Vomiting and lethargy

  My cat vomited a huge pile of food last week, I thought nothing of it because he vomits sometimes. Then yesterday he threw up clear liquid, and then again this morning (less than 24 hours later) threw up more clear liquid. I called his vet and they can’t get him in till Monday, so I made an appointment. But now he’s not acting like himself and just being real lethargic. Should I take him into an emergency vet? Or do you think he will be fine to wait till Monday? He is literally one of my babies. I raised him from two weeks old and he’s nine now and I always over react with him because I dont want anything to happen to him. So I don’t know if I’m just over reacting and he will be fine till Monday, or if I should take him in. Dr Google is freaking me out.

Hello!  Was your cat's condition triaged over the phone?  If not you need to call your vet back.   In the UK the rule is that emergencies should be seen as appropriate and a vomiting, lethargic cat may constitute an emergency and need to be seen, so appropriate triage will be required.  Triage is the act of assessing to patient to see whether an emergency appointment is required.

If the vets have assessed the case and decided that it is not an emergency, then hopefully they will have suggested a suitable appointment slot according to the symptoms you reported.  However, it is important that, as a minimum, appropriate triage by your own or the emergency vets takes place.

My concern is that vomiting cats can become dehydrated very quickly.  There are infinite possible causes of vomiting; common ones include pancreatitis, liver disease, kidney disease, diabetes, foreign bodies, systemic infection etc.  In the past we used to think that some cats were 'just vomitty,' but we now understand that there is almost always some form of pathology (illness) behind it.  When a cat presents as an emergency for vomiting, the vets' first step is to establish how well hydrated the patient is and whether or not a drip is required.   Cats lose hydration very quickly, so this may prove very important.  The cause of vomiting is not always immediately established.  Best of luck!