Cat throwing up too much

yekrats

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We adopted two full grown cats 4-5 months ago, Tubbs, approx. 8 years old, a 15 lb male ( not fat just big) and Patches, approx. 5 years old, a female. Both are fixed and declawed. We didn't have them declawed, they came that way. Tubbs seems to throw up once or twice a week. There's no sign of hairballs. Patches has always been fine. Both have been to the vet and are completely healthy. At first we were feeding them both the same dry food they have always eaten. ND? Anyway, really good stuff. So we talked to the vet and he said cats throw up sometimes but recommended changing to a urinary tract dry food he recommended. Can't remember the name but also good stuff. Since then it seems Tubb's might be throwing up a little bit more. Still no sign of hairballs. Maybe from once a week to twice a week. Patches is fine with the new food. Both seem to enjoy the new food just fine. They have separate bowls and we give them both a 1/4 cup of food in the morning and another 1/4 cup at night. There's always some left over in their bowls so they're not overeating. So, since the vet says they're both healthy and fine, where do we go from here? Does anyone have any ideas why Tubbs is barfing so much?
 
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Furballsmom

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Hi, it can be challenging to know if the vet didn't find anything definitive. If this were me, I would try some canned food, --with a slow transition to it. You could also try a pre and probiotic. Also, try giving him a small snack midday, and before bed. Maybe his stomach needs something in it to help with acid/bile.
 

Mac and Cats

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So we talked to the vet and he said cats throw up sometimes but recommended changing to a urinary tract dry food he recommended.
From my understanding and my experience, some cats may throw up sometimes, but it's really not normal unless it's a hairball. Are you able to get a second opinion? I had a cat who we said goodbye to due to lymphoma back in 2020. I use to think "Oh he's just a puker" because he threw up often, but I've learned that's not really a thing. I wish I had known that sooner as I really should have been doing more to figure his issue out. I had always thought he ate too fast and that's why he would throw up, but now I think it was likely digestion issues. Could you try a sensitive stomach food to see if that helps? Once I switched our guy over the the gastrointestinal food, his throwing up was FAR less. However, it was pretty late in his little life that I changed it. Maybe 15 or 16 or so? We lost him when he was 17. If he does need urinary food, there is a prescription food that is for digestion issues as well as urinary issues. I just started our cat on it who was diagnosed with possible IBD (although it could also be small cell lymphoma) just over a week or so ago. He really likes the one I linked you to. They also do have a dry food. It's not cheap, but so far it's the only thing I have been able to get him to eat since his urgent care/ultrasound visit. You could also just try wet food like the Furballsmom Furballsmom suggested to start and see if that helps? And if it doesn't, you can try another food for sensitive digestion? Good luck to you!
 

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I have no idea why a vet would recommend urinary care food for a cat who throws up. Did they see something in the blood work or urinalysis to suggest a probable urinary issue down the road? Personally, if he threw up less on the previous food, I would not bother with the urinary care food - unless the vet can give you a valid reason for it. Of course, if you didn't gradually change over the foods, the throwing up more could be related to him getting used the the new food. Some cats are more sensitive to food changes than others.

It could have a bearing on what could be wrong depending on when he throws up - immediately after he eats where the food is not really even partially digested (called regurgitation), or hours afterward when it is at least partially digested. Does he tend to throw up more after morning food or evening food - and how far apart are the meals? Since he isn't throwing up daily, charting when/what/how much he eats and comparing that information to the times he does eat might also give you some clues.
 
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yekrats

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I have no idea why a vet would recommend urinary care food for a cat who throws up. Did they see something in the blood work?
Long story short, Tubbs came from an abusive home and was wound up tight all the time because of it. When he began spraying inside the house we took him to the vet and that was why he checked for a uti. Ended up no uti, blood work clean. Vet gave him two weeks supply of drug to calm him down so he would not be anxious all the time. Worked like a charm, no more spraying. Can't remember off the top why vet recommended the UTI food. Have to ask my wife.
 

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Are you feeding wet food,dry food, or a combination of both? Are you feeding any fish or chicken flavors? How are their poops? Do you think they could be constipated?
 
