Cat throwing up,what do I do?

[yekrats]

I have 2 cats, Patches, 5 yrs and Tubbs, 8 yrs. Tubbs, our orange tabby has been throwing up on and off for the last few months and I don't know why or what to do about it. Tubbs, is about 8 years old and both cats eat the same high quality (can't remember name at the moment) dry food they have always eaten. They get a lot of fresh water, changed twice daily. I thought he might be eating some of the house plants we have but I see absolutely no evidence of it. Tubbs will throw up everything in his stomach and then do the dry heave thing for a while. Both cats have had recent vet check ups and are perfectly healthy. So, how do I figure out what's going on?

 

[neely]

Both cats have had recent vet check ups and are perfectly healthy. So, how do I figure out what's going on?

Since you mentioned Tubbs is 8 yrs. old, did you tell the vet about his vomiting and did he have bloodwork done with his check up?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Also, is he regurgitating his food (throwing up right after eating), or does he vomit after a bit whereby the food is partially digested? Does the vomit contain hair/hairballs?

 

[Hannah531]

This was my question too - our kitty pukes up food with his hairballs too and sometimes some heaving afterwards.

 

[yekrats]

Since you mentioned Tubbs is 8 yrs. old, did you tell the vet about his vomiting and did he have bloodwork done with his check up?

This was my question too - our kitty pukes up food with his hairballs too and sometimes some heaving afterwards.

Since you mentioned Tubbs is 8 yrs. old, did you tell the vet about his vomiting and did he have bloodwork done with his check up?

Okay, we adopted the cat's in December, had they're check ups done in January and Tubbs was spraying at that time so we had blood work done on him and his teeth cleaned as well. No trouble on the blood work ie: UTI, both cats were declared healthy and our vet put Tubbs on gabapenton for 2 weeks to calm him down ( Previous owners were not nice to him) and that cured hits sprayring problem.

Hair balls - I don't see any evidence of hairballs and Tubbs wasn't throwing up at the time so there was no reason to tell the vet.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Just in case you didn't see my questions -

Also, is he regurgitating his food (throwing up right after eating), or does he vomit after a bit whereby the food is partially digested?

The other thing I did not mention was the fact that he may have developed an intolerance or sensitivity to something in his food. That can happen at any point in time regardless of how long a cat has been eating the same thing. And the food could be going bad - that will often impact an older cat before it does a younger one, despite the small amount of age difference.

 

[yekrats]

Sorry, I missed that. Both actually. Usually he throws up soon after eating but some times it's been down a while. I hadn't thought about him becoming intolerant to his food. I sure hope not, we've got a lot of the stuff. I guess the thing to do is feed him something else and see if he stops throwing up. What would you suggest, canned food maybe?
Side note - After throwing up today I can see that he does not feel well. Usually after he throws up he just shakes it off and goes about his business but now he's just sitting on the floor with his eyes kind of half shut with an I don't feel good look on his face.

 

[catsknowme]

My big question - Have you given Tubbs a "reset" by offering only boiled chicken or beef broth for a days? And then add the boiled meat or Gerber stage 2 beef, turkey or ham? You could also add a little unflavored Pedialyte to the broth andeat to help keep his electrolytes balanced.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I agree with the above. A new bag of his 'normal' food could also be tried just in case something is going wrong with the current bag that is just not enough to affect Patches.

It is so hard to determine what else to try because any sort of intolerance could be associated with the protein, or some kind of filler. Look for any unnecessary ingredients in the food (e.g.; grains, vegetables, gums, etc.) and try for something without those - or go to a completely different protein source. As far as canned food, the same concept applies. This is a tough area to find solutions for, to be sure.

 

[yekrats]

My big question - Have you given Tubbs a "reset" by offering only boiled chicken or beef broth for a days? And then add the boiled meat or Gerber stage 2 beef, turkey or ham? You could also add a little unflavored Pedialyte to the broth andeat to help keep his electrolytes balanced.

I agree with the above. A new bag of his 'normal' food could also be tried just in case something is going wrong with the current bag that is just not enough to affect Patches.

It is so hard to determine what else to try because any sort of intolerance could be associated with the protein, or some kind of filler. Look for any unnecessary ingredients in the food (e.g.; grains, vegetables, gums, etc.) and try for something without those - or go to a completely different protein source. As far as canned food, the same concept applies. This is a tough area to find solutions for, to be sure.

Oh boy, this is going to be quite an undertaking. Got to be done though. Anyway, I don't think it's bad food because we get our food threw Chewy and He's had this problem through more than one batch so... We'll, he really likes chicken, that's for sure so I guess I'll start there. Maybe add some Gerber in a day or 2. Poor guy.

