I had a stomach flu last weekend, and now it seems like my cat Smudge has it too. He hides a lot, although the extreme cold lately and his extremely warm choice of hiding place (under the bed against the wall that backs up on the boiler closet) may have something to do with it, and has thrown up every day for 4 days in a row. But he's still digesting most of his food, and asks for his "treat food" (canned with vitamins, extra water, and bonito flakes mashed in) morning and evening. He's perky and playful and purry, and aside from not keeping all his food down and being out of sight so much, he seems more or less his usual self. Might this be something that could clear up on its own? It's way subzero with the wind chill, and I don't want to be lugging him across town if he might have just caught a virus from me or something.

Meanwhile, I've mail-ordered a Thermo Kitty Mat for his favorite chair, so he can snooze out in the open and still stay warm. (I have no thermostat - I live in the basement and my heat is the hot water boiler for the house, so it does get cold down here!)