What would you do? Cat vomiting

[janelle]

http://www.vitalityscience.com/Cat_Diarrhea_Diarrhea_In_Cat_s/26.htm?gclid=CLKS59v7hpICFRE0FQod3y-BEA

Simon has always been an occasional vomiter but recently he does it everyday. I looked online and found this web site for digestion. Has anyone tried this?

He has no other symptoms except vomiting. No diarrhea, not listless, no pain as I can see. He sleeps ok, eats ok, uses his litter box ok, he will play.

Should I try these holistic meds before going to the vet to run up a big bill? TIA

[Medusa]

I always like to play it safe and take my cats to the vet rather than give them something I'm not sure about. It could be something as simple as Simon may be eating too fast. I have a cat, Creamsicle, who scarfs down her food as though it's her last meal and sometimes she doesn't even make it away from the food dish and up it comes. My vet told me to place a large rock in the middle of the food dish, which will force her to eat around it, thus she'll be eating more slowly. If you think Simon eats too fast, give that tip a whirl. Also, if his vomit is mainly food chunks, then that may be what it is. If, however, it's mainly liquid and/or bile, then he needs to get checked by your vet. Bile means the liver isn't functioning properly. My vet's rule is that if my cat throws up once, don't be alarmed. If she throws up twice (in one day), I'm to call him. Please keep us posted. :)

[GILL]

I completely agree with Medusa. Keep am eye on the vomit, if it's food right after eating, the Hoover is in effect. Medusa trick with the rock sounds good. If Simon is vomiting several times a day it is time to see the vet immediately. Our boy Lenny has a tendency to eat fast. Luckily he dose not do it all the time

[columbine]

I'd say this is definitely a question for the vet. A million things can cause a cat to vomit, and waiting/guessing/trying home remedies can allow a condition to worsen to the point that the vet bill would be MUCH higher, and maybe come too late to prevent permanent damange. The vet has a much better chance of figuring out what's going on (germs? wrong food? ate something inedible? allergies?) and getting Simon feeling well again quickly.

[catmandu]

I Have Given Up Wondering Why Cats Vomit. The Found Cats Will Do This Sometimes For Days And Not Do That For A While.
I Think That They Eat Thier Food Too Fast Sometimes And Thats The Result.
Piggies!!!!!

[janelle]

Well today I found he vomited up a hairball so that is what he may have been trying to get rid of.

I gave him Mighty Dog today. For some reason it helped my other Simese cat years ago to stop throwing up. I keep my two cats food out in one of those big feeders all the time so they can eat whenever they want to.

Simon may be trying to eat fast before the other cat can get into the dish so he can get his fill first but doing it too fast. He is so dominent over the female cat he may be scarfing his food.

Thanks for the ideas and he will be taken to the vet if I think he is having more problems.

[cassiesmom]

My vet's rule is that if my cat throws up once, don't be alarmed. If she throws up twice (in one day), I'm to call him.
This is my vet's rule too. I'm to call for more than one episode of vomiting per day, or an unusual appearance or odor to what she brings up. I usually know when she's getting ready because I hear her making that distinctive cat-barf sound. I try to comb her often, especially around shedding times. But I don't freak over one barf. The wet foods in little 3-ounce cans seem to make her "barfy", so I don't feed those very often. Cat vomit is just a fact of life in my case. She lived at a shelter where multiple cats were fed from the same dish, so she would have to eat quickly at meal times or risk not eating at all.

[Catsnclay]

Lucky is our vomiter :rolleyes: but when he started puking hairballs every day, I knew there could be a problem.


Off to the Vet we went, and believe me, we have tried everything known to man to stop his vomiting. Everything works........for a week, then it is back. :(

Now as the last straw, she is trying the diet. Maybe, just maybe he could be allergic to his food! So far so good, but then again it hasn't been a full week yet.

Like Medusa said, vomiting bile could mean something serious. If kitty is just upchucking the meal he just ate, then the solution can be simple. Feed him small portions, several times a day. I found that this works well for the ones that do this.

As for hairball vomiter's, if anyone has any suggestions I am all ears!! Poor Lucky vomits at least once a day! I brush him to keep his long hair off, but he has to clean himself!!!

