Cat vomiting, retching. Hairball??

[suensmitty]

Our cat Sammy spends most of his time outside. He comes in the house to eat (we have a cat door) and sometimes sleep when the weather is bad. Beginning yesterday he started throwing up. Early this morning he threw up food that wasn't digested. Now he keeps trying to vomit but nothing comes out. He is restless and can't get comfortable to sleep. He continues to eat. I'm not sure if he is drinking water as we rarely see him do that. He goes potty outside so we don't know if he's pooping or even what it looks like. He is outside now roaming around like he normally does. Is he trying to expel a hairball? Should we take him to the vet right away?

Please help!! Thanks!

[Stryker]

Hi and welcome to the forum, suensmitty!

There are so many unknowns about Sammy - all because he's left vulnerable to all the perils that threaten an "outdoor cat" - that my advice would be: yes, have him seen by a competent feline Veterinarian...perhaps there is a cat-only clinic nearby?

And, until (at the very least) he's been given a clean bill of health, keep him indoors. If you're not aware of this, cats who do not feel well will, automatically because they're "hard-wired" to do so, go off and hide in a place where they feel safe - most often somewhere that will elude most humans' discovery.

[snowy]

Its hard trying to monitor outdoor cat. Personally, I like to check the poop and see the vomit which is not possible with strays/outdoor cats.