My 11-year old cat is starting to vomit frequently after eating. Should I change to a different food?

[three4rd]

Feebys, thanks for that heartfelt and honest reply. I'm humbled, since you're dealing with more than I had to. Agreed that I'm getting way ahead of myself. Glad that your cat is maintaining weight and still seems to have good quality of life. I can totally relate to the spreadsheet! It's the only way to keep track of it all.

Back when my Jasmine was first diagnosed, I strongly considered the "radiocat" (radioiodine) procedure, but then I guess I perhaps waited too long and once the CRF diagnosis came along, then maybe based on vet advice or else my own feelings about it I never pursued it farther. Out of curiosity, however, I just Iooked it up. Didn't realize there are so few locations that even do it - so that might have been the deciding factor. None near me.

Might I ask what you use to treat the hyperthyroidism? Perhaps there are newer meds available now. Back when I went through it, it was pretty much just the methimazole.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I want to speak from the heart when I can, just as some sort of mental respite for those whom I am talking to, and for myself as well.

Feeby has been on Felimazole (just the cat version of methimazole) since 2020, with some small adjustments to the dosage over time. At the time she was diagnosed with hyper-T, I couldn't bring myself to even consider I 131, I - like you - then later found she had CKD and I never looked again at the I 131 treatment.

Her quality of life is not what it once was, but I consider that to be true of older humans who experience health problems as well. We take one day at a time; some are better than others.

 

[three4rd]

some are better than others.

For sure. A kennel owner once told me, "Every day is a day of grace".

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi
Just a note, hand feeding shouldn't be considered a last resort and therefore bad, either with a syringe or popsicle stick which is what I used for my angel Poppycat after my vet described how to do it. Two, three and for a little bit, four times a day until I hit on a workable schedule, for a couple years.

I looked at it as getting meds into a finicky eater, and to keep him from skinny old cat syndrome.

We accomplished that goal of mine, right up to his last weekend at 17.5 years old, with high liver and pancreas numbers, hyper-T and kidney issues.

Every cat is different, but in his case he jumped to the top of the refrigerator a couple weeks before he died

 

[three4rd]

I've described much of this ongoing saga in a few other threads. But to update, I had her eating Tiki chicken food, which she really liked - for awhile, then gave up on it. So for the past week or so she's been eating fancy feast. Really seems to like it but I don't think she can keep it down. Has anyone else experienced this? This challenge of finding wet food that works is becoming frustrating. I've been looking at the Purina Pro Plan canned food for 11+ (my cat is likely around 13-14). Might that be worth a try? Up until September, she has eaten the same food for 12 years with no issues (mostly Friskies Sea Captain's choice pate) but this fussiness started and hasn't stopped. I will be scheduling a dental exam for her shortly as per vet's suggestion. She's on a 2nd round of convenia antibiotic cause it seems to help with her eating dry food. She was scheduled for an ultrasound but I canceled it since the vet feels that having picked up some weight (after losing some a few months ago) along with all good bloodwork, that the ultrasound may not be needed at this time. Now, however, with the vomiting starting again every few days or so, I'm wondering if I should reschedule the ultrasound. Part of it is she eats too fast. Always has. Vomiting is not a new issue either - been going on for years at random times.

So, for now at least, any suggestions on food? I know one school of thought is that the best food is what they'll eat and it did seem like Fancy Feast was a hit - and she still eats it but doesn't seem to sit well with her. I don't recall any vomiting at all while she was eating Tiki. Tonight, though, along with the Fancy Feast Classic Seafood pate, I put a bit of Tiki salmon mousse on the side of the bowl. Ate most of it both times along with the FF, but then it all came back up immediately. Now, I'm also concerned that she lost 1/4 lb - back down to 10.75 lbs and I had gotten her up to 11 lbs. after being 10.5 at the vet a month ago. Perhaps overly worried about the weight unless it starts slipping down below the 10.5 again. Her whole life she has generally been between 10.5 - 12, with mostly at 11 plus a few ounces.

She acts normally but I do think her teeth are bothering her. Vet noticed some continued gingivitis while she was there for the 2nd convenia shot. What's stressful about all this is that this cat was so easy to feed all these years! Yes, the history of vomiting is there but otherwise I never even bothered to see what was left in her bowl after each feeding. Now, I find myself inspecting it all day long. I'll often have to put small chewy treat toppers on top of the wet food to get her more motivated. I have mirtaz also if needed as a stimulant. Used it once so far and haven't seemed to need it since.

Thanks for any suggestions. I know quite a few were already made on my other thread pertaining to several of these issues.

 

[three4rd]

Have to apologize for my duplication in threads! With so much going on at home right now (the cat, plus my wife just had surgery that she's in recovery from, along with a few other family crises), I simply forgot that I already started (or in this case bumped up) a thread about eating / vomiting.

 

[maggie101]

 

[maggie101]

Been there,done that

 

[three4rd]

Been there,done that

lol....

 

[maggie101]

I dealt with my cat peaches vommiting for years. Finally figured out that she is intolerant to chicken and eats too fast so no pate. She likes nulo turkey,duck,beef,or salmon. Only minced. She also had a tooth lesion

 

[gitabooks]

I'm sorry to hear about the kitty stress. My Nocturne was the same way. It took years to find what would work for her. The vet suspects Inflammatory Bowel Disease (like Crohn's in humans) but I didn't want to put her through the stress of a biopsy to confirm it. They said they can feeling thickening of the intestines though. Often times cats get worse symptoms as they become seniors.

What works best for Nocturne is Cerenia (an anti-nausea medication) every other day, multiple small meals of wet food only, and no dry food.

Currently she is doing well on Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Stomach (duck), Wellness Turkey Gravies (she didn't do well on morsels or minced interestingly enough), and Purina Beyond Canadian Duck and Sweet Potato. Multiple brands helps in case one isn't available.

