Cat keeps retching and vomiting

My 7 year old neutered domestic long hair cat was seen Thursday at his vet for diarrhea earlier in the week and vomiting along with coughing and swallowing like he was trying to get a hairball up. After X-rays it was determined that he was constipated and they gave him an enema and he pooped. They gave him lactulose to take home and told me to give it to him for 3 days and see how he feels. He pooped when he got home Thursday night and again Friday night  - soft serve. My main issue is that he will not stop retching and vomiting. He vomited last night  but it has been about 3 days since he had vomited prior. Throughout the day he does this coughing and hacking like he’s trying to get a hairball up. His vet is closed until Monday and I called them Friday and they told me it’s a normal thing for cats to hack like this after getting medicine, but he does it all throughout the day and even before he was seen. He’s acting happy and eating and drinking. What should I do?

Hello!  It sounds as though he's not better yet - I hear that the constipation has resolved, but something is causing that coughing / retching (do you know which?)  Sometimes an ET tube during an anaesthetic can cause temporary discomfort in the throat or exacerbate old discomfort.  However the coughing / retching could also be related to the GI tract eg pancreatitis causing sickness, or to the heart or lungs.   It sounds as though your vets judged this to be ok to wait over the weekend, but if they may not have known, or if his condition is deteriorating, then it is always better to chat to the emergency vet - and have them assess his condition - than wait for too long. Wishing you all the best and please let us know how things are going.

Hello! I have not caught him retching today. Only urine in his litter box. I’m not sure what is causing him to retch/cough and vomit. He didn’t have to be sedated for the enema luckily. I did change his food 1 week ago to see if it would help with the vomiting to iams sensitive stomach - he’s always had a stomach of steel prior to when the vomiting and diarrhea started. I left another message with my vet and I’m hoping they will get back to me first thing tomorrow.