And as for that product - looks to me that they are pushing it pretty hard! I doubt it really works.

[janelle]

I took Simon to the vet and got him checked out. They did a blood test and it came back ok.

I changed his diet to canned food from Science Diet for hairballs. He wouldn't eat a lot of the canned food. He finally ate Friskies tuna but just the gravy part and not much else. The throwing up stopped but not entirely. He would throw up flem. Not as much as the Science Diet but still about once a day or every other day.

I finally had to buy the canned tuna that we eat. He loves canned tuna and I always gave him some when we had it. Now that is all he will eat and keep down.

NOW, I see he has had diarrhea so it may be too rich for him. So what to do now? Either have him throw up or have diarrhea. He does want to go out but as soon as he does he makes a bee line to eat grass and if I let him, he will come in and throw up. Plus we get our yard sprayed.

Has anyone tried the powder to sprinkle on the food in my first post? I tried food for sensitive stomachs from Science Diet but he can't eat it either. He has gotten more skinny but I was hoping he would gain weight with this tuna. TIA

[sugarpaws]

I don't know if you tried this already, but perhaps a vet formula food for sensitive stomach would help. It's almost the same price as the premium pet store foods. Or cooked chicken with rice if he eats it. I know I read here a post about not feeding our kitties tuna all the time because of the heavy metal content- but I do understand you want to have him eat something right now.
Our Heidi who is highly stress-able vomits flegm when her stomach is empty, mostly in the early morning. Stress can do weird things to the body. Good luck to you, poor little guy can't be comfortable throwing up so often!!!
Marina

[phesina]

Tuna for humans is NOT good as a steady diet for cats. It does not have the nutrients that cats require. It's all right as an occasional treat, but it should not be all he gets.

Probably time he should see the vet again.. Or maybe see another vet for a second opinion?

[Catty1]

Janelle, phesina is right - just tuna by itself is not enough nutrition for a cat.

Get a good quality food - just dry food is ok - and get some hairball preventive from your vet. It comes in a tube, and is malt flavoured. My fluffy guy gets it mixed into his wet food, but some cats will lick it right off the tube!

If he doesn't like Science Diet, there are other brands - MediCal, Royal Canin - that some cats like better.

Don't give up because Simon didn't like the one brand. :)

Ditto on the second opinion.

[GILL]

I'm in total agreement with Catty1 Tuna is a good only as a treat. Our Crew gets the oil or water once in a while, but the have dry food out all day, it is a mix of several brands but always includes a hair ball food. The balls are minimal. In the morning they get 3 cans of food mixed with the dry 50/50 spred over 6 plates. They all seem to be helthy and happy, except Lenny he only wants the wet food. But with the dry mixed in he still has a pretty good diet.

[janelle]

Well he loves Science Diet but it doesn't like him. He throws it up. Same with the sensitive stomach Science Diet.

I think he would starve before he ate food he didn't like. I've tried different brands of canned food and he turns his nose up at most of them. I hate to go through all the different cat foods at the store. LOL

I use to be able to keep Science Diet out all the time in a continuous feeder and he was fine with only an occasional episode. I am wondering if he has developed an allergy to it and all cat foods. He is 7 years old and has just been having trouble this year.

I have the hair ball med and give it to him but I have to put it in his mouth with my finger. Otherwise, he won't lick it or eat it any other way.

I put canned chicken on my shopping list. That may be more nutritious for him.

[Catty1]

Try the different vet types. Many cats prefer Royal Canin for flavour. You can always mix a bit of tuna in it to get him started, and slowly wean off.

How about a second opinion on the vomiting?

[janelle]

Thanks, I'll see if my vet has it.

[phesina]

Wet foods such as Hill's A/D and Royal Canin's Recovery RS ( especially the Recovery) have been found acceptable by our shelter cats who won't touch anything else...

See if you can get those from your vet. Again, I suggest seeing another vet for a second opinion.

Canned chicken is like canned tuna.. okay as an occasional treat but NOT good as a regular diet for a cat. It does not contain the nutrients that cats absolutely require for good health.