

spafey

Spawnbroker wrote: »

Was anyone else severely disappointed that his cat didn't actually explode?

I must admit feeling a certain disappointment, yes.

Skullo

Thanks for the info so far. It was going back and sniffing/eating it, so I guess that adds more proof to it being vomit (it looked like a turd though- hence my initial confusion).

Also, yes, I know its not my cat and I'm not responsible for any payments/doctors/whatever. Even though I honestly hate the animal, I still don't want to neglect its health.

Zombiemambo

That's nice of you. I'm thinking it's vomit because if it wasn't you'd smell a stink that could only come from the deepest depths of hell

bowen

It may have been a hairball if it was shaped like a turd.

zilo

Yeah, it was probably a hairball- those are normal if they happen infrequently. They are foul, but not near as foul as what comes out the other end of a sick cat. If it was a turd you'd probably have to burn that couch.

If the cat's vomit is watery and frequent, that's a problem. If it's occasional and chunky/hairy, that's okay.

Hevach

Undigested food's vomit. It's a cat. Cat's vomit. I used to freak out about it, took my cat to the vet a few times, spent close to $500 the first year I had him. Vet finally told me, "He's a cat. Every cat's different, but every cat does three things: Scratch, poop, and vomit. Don't call me anymore unless he does regularly for three days or there's blood in it."

Dizzen

Does the cat have black or otherwise pretty dark fur? If so, then yeah, those hairballs can sometimes look like miniature people-produced dumps.

If the cat is otherwise fairly healthy, I don't think you really need to worry about any special cleanup precautions. Probably just need to treat it about the same as any other other foul-smelling spill on your couch.

Rethius

Sounds like he got excited about dinner and ate too fast. Since cats are stupid creatures, they will eat until they throw up. I have two, and they'll get so worked up about the other stealing their food that they do this.

Best solution I have found is to put a fork or a spoon in their food bowl so they have to eat around it, which forces them to slow down. Might be worth a shot.

As far as the couch goes, I'm not sure. I have a spray I use for the carpets, but that might fuck up your upholstery. Warm soap/water would be the first thing I would try, followed by a visit to the pets section at Wal-Mart. Best of luck.

Shadowfire

Cats throw up.. it's normal, and unless it's happening a lot and other behaviors change, I wouldn't worry. We have four cats at home, and once a day one of them is vomiting something up. Part of that is because one of the four has made herself a kind of mommy and cleans the others, so she considerable hairball problems.

For cleanup, though... every pet owner should own Nature's Miracle. The stuff is amazing.

Skullo

Thanks for all the help!