Cat Vomiting

**jmdavis** · 02-07-2007, 12:51 PM

My almost 11 year old cat, Barkley, has been vomiting nearly every day for the last week or so. At first we thought it might be that he was getting into people food (although he's never had much problem with that before!), or that we've added a new food to his usual mix (at ~25% of the whole).

I took him to the vet yesterday, to check out a limp (seems he's strained his knee, too!), and I asked about the vomiting, but the vet seemed unconcerned. He told me to watch out for the usual suspects: new food, people food, string, etc. He also gave Barkley an anti-inflammatory shot for his knee, which he said would be in his system for 3-5 days. Could this be contributing?

We feed him first thing the the morning and at bedtime, and the pattern recently has been that he would vomit in the late afternoon or early evening - usually small amounts, and sometimes it appeared to be just foam or saliva. Although this morning, he bolted his breakfast and it all came back within a few minutes.

Sorry for all the gory detail, but I'm pretty worried. If he were a person, I'd give him gatorade and 7up and crackers for a day or so, but I'm not sure what to feed a sick cat! If anyone has suggestions on food for a sensitive tummy, I'd appreciate it. Is is possible that he just has a little bug, like a human flu?

Thanks for your help!

**kb2yjx** · 02-07-2007, 02:43 PM

Since your Barkley is an older cat, I am surprised that the vet did not do blood work to check his kidney function. Is he drinking more water and urinating more? Also, is he drinking, urinating, and eating more, and not gaining weight? That would indicate diabetes....just food for thought...good luck. Sandra

**Catty1** · 02-07-2007, 03:10 PM

All I can say is remove the 25% new food and see what happens.

If that does nothing, talk to ANOTHER vet at the clinic.

I agree - an older cat should be getting a bit more attention than this. Again, stress to the vet that this is goingon EVERY DAY for over a WEEK...

**KittyGurl** · 02-07-2007, 03:24 PM

The only suggestion I could give you is to take Barkley to another vet. Your vet should of at least checked him out and did blood work. Barkley may have something wrong with him that may need major help or he just might be sick.

Keep us posted and Good Luck!!

**carole** · 02-07-2007, 03:29 PM

I too have an older cat nearly 12 yrs, he vomits too, sometimes he won't do it for a while ,then he just does it continually for a week or so, almost straight after eating, i have had my vet check it out and he has had blood work, they have not found anything,the vet told me some cats just vomit like that, she had one herself, did everything, changed to a special diet etc, and it never did any good. I have complete trust in my vets, have been going there for years and they are excellent.

I think the main concern is whether your cat is loosing weight or not, my cat never does, so i guess that is a healthy sign,but really if you are at all concerned and it sounds as if it is just a recent thing, then follow the other's advice here, maybe withdraw the food, could be allergy related, and seek another opinion, always pay's to if you are not satisfied with what you have been told, good luck and keep us posted.

**Freedom** · 02-07-2007, 04:19 PM

Is the new food low calorie, for weight reduction perhaps?

When they vomit foam / saliva, it is because they are over hungry and the stomach acid has built up. The cat is going too long without food. When they eat and throw it all up right away, it is that they are over hungry and just wolfed the food down without proper chewing. If you suspect the cat is overhungry, it is best to give a small amount of food, wait 10 minutes, then give the rest of the meal. So the stomach has time to realize it now has food. And the cat can realize he is not "starving to death" so he can eat the rest of the meal without wolfing it.

Don't know if this helps?

kb2jyx mentioned eating more, urinating more, and not gaining weight - could be diabetes.

A slightly more common ailment in older cats is overactive thyroid. The metabolism is running really high. So the food gets burned off faster and meal times need to be more frequent. When it gets to the point the cat is losing weight, that is usually when people see the vet. A blood test diagnoses the over active thyroid, and a simple pill a day solves the problem.

Has Barkeley recently had any teeth removed (also common in older cats)? That could explain why he needs to eat more often too, if he has some sore gums just now.

Hope something here gives you some ideas!!
Sandra

**Medusa** · 02-07-2007, 09:24 PM

When Puddy vomits foam, Dr. Lee wants to see her, esp. if it's more than once a day. Foam or yellow liquid can be bile and that means liver problems and that's usually when her kidney/s are acting up again. If your vet in unconcerned, take Barkley to another vet. NOW. Time is of the essence if she's in renal failure. I don't want to alarm you but when you wrote that her last episode was foam, I thought of Puddy. Please take her to another vet or at least have your vet run tests on Barkley. And keep us posted.

