Case 4: Fishy (Client Information)

General History:

Your cat Fishy is a 2-year-old spayed female domestic longhaired cat. You found Fishy in an alleyway in Toronto when she was a very tiny kitten. You had to bottle feed Fishy for the first few weeks you had her, which led to a very strong bond between you and your cat.

You noticed that Fishy began vomiting yesterday evening and now seems to be vomiting every 2 hours. You are coming to the veterinarian that spayed Fishy and has done her vaccines. You and Fishy have been away from home for university until last week.

If the veterinarian asks you to describe the episodes, you can say that you know when she is going to vomit, because she runs to the rug in the living room, then starts rocking her body back and forth before puking. Last night, she brought up her dinner (it still looked like the kibble she ate an hour prior to the vomit). Lately the episodes just produce some foamy white liquid, although you think the last one had a few flecks of blood in it.

You gave Fishy a 1/2 tablet of children’s Gravol this morning. If the vet asks, you do not think the vomiting has gotten any better after giving this pill, and Fishy might have vomited it out shortly after getting it. You were volunteering with a veterinarian this past year, and you know this medication is safe to give to pets as you heard the vet tell a dog’s owner that it was ok.

While you were at school last year, Fishy ate your housemate’s hair elastics and needed surgery to take them out. Fishy had a few vomiting episodes prior to that event, and they were similar to what is happening now.

Systems Review:

If specifically asked by the veterinarian, you can give the following information:

• Attitude: Hiding under the bed, less lively, prefers not to move around.
• Appetite/weight change: Appetite fine until she vomited last night. She didn’t want to eat this morning.
• Water consumption/urination: You haven’t seen her drink in the last 24 hours.
• Vomiting/diarrhea: No diarrhea.
• Coughing/sneezing/other signs: No.

Previous medical history:

If specifically asked by the veterinarian, you can give the following information:

• Vaccines as this practices recommended (kitten series, then a revaccination “booster” when she was just over a year of age.
• Had her spay at this clinic a year and a half ago, with no problems.
• Had surgery last year (at another clinic, near where you go to university), to remove 6 hair elastics from the stomach. Fishy stayed at the clinic for 2 nights after surgery to receive fluids, an appetite stimulant, and pain medications.

Current Health Status:

If specifically asked by the veterinarian, you can give the following information:

• Environment: Obtained from a friend as a young kitten. Indoor cat; no other pets. Travel between Toronto and New Brunswick by car.  If asked about exposure to possible foreign objects, the client can report that Fishy loves to play with everything, but you haven’t noticed anything chewed on or missing.
• Diet: Whiskas dry (free choice) with some canned food twice a day. You cannot recall the amounts.
• Vaccination: Fishy has received the recommended “core” vaccines when she was a kitten, and had her booster when she was around 1 year old.
• Parasite control: None.

Case 4: Fishy (Veterinarian Information)

Fishy is a patient at your clinic, and she is a 2-year-old spayed, female domestic longhaired cat. You first met the cat and owner around 2 years ago, and gave the owner some instructions on bottle feeding when she first adopted Fishy as a tiny kitten. The client has been very compliant in following your recommendations previously, and has expressed interest in going to vet school in the future. You know she has been away at university for the past year, and you haven’t seen Fishy since she left.

Fishy’s medical record lists 6 previous visits – these are all routine visits (health checks while bottle feeding, then vaccinations) all performed by you. You administered “core” vaccines according to the American Association of Feline Practitioners guidelines: Feline leukaemia virus, panleukopenia, rhinotracheitis, calicivirus and rabies vaccinations as a kitten and at ~1 year of age. At each visit, Fishy was noted to be healthy. Fishy is now 2-years old, and she has been an indoor-only cat according to the record.

Your appointment list shows that Fishy was just added into the schedule about an hour ago, after the owner called to report that Fishy had episodes of vomiting overnight.