If I try to give her a big meal it causes an issue. She eats like a third or a half of a can at a time.

Without the Cerenia though I don't know if I would even still have her with me. She got really sick, vomiting up blood and having bloody diarrhea. She was hospitalized for a couple days with an appetite stimulant, antibiotics, fluids, etc. In the end, the only thing she still needs is the Cerenia.

By the way, cats have very strong food aversion to foods they ate when they were sick. They associate the food with the sickness (just like we might when we get the flu) and may not want to eat it again. Nocturne stopped eating her favorite foods a number of times because of this.

Some ingredients people have found issue with in IBD kitties includes guar gum, agar agar, carageenan, fish, and chicken. I find Nocturne really enjoys turkey and duck, probably because of their stronger flavor/scent. Some people also have success on a raw food diet.
Look for high protein and fat content, which helps to maintain healthy weight and muscle mass (some senior foods are too low in protein and can lead to muscle wasting).

All cats are different, but I will add that Nocturne is far more likely to throw-up shredded chicken or large bites of food than small gravies or ground pate. It seems to irritate her stomach less.

Probiotics can also really help.

I hope your kitty feels better soon!

 

[three4rd]

Anybody use one of these?

I have a tilted bowl, close to 4" high, but just wondering if this one with the slow feeder elements inside, might help to cut down on what I've always suspected is too fast eating / regurgitation.

 

[IndyJones]

Anybody use one of these?

I have a tilted bowl, close to 4" high, but just wondering if this one with the slow feeder elements inside, might help to cut down on what I've always suspected is too fast eating / regurgitation.

I've used the balls before Amazon.ca

Kabuto also eats from a large dog bowl though, if the food is spread out I find he eats slower. You could try a baking tray or a pyrex platter to see if spreading it out would work at all.

 

[maggie101]

Anybody use one of these?

I have a tilted bowl, close to 4" high, but just wondering if this one with the slow feeder elements inside, might help to cut down on what I've always suspected is too fast eating / regurgitation.

I have not but have one very similarAmazon.com
I only feed wet. It looks like my bowl is wider but I can see why that would be good for dry

 

[maggie101]

I've used the balls before Amazon.ca

Kabuto also eats from a large dog bowl though, if the food is spread out I find he eats slower. You could try a baking tray or a pyrex platter to see if spreading it out would work at all.

Cocos bowl is similar. Elevated bowl,she will pick up the food then eat on the floor. She has a small mouth. Maggie is tall so she needs the elevated bowl otherwise she won't eat. Peaches eats too fast she uses the elevated bowl. Theyre all different!

 

[IndyJones]

Kabuto also gets wisker stress with cat sized bowls like those I also don't like the ones that look like cat heads or that have those corners, they break off too easily and all the food gathers in the corners and gets nasty. I had that issue with some of the pixi bowls too, the corners break off easily. I should add Indy chewed them off the pixi fountain. Had to throw it out because it was so sharp it could cut her.

 

[three4rd]

one very similar

That's basically the same thing but without the raised portions inside. Worth a try to see if it curbs some of the regurgitation. I'm going to start keeping a chart. Seems like it's about 5 minutes after the 1st feeding in the morning. Rest of the day is generally ok. I'm still gradually from Fancy Feast classic paté to the Pro-Plan 11+, giving her some of both at each feeding, so see what happens once I switch over completely. This (vomiting) is not a new issue. It goes back several years. Her current bowl is tilted but not as high as the one I just ordered.

 

[maggie101]

Amazon.com

Automatic feeder is useful if your cat is without food for a long time. Part of the reason for her throwing up and feeling sick
Can't find the brand I bought

 

[lisahe]

That's basically the same thing but without the raised portions inside. Worth a try to see if it curbs some of the regurgitation. I'm going to start keeping a chart. Seems like it's about 5 minutes after the 1st feeding in the morning. Rest of the day is generally ok. I'm still gradually from Fancy Feast classic paté to the Pro-Plan 11+, giving her some of both at each feeding, so see what happens once I switch over completely. This (vomiting) is not a new issue. It goes back several years. Her current bowl is tilted but not as high as the one I just ordered.

If most of the problem is regurgitating a meal 5 minutes after the first morning feeding, then it would probably help to feed a nighttime meal. We use autofeeders for that. One pops open at about 3:15 a.m. with a meal. Another pops open at about 6 a.m. with some freeze-dried chicken treats.

Is she just regurgitating very soon after meals? If so, feeding just before bedtime and during the night should help. We've been through that as well as acid barfs (empty, just whitish-yellowish liquid) during the night. A night meal helps prevent those, too. We also use an herbal/probiotic supplement that helps tremendously with both our cats' gut issues, which range from stomach inflammation to constipation.

If stress is still an issue, our cats have done well with Composure chews (until I started suspecting that one had a sensitivity to an ingredient and the other decided Composure no longer tasted good) but even better with Bach's Rescue Remedy drops (the pet version). If we know there's going to be loud noises or a rapid change in the weather, I give Edwina a few extra drops. The weather thing sounds really weird but cats apparently feel changes in barometric pressure in their ears. That can stress them and my theory is that it can also make them shake their heads and act kind of depressed. I noticed those behaviors earlier this week, checked the barometric pressure, and found there'd been a rapid drop.

Good luck with all this!

 

[Kflowers]

When you're trying different foods, you might want to not only try different brands but different manufacturers. The manufacturers make many different brands. We found with our cat that there were particular manufacturers' products that did not work for her no matter which of their brands it was. It's not hard to check, just google "who makes brand name?" and they'll list it for you. Be ware that brands and lines are sold often and move from manufacturer to manufacturer.