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yekrats

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Are you feeding wet food,dry food, or a combination of both? Are you feeding any fish or chicken flavors? How are their poops? Do you think they could be constipated?
Feeding them high quality urinary tract dry food the vet recommended. Not positive what flavor it, chicken I think but I'll have to look when I get home. Constipated... he loves his water and doesn't seem to be in any kind of distress. They've got three litter trays that we clean every day and everything looks okay poop wise as far as I can tell. But to be honest, all I can really say is there's poop in there and it looks normal. I'll have to look more closely at him for dehydration. As I recall, you pull up on the skin at the top of his neck and it should be soft and fall back nicely. Does that sound right?
 

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My 16 y/o kitty would throw up after eating, for unknown reasons, even as her blood work returns normal.

Last month, I read about how elevated pet dishes allow for better eating posture with cats, and can improve their digestion, as the cat eats their food with their head elevated higher than their stomach.

I purchased an elevated cat bowl (then realized I can make one at home), Willow adjusted to it well, and it has reduced Willow's vomiting after eating episodes. 😺.
IMG_20230209_185053378.jpg
 
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yekrats

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Are you feeding wet food,dry food, or a combination of both? Are you feeding any fish or chicken flavors? How are their poops? Do you think they could be constipated?
It's Hill's prescription diet urinary care C/D MultiCare stress. Ocean fish flavor!
 

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Cats throwing up may be common. But it's never normal. Not even hairballs. Healthy cats can pass fur of their prey out the back end. They can and should be doing the same with their own hair from grooming.

Your vet should be more concerned about the one who is throwing up. Maybe it's time to get a new vet? If he were my cat, I would start with an ultrasound of his gut. Blood and urine does not tell the whole story. If an ultrasound is more money than you want to spend right now, ask the vet for Hills I/D or GI Biome in both the wet and dry food. Ideally, he should be eating more wet than dry. But kibble can be a hard habit to break. My Betty loves the I/D in the stew cans. She doesn't care for the pate. And I won't give her the dry. It's probably her kibble habit before she came to me that has me playing catch up with her health.

If you can afford pricier food, Rawz and Mouser are both fantastic foods with simple, clean recipes and several different protein choices to choose from. Sometimes it's necessary to change them from the proteins they have always had because their system is already triggered by them.

You can order single cans (rather than cases) from Incredible Pets:
Search: 9 results found for "mouser" - Incredible Pets
Search: 51 results found for "rawz" - Incredible Pets

If you can and want to pursue this fully, I would look for an internal medicine specialist. S/he will know the right tests to order, the foods to recommend, and any medicines he might need to get his gut back in order. Chronic vomiting can lead to chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation can lead to cancer. I'm not trying to suggest that that's where is now. But you don't want to just accept that cats sometimes barf. It's never normal. This can be a long road. It's good to have a specialist in your corner.
 

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Hi, I know you said he throws up alot. Does he ever throw up white bile in the morning?? If so that’s from an empty stomach.that’s acid in their stomach with no food. If he throws up very quickly after he eats… he’s eating too fast. If it happens to throw up after a while he has gastro issues mention this to your vet with questions let them explain more throughly to you. Either way I think he would definitely benefit for a pill every day Pepcid ac. ( Not over the counter).. there are medications sometimes mixed in that are toxic to cats) so please get the medicine from your veterinarian… I am sure they will be fine with administering this to your cat. This pill prevents vomiting in kitties. I hope it works!
 

daftcat75

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Hi, I know you said he throws up alot. Does he ever throw up white bile in the morning?? If so that’s from an empty stomach.that’s acid in their stomach with no food. If he throws up very quickly after he eats… he’s eating too fast. If it happens to throw up after a while he has gastro issues mention this to your vet with questions let them explain more throughly to you. Either way I think he would definitely benefit for a pill every day Pepcid ac. ( Not over the counter).. there are medications sometimes mixed in that are toxic to cats) so please get the medicine from your veterinarian… I am sure they will be fine with administering this to your cat. This pill prevents vomiting in kitties. I hope it works!
I DO NOT recommend Pepcid AC for a cat unless you suspect a stomach ulcer. I don’t suspect that in this case. Otherwise their acidic stomach is their first line of defense against gut pathogens including the ones that can be causing gut and butt issues. Partially digested food coming out of the stomach has to be acidic for proper digestion in the small intestine. Pepcid AC can cause more problems than it solves.