Blessings,
Mary

**Catlady711** · 02-07-2007, 11:10 PM

Originally Posted by Freedom

Is the new food low calorie, for weight reduction perhaps?

When they vomit foam / saliva, it is because they are over hungry and the stomach acid has built up. The cat is going too long without food. When they eat and throw it all up right away, it is that they are over hungry and just wolfed the food down without proper chewing. If you suspect the cat is overhungry, it is best to give a small amount of food, wait 10 minutes, then give the rest of the meal. So the stomach has time to realize it now has food. And the cat can realize he is not "starving to death" so he can eat the rest of the meal without wolfing it.

Sandra

I was going to say the same thing! Dusty has always had vomiting episodes from eating too fast or being overhungry. I just have to make sure to feed her smaller amounts more often and she is fine. And if I oversleep through breakfast, I get to step in vomit when I get out of bed. ewwww

**jmdavis** · 02-08-2007, 07:50 AM

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts!

I spoke to another vet at the clinic who has seen Barkely, too, yesterday afternoon, and he suggested we treat the recent episodes (of vomiting right after eating) first. (That is very unusual for him.) I didn't give him food until last night, and then it was: a few pieces of chicken & rice food, wait 15-20 minutes, then a few more, wait, and when he was keeping that down, I gave him about 1/8 of a cup at bedtime. So far, so good. This morning he has had the same routine, good results.

So, I suspect yesterday's problem was due to the stress of going into the vet the day before, being sedated and getting a pain relief/anti-inflammatory shot.

However, I wonder if the previous incidents were just the usual suspects - people food, over-hungry, a little hair. Still, after reading on these forums, I am concerned about the quality of the food we've been giving him and at his age, so I will be looking into some more nutritious options. If the first pattern of vomiting resumes, the vet said to bring him in and we'll look at the other possibilities - thyroid, liver, kidneys.

Overall, his behavior & weight have remained normal, so I am hopeful that it is not serious.

Thanks again for all of suggestions and good thoughts!
Take care!

**carole** · 02-08-2007, 04:06 PM

Freedom, as I have an older vomiting kitty, i found your comments regarding the cat going too long without food interesting, it maybe the case sometimes, but my cats are feed little and often all day long, and believe me their size proves they are not starving,anything but, as they are all a tad overweight,so maybe it is more likely to be the other things you suggested, i do know sometimes Ash and Ellie pig their food down, and bring it up very quickly and Ellie appears to always be hungry, all are de-wormed regularly too, maybe i just have two rather greedy puddie cats lol

**BigCharles** · 02-09-2007, 06:02 PM

I'm interested in the "over hungry" thoughts.

We fed our two cats Fancy Feast in the morning. 1/2 can per cat. We left dry food out all day. Were my too just too lazy to get up and eat during the day?

**Taz_Zoee** · 02-10-2007, 12:11 AM

Originally Posted by jmdavis

My almost 11 year old cat, Barkley, has been vomiting nearly every day for the last week or so. At first we thought it might be that he was getting into people food (although he's never had much problem with that before!), or that we've added a new food to his usual mix (at ~25% of the whole).

I took him to the vet yesterday, to check out a limp (seems he's strained his knee, too!), and I asked about the vomiting, but the vet seemed unconcerned. He told me to watch out for the usual suspects: new food, people food, string, etc. He also gave Barkley an anti-inflammatory shot for his knee, which he said would be in his system for 3-5 days. Could this be contributing?

We feed him first thing the the morning and at bedtime, and the pattern recently has been that he would vomit in the late afternoon or early evening - usually small amounts, and sometimes it appeared to be just foam or saliva. Although this morning, he bolted his breakfast and it all came back within a few minutes.

Sorry for all the gory detail, but I'm pretty worried. If he were a person, I'd give him gatorade and 7up and crackers for a day or so, but I'm not sure what to feed a sick cat! If anyone has suggestions on food for a sensitive tummy, I'd appreciate it. Is is possible that he just has a little bug, like a human flu?

Thanks for your help!

Taz (almost 12 yrs old) went through a similar episode last summer. After lots of tests (and $600) we changed his food a few times (which I didn't like to do) but finally found a food for sensitive stomachs. It's a low allergen food I buy from the vet. During that time he had only lost less than two pounds. But now he has other issues and has lost about 5 more pounds!! Not good. So we are working on that (cortisone shots).
I hope you find out what is causing the vomitting. Get better Barkley!