 

[yekrats]

Poor guy, he's really having a hard time. He just came downstairs, yowled at me once and threw up again. No food came out just liquidity stuff. He feels awful and wants me to fix it. I don't think I dare give him anything now, He'll just throw it back up.

 

[yekrats]

I think you are all right and what he is eating is the problem. Unfortunately, he/we are just going to have to whether the storm but we'll get through this.

 

[FeebysOwner]

You need to try something plain and basic to feed him. I am not sure waiting it out is the answer, the liquidity stuff could be acid build up in his stomach from lack of food.

 

[Alldara]

Another thing to do is call the vet and ask if the bloodwork included testing for hyperthyroid. This is not included in some vets routine bloodwork or pre-surgery blood work and sometimes needs to be requested separately.

My cat's first sign was vomiting frequently.

 

[yekrats]

Another thing to do is call the vet and ask if the bloodwork included testing for hyperthyroid. This is not included in some vets routine bloodwork or pre-surgery blood work and sometimes needs to be requested separately.

My cat's first sign was vomiting frequently.

Hyperthyroid, good Idea. I'll ask the vet. He seems to be feeling a little bit better now, he's off the floor and back up on his perch on top of the couch so I'll try giving him some plane chicken. Thanks

 

[Alldara]

Hyperthyroid, good Idea. I'll ask the vet. He seems to be feeling a little bit better now, he's off the floor and back up on his perch on top of the couch so I'll try giving him some plane chicken. Thanks

Oh I'm glad. You can also get a can of recovery food from the vet to help him if you'd like.

 

[neely]

Another thing to do is call the vet and ask if the bloodwork included testing for hyperthyroid. This is not included in some vets routine bloodwork or pre-surgery blood work and sometimes needs to be requested separately.

That was my initial thought too, great minds think alike! Hopefully it's not H-T but always a good idea to check T-4.

 

[yekrats]

Tubbs is feeling better and ate some chicken. Probably going to take him to the vet tomorrow just to be safe.

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. I am glad you are taking Tubbs to the vet. Cats that vomit are not normal and can have many different issues going on. Is Tubbs overweight?

Dry food contains allot of carbohydrates, which cats cannot process. Some cats are more affected by this than others and sometimes enough time goes by they start to have problems. One of the problems can be IBD. It can also be that they develop a food allergy. The most common foods for them to be allergic to are chicken, fish, and beef. If it is a protein that they are allergic to, then they have to be started on a novel protein source, which is a protein they have never been exposed to. For some it is a prescription diet of Duck, Rabbit or Venison cat food. It must be prescription food because the cat food sold in pet stores has chicken or another protein source added to their rabbit, duck or venison food. At least in my experience. So, no more dry cat food.

Another thing that can cause vomiting in a cat is a foreign body obstruction. This can be hair that won't pass, or it can be anything else that your cat thought might be a good idea to eat. Cat toys, hair ties, string? These can all obstruct the intestines and cause a blockage which will cause the cat to vomit repeatedly and also make them not want to eat. This is an important thing to find out sooner than later because if you wait to long the intestines can go necrotic and even surgery can't save them then,

There are internal organs that can inflamed like the pancreas. Pancreatitis in cats is very painful and can cause nausea making them not want to eat. Most cats with pancreatitis don't want to eat at all and feel badly. Pancreatitis is a serious disease and treatment often involves supportive care either as an inpatient or at home with medication.

When a cat stops eating, they run the risk of developing hepatic lipidosis aka fatty liver disease. Overweight cats are at a much greater risk of developing it but any cat can if they stop eating.

Constipation can be another reason why a cat stops eating. Dry food will lead to that more due to the lack of moisture in it.

A cat that is vomiting is needing to see a veterinarian to determine why. You cannot take the risk of treating like it is a food allergy or something without knowing what is going on. I would get him in to be seen as soon as possible.

Make sure the plants aren't where the cats can reach them. Do you know the kind of plant?

 

[yekrats]

That's a ton of good information, thank you. We haven't taken him to the Vet yet but are doing a few things to try and isolate the problem. We're changing their feeding bowls to the kind that force a cat to slow down thinking maybe he's just eating too fast. It doesn't seem real likely to me but worth a try. We're also looking into our house plants and have found 2 that could cause the problem. A pothos and a dumb cane. We're not seeing any recent evidence of them chewing on them but they have in the past and even one little nibble could do it. Fingers crossed.