The best thing to come out of Betty’s endoscopy was conclusive confirmation that she did not have an ulcer. When she threw up, she would throw up multiple times. She would go to the water fountain and drink so much that she’d throw up again. She would keep throwing up until there was nothing but “pink spits”. It was saliva and stomach acid tinged pink by esophageal irritation. We had a legitimate reason to suspect an ulcer. First thing I asked after her endo, “did you see an ulcer?” And I’ve never given her Pepcid AC since. For Betty, steroids (prednisilone) is what has kept her vomit-free since she started them in August. We’ve tapered twice and she’s on a low dose now. We had to pause the tapering to deal with dental issues. But we’ll be working with her specialist again soon to see if her pred can be reduced further. Or changed to a low dose every other day.

If your cat throws up acid in the morning, use a timed feeder to give her an overnight meal. Feeding smaller meals more often is much better for acid control than acid suppression via Pepcid AC.
 
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Both of mine will throw up in the morning if fed dry food. There is too much bile in their stomachs and they can't digest it. So I feed them Sheba or FF Petites pate in the morning. It's a small serving and usually stays down. Mingo will always throw up anything with fish in it right away, so I don't give him that at all. Lily threw up the beef pates, but she eats beef in other forms with no problem, so I avoid beef in the mornings. Long story short, you just need to experiment with what works and what doesn't. I also think three meals a day would be better for them.
 

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I agree with daftcat75 daftcat75 . Get a second opinion. No pepcid. Throwing up every week,just bile, is too much. At his age eating canned would help for moisture. Start by mixing dry and wet since he has been on dry for so long. How is he acting? My cat Maggie was diagnosed with IBD 8 yrs old. She has been to 3 vets. Finally like this one. He ran other tests and xray then suggested she see a specialist.
 
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yekrats

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I think we figured it out or at least I hope so. We feed them 1/4 cup of food, 1/8th cup for each in the morning and once in the evening. Then Tubbs eats so fast that sometimes it comes back up. I'm thinking he gulps down air and it causes him to vomit sometimes. So now we're going to throw a few kernels in his bowl to curb his appetite, let it settle and then give him the rest of his 1/8th cup. See if that helps.
 
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arr

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One of my cats was prone to throwing up frequently, and once I switched her to more wet and less dry, the throwing up reduced dramatically.

Just as an aside, 1/4 cup of dry food for a whole day sounds like very little to me. Each of my cats eats 1/4 cup or more dry food a day plus 4.5 to 7 ounces of wet food a day plus lots of water mixed into the wet food. Or maybe my cats are abnormal? I do feel like they eat a lot.
 

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I think we figured it out or at least I hope so. We feed them 1/4 cup of food, 1/8th cup for each in the morning and once in the evening. Then Tubbs eats so fast that sometimes it comes back up. I'm thinking he gulps down air and it causes him to vomit sometimes. So now we're going to throw a few kernels in his bowl to curb his appetite, let it settle and then give him the rest of his 1/8th cup. See if that helps.
That's not enough food. They are starving. Double the amount that you give them and add some wet food.
 

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We feed them 1/4 cup of food, 1/8th cup for each in the morning and once in the evening.
I think I may have missed something. In your first post starting this thread, you said they're getting a 1/4 cup in the morning and a 1/4 cup in the evening, with some leftover in the bowls.

Or maybe my cats are abnormal? I do feel like they eat a lot.
An adult cat body condition chart, available on the internet, can help determine how things are :)
 
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yekrats

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One of my cats was prone to throwing up frequently, and once I switched her to more wet and less dry, the throwing up reduced dramatically.

Just as an aside, 1/4 cup of dry food for a whole day sounds like very little to me. Each of my cats eats 1/4 cup or more dry food a day plus 4.5 to 7 ounces of wet food a day plus lots of water mixed into the wet food. Or maybe my cats are abnormal? I do feel like they eat a lot.
Yeah, I didn't think it was much either but there's always food left over at the end of the day so they're eating all they want. Could be I've got my measurements wrong too. My wife set it up and I'm pretty sure it's a 1/4 measuring cup but I'll have to look to be sure.
 
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