Benji Throws Up With Instinct

[Benjamin Franklin (Benji)]

I tried to give him a high quality food from the wet food that he’s currently eating (royal canin kitten which he hates but tolerates). I mixed a bit of Instinct all life stage food in with his normal and slowly increased the amount of that wet food while decreasing the royal canin kitten wet. After I finally made the transition to all Instinct he threw up after eating. What’s in there that could be causing this? The only time he’s ever thrown up was when he ate too fast and this was not the case for sure. He’s feeling fine right now but what else can I feed him in terms of wet food that is all life stages or kitten?

 

[abyeb]

Maybe an allergy to an ingredient? Is there a different protein in the flavor of Instinct that you picked out than there was in the Royal Canin?

 

[Benjamin Franklin (Benji)]

Hmm, I’m not sure. I’ll have to check on that.

 

[lisahe]

Instinct generally seems to be fairly well-tolerated even by cats with sensitive digestive systems. abyeb asks a good question and I wonder about the peas in Instinct, too. Not many cats seem to be sensitive enough to peas that they vomit but I do recall reading a few posts from people whose cats have had bad reactions to peas. (I tend to notice this because one of our cats vomits if she eats potato!)

 

[Kieka]

I'd compare the two and see what's different. It could have been just that specific protein, I know my guys can handle any non-pouptry but anything with poultry causes issues. It is possible that it was something other then the food too.

 

[FakeGourmet]

Why give a kitten food he doesn't like unless medically necessary? If he prefers Purina kitten, just give him that along with wet food. He needs calories.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi -
The only time he’s ever thrown up was when he ate too fast

...thinking about if it was whether he ate too fast, you could try things in this article;
18 Awesome Cat Feeding Tips By Thecatsite Staff Members

 

[duckpond]

There are so many foods, and so many cats that will have an issue with different ones. it can get mind blowing. add too that how picky cats can be, and its all kinds of fun trying to find right foods sometimes.

I have a cat that throws up if he eats too fast. He will also throw up if he is not eating often enough, if he goes 8 hours or so without eating a little something he will often barf. I have a different one that has an issue with peas and potatoes. one who will only eat dry food, and 1 skinny little girl who just doesn't eat much, but she is healthy, so its ok.

my four have never been a fan of Instinct , not sure why, but they wont eat it.

They did eat Royal canin kitten when young. The wet food i found that was easiest to transition them to was Nutro minced chicken, and the sliced turkey formulas, they like the other minced flavors in the cans as well, they do not like the new ones in the individual serving size trays. Then we went from there. I would only try to introduce one new food at a time. If he has a problem try a different brand, and or a different protein.

Right now my guys like Tiki cat, the regular chicken and egg, and the after dark.
They also like the minced nutro flavors, and the minced nulo flavors, if you have a petsmart nearby? I also keep dr Elseys dry food out for mine all the time.

 

[Benjamin Franklin (Benji)]

Honestly, it could have been because he was eating too fast now that I think about it but that issue started a month or so ago. I thought I stopped it by feeding him smaller portions of food just more frequently so that he still gets the same amount just in smaller meals.

I’ll test out a bit more with Instinct because the ingredients might have not been the case. He really loves the taste of the chicken flavour so I really hope he’s not allergic to an ingredient. I will check out the differences in ingredients tonight.

 

[1 bruce 1]

Honestly, it could have been because he was eating too fast now that I think about it but that issue started a month or so ago. I thought I stopped it by feeding him smaller portions of food just more frequently so that he still gets the same amount just in smaller meals.

I’ll test out a bit more with Instinct because the ingredients might have not been the case. He really loves the taste of the chicken flavour so I really hope he’s not allergic to an ingredient. I will check out the differences in ingredients tonight.

One of my guys will eat at a normal pace unless it's rabbit, then it's like his stomach becomes a black hole that needs rabbit meat ASAP and all is out of the bowl and in him in about 2 seconds....and he promptly throws it back up.
Small and often is a good thing to try!! One of my cats eats 3 meals instead of two and his gastro problems have been tremendously helped.

 

[lisahe]

One of my guys will eat at a normal pace unless it's rabbit, then it's like his stomach becomes a black hole that needs rabbit meat ASAP and all is out of the bowl and in him in about 2 seconds....and he promptly throws it back up.
Small and often is a good thing to try!! One of my cats eats 3 meals instead of two and his gastro problems have been tremendously helped.

Yes, we have a scarf-and-barf cat, too, and it's been ever so helpful to feed five small meals a day. (Lucky for everybody, I work at home!) Edwina also seems to occasionally barf for what seems to be no reason whatsoever, usually in the middle of the night, long after food, though I'm pretty sure it's tied to fur. Not actual hairballs but maybe some form of hair gastritis (yup, it's a thing) because there's usually a slight slick of hair on what comes up. Most telling: she only seems to barf if we don't brush her regularly. (We were lax this week and oopsy! At least we think it was that cat...) So there's another happy possibility for why a cat throws up!

 

[1 bruce 1]

Yes, we have a scarf-and-barf cat, too, and it's been ever so helpful to feed five small meals a day. (Lucky for everybody, I work at home!) Edwina also seems to occasionally barf for what seems to be no reason whatsoever, usually in the middle of the night, long after food, though I'm pretty sure it's tied to fur. Not actual hairballs but maybe some form of hair gastritis (yup, it's a thing) because there's usually a slight slick of hair on what comes up. Most telling: she only seems to barf if we don't brush her regularly. (We were lax this week and oopsy! At least we think it was that cat...) So there's another happy possibility for why a cat throws up!

Working at home, or at least around home, is such a good thing and can be a comfort (or install a sense of worry bordering on paranoia) with one that's ill.
I still laugh at "scarf and barf!"

It seems spring and fall create that hair-blarfing thing. Ours do it even with consistent brushing. Our brushes are awesome for removal of dead coat, and we have a brush we REALLY like for clumpy areas on short-coat cats (chests, legs, and the rear side of back legs seem to get clumpy even in short hairs). Two of our short hair boys hate combs buts LOVE that brush.

We had a dog that would eat so fast she would snarf it down, bring up it, snarf it down, bring it up, until it became some really gross game as if she was a machine that created food. So gross.

 

[tinydestroyer]

My cats love instinct and I was feeding them the kitten, and then chicken or rabbit wet in rotation with other brands. I thought they were pretty good, but your cat might not like an ingredient. When I fed the rabbit, one of them also ate so quickly she barfed. It doesn't take them too long to eat their wet food, so I stand by and watch now to make sure they don't make themselves sick. In my case, I think they slow down because when I'm there, the first to finish doesn't get to eat some of the other cats dinner.

 

[1 bruce 1]

My cats love instinct and I was feeding them the kitten, and then chicken or rabbit wet in rotation with other brands. I thought they were pretty good, but your cat might not like an ingredient. When I fed the rabbit, one of them also ate so quickly she barfed. It doesn't take them too long to eat their wet food, so I stand by and watch now to make sure they don't make themselves sick. In my case, I think they slow down because when I'm there, the first to finish doesn't get to eat some of the other cats dinner.

Another rabbit black hole tummy! At least my cat isn't alone, LOL!

Standing by while they eat is always a good idea IMO no matter what is being fed. With multiples it's good to make sure no one is getting bullied out of their rightful ration (helpful to know, if you notice a cat losing weight and panic and rush to the vet, who is stumped by the healthy cat that's dropping weight but shows vitality and good health), and with multiples OR singles it's good to know if that random puke episode happens after an inhale-fest. Random barfing is no fun and can be a nightmare if you're unaware your cat eats fast and is the sole cause of the barfing. It will save a lot of headaches and worry over a cat that's puking all the time and you've no idea why...only to find out it's not medical, only a cat that's decided food must be shop-vac'ed into their tummies.
Plus it's a nice way to see (especially with feral) any cuts, scratches, injuries, dings, or coat problems. as they're in one place, not moving, and you can get a good over-all look/assessment of their overall physical health. It's probably the BEST way to notice any potential dental issues (problems chewing, chewing on one side, picking food up and spitting it out, etc.) as well as a normally voracious cat eating a bit slower. Might be a medical thing that needs early intervention to promote the best possible treatment...

It also goes without saying that a cat, dog, bird, human, living thing can potentially choke on anything in their mouths, including food. It's a one in a ten trillion chance, but it's always good to keep an eye on feeding time.

 

[Ladewyn]

I'm a bit confused. Did he only vomit the one time after instinct, or has this happened multiple times?

 

[Benjamin Franklin (Benji)]

This happened the first time I fed completely Instinct. He was so happy and gobbled it up but then barfed it out shortly after. This only happened once but I was too scared to give him any more or try again.

 

[lisahe]

This happened the first time I fed completely Instinct. He was so happy and gobbled it up but then barfed it out shortly after. This only happened once but I was too scared to give him any more or try again.

Maybe you could try just giving him a small amount? If the problem is scarf-and-barf (fairly likely if he barfed so quickly) he may do just fine with it if he only gets a little. I've also found with Edwina that she tends to scarf less when she gets used to the food.

Good luck!

 

[Benjamin Franklin (Benji)]

I hope so, another problem is that he is also super active after he eats and when a human does cardio or swimming wfter a meal they’ll have an upset stomach. Maybe the same with Benji?

 

[lisahe]

I hope so, another problem is that he is also super active after he eats and when a human does cardio or swimming wfter a meal they’ll have an upset stomach. Maybe the same with Benji?

Yes, it could be! We try to keep Edwina calm just before and just after meals for this very reason. By "keep calm" I mean that we don't play with her just before a meal. I also sometimes delay a meal a little if she's worked up after watching chipmunks, birds, or (heaven forbid) the wind on the veranda.

 

[Ladewyn]

Yeah, if it's only happened once I wouldn't be too concerned about a sensitivity, especially if he didn't throw up during the transition. It's most likely a coincidence, or he just ate too fast. If it's the second one, giving him smaller meals would help