I've experience with an "impacted" cat. It got so bad he'd cry out in pain over stomach cramps. We were forced to take him to the vet twice last year - over night stays as they cleared him out.
He has essentially been diagnosed with an
enlarged colon. We're required to give him a small amount of miralax every day just to keep him going. If we weren't giving this to him he would not survive his condition.
Your cat being lethargic sounds different. Are there any outward signs of pain, any struggles attempting (and failing) to use the cat pan? Your Vet checked out his stomach, they can typical poke around and feel it.
There has got to be something else going on.
Did he eat a bad spider or scorpion? Poisoned in any other way?
Is his cat food safe? Nutro had a recall a few years ago that nearly killed another cat of ours. I don't think he was puking... but man was he lethargic at times. Try offering another brand of food.
No outward signs of pain AT ALL. Except when he pukes. Then he does that cat "howl" (which is one of the most pathetic, heartbreaking sounds in the world I think). I can pick him up and hold him, and he may just give a little, barely audible squeak, but it's hardly "pain" Seems more "just leave me the F alone please."
No scorpions and its late fall here in WI, so spiders aren't overly prevalent. We have one plant in the house, and it is not toxic, nor has it been chewed.
We have another cat that is fit as a fiddle. So it shouldn't be the food.
Another tidbit of data here: For the past 2 years, Rico has had symmetric baldness on his hind hips. He was tested for mites, lice,fleas, skin conditions etc.... nothing. Old vet chalked it up to OCD/over grooming and/or possibly allergy to food. We switched foods around for a while, but stayed the same.
New vet was VERY interested in these bald spots. He even suggested that this current issue may be related. He gave the cortisone shot and antibiotic shot to see if two birds could be killed with one stone. He gave lots of possibilities, one of which that if this cat was
that OCD, this "sickness" could even be psychosomatic. That something was bothering him horribly, and that he could not cope with it.
Now, he wasn't assigning that as THE answer, but he was saying that anything is possible as he did not see anything physically wrong with him at this point. Sure we could do blood-work and send things off to the lab etc etc, but at this point there was no inherit NEED to do that.
Money is a factor here too. We sadly don't have endless sums to save this cat. You can go on and on about the responsibilities of a pet owner, but the money IS a reality for us at this given time. I by no means take the responsibility of owning a cat lightly.
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