My cat has been throwing up…

Mike89

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Hi! I need some insight! So I have a female tabby who is a little over a year old & she’s been throwing up almost every day since the start of November. When inspecting her throw up it’s green & runny. Sometimes it has hair in it & sometimes there’s none. Now, she’s been perfectly fine prior to last month btw & her energy levels are still the same. She doesn’t appear sick at all tbh. She’s had regular bowel movements as well. At first I thought it was her wet food that was causing her to throw up so I cut it out for a week to see if that was it. Still continued throwing up. I took her to the vet to get her checked out & she wanted to do some exams & a blood test. Sadly, it costs around $700 & I’m on social assistance so I couldn’t afford it. Then the vet told me that when I get some money that I could buy some special hypoallergenic dry cat food from their vet clinic. I decided to try out a cheaper alternative & picked up some Special Kitty hairball formula dry cat food to try out for a bit. However, she’s still throwing up. I’m wondering if it just simply takes a bit for her to get used to the new food before it actually works or if it’s just not working, whatsoever. I’m honestly at a loss here. I don’t want to think about the outcome of me having to give her to a shelter because I can’t afford exams & such if she becomes ill.🥺 Hope I can get some insight on this. Thank you for taking the time to read this.❤
 

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fionasmom

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Vomiting with Bile in Cats | PetMD
Cat Throwing Up? Here’s Why and What to Do | PetMD
Cat Vomiting: 7 Causes and How to Help | Great Pet Care

The above articles attempt to cover all aspects of vomiting, so don't worry that all of this might apply to your cat. Green vomit is usually bile, sometimes though it can originate in the lower digestive tract. How often does your cat get her meals? You might try feeding more frequently in smaller portions to see if it is some kind of indigestion. As you vet said, allergies can cause digestive issues; chicken can be a culprit for some cats.
Food Allergies in Cats

I assume that your vet wanted to do more expensive tests like ultrasound to image the digestive tract. While that can be helpful, you could start with a blood test to see if anything comes up which might point you in the right direction before you make a decision about other diagnostics.
 
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Mike89

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How often does your cat get her meals?
I appreciate the links you provided! I'll go through them later today when I have some free time! She has dry food out throughout the day and gets a small serving of wet food at supper time.

As you vet said, allergies can cause digestive issues
Vet thinks it might be hairballs so that's why they suggested buying the special dry food.

While that can be helpful, you could start with a blood test to see if anything comes up which might point you in the right direction before you make a decision about other diagnostics.
