HELP: my cat threw up black liquid

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Black vomit might be blood.
How is your cat? Does he seem unwell?
Are you able to get to a vet or talk to a vet....?

Edited to add: I'm going to tag @Alexi who is a (human) doctor to see if she can advise...
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I would contact a vet right away:

"
Causes of Black Vomit
If your cat vomits and the color of the vomit is dark red or black, that typically indicates that there isblood in the vomit. If you notice bright red blood in your pet's vomit, that typically indicates some sort of internal bleeding that is happening outside of the stomach area. Darker red or black vomit is usually caused by internal bleeding in the stomach. The most common cause of this type of bleeding is an ulcer. If you notice that there is enough blood in your pet's stomach to alter the color of his vomit, you'll probably need to be aware that the ulcer itself could be quite serious. This requires immediate action on your part in order to save your pet's health, as the presence of black vomit is a medical emergency."

https://www.vetinfo.com/black-vomit-in-cats.html
 
Please note I am not a vet and I would always advise to speak to a vet if you are worried. In humans, black/clear/any colour vomit with what looks like tiny bits of black in it 'coffee grounds' tends to be altered blood, usually but not always from the stomach. Black liquid with no bits can indicate problems further down in the bowel. How is the cat? When did he last poop and was it normal? Does he appear hungry? Thirsty? Any information you can give will be helpful. Black vomit is not normal.
 
So what we thought was throw up was actually diarrhea. She did blood work and it came out normal. She suggested keeping him in the hospital a couple of days for an ultra sound but I can't afford that. She said his BG of 124 was very low for a pre shot test. So we have to keep him off insulin for a few days then check his BG, she feels it could be an overdose of insulin that caused it or remission, but that's rare.
 
William Rufo said:
So what we thought was throw up was actually diarrhea. She did blood work and it came out normal. She suggested keeping him in the hospital a couple of days for an ultra sound but I can't afford that. She said his BG of 124 was very low for a pre shot test. So we have to keep him off insulin for a few days then check his BG, she feels it could be an overdose of insulin that caused it or remission, but that's rare.
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Thank you for the update! Glad to see that it was "just" diarrhea. However if the diarrhea was actually black as opposed to dark brown I would certainly keep an eye on the litterbox. If you gave a different food than normal that can cause diarrhea in some kitties.

A glucose reading of 124 is NOT very low on a pet meter or vet lab machine. It is actually on the higher end of normal. Did the vet use a glucometer or was that reading from the blood work?


ETA What type of insulin are you using and what is the dosage and what sort of food are you feeding? Are you home testing yet?
 
I think considered it low cause I give his shot at 10 am and it was 9 am so I haven't given the shot yet. Also cause sometimes stress can raise the glucose numbers. The diarrhea was black and I give lantus, now 2 units but today and tomorrow we were advised to not.
 
William Rufo said:
I think considered it low cause I give his shot at 10 am and it was 9 am so I haven't given the shot yet. Also cause sometimes stress can raise the glucose numbers. The diarrhea was black and I give lantus, now 2 units but today and tomorrow we were advised to not.
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Stress can certainly raise the glucose numbers. If you aren't home testing yet, then it might be a good idea to skip until you can get a meter. Home testing is very important to see how well the insulin is working and to make sure our kitties stay in safe numbers.

I use the AlphaTrak pet meter but I also have a human meter. The pet meter strips are very expensive, so many of the members here will use a human meter. Human meters read lower than pet meters, but the protocols and information on this site is set up for people using human meters.

I would keep and eye on the litter box and make sure the diarrhea isn't continuing. Prolonged diarrhea can dehydrate a kitty. You might want to add a little extra water to the wet food to get some extra fluids in.
 
William Rufo said:
So what we thought was throw up was actually diarrhea. She did blood work and it came out normal. She suggested keeping him in the hospital a couple of days for an ultra sound but I can't afford that. She said his BG of 124 was very low for a pre shot test. So we have to keep him off insulin for a few days then check his BG, she feels it could be an overdose of insulin that caused it or remission, but that's rare.
Click to expand...

Did the bloodwork include ketone status? How is your kitty eating today?

As well as keeping a general close eye on your kitty if you're not already doing so I recommend that you keep a closer eye on ketone levels, especially while your kitty is a bit 'off' and you're going to withhold insulin for a time.


Mogs
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William,
My kitty Fritz has had black smelly diarrhea. It first started if I remember correctly right after his first few injections of Lantus Feb 11, 2016,while I was shocked I wasn't sure what to do so I just watched for each stool to be back to normal.
It went from dirreah to black soft stools and with a few almost normal stools. I did take a stool sample in yesterday as they are back to black. The vet said since he wasn't showing any other clinical signs we should keep an eye on the stools and if he shows any other signs get an ultra sound. I feed raw si he asked me to leave our the fresh liver to see if it was causing the black stools.
I don't know if your kitty is showing signs of a possible gi bleed or anything else.
I did switch to Prozinc insulin and still black stools.
I dud call the manufacture of Prozinc only to get the run around, no help ftom them even though it states in the phamplet that came with the insulin in a clinical study they indeed saw black stool. I'm wondering if it's the insulin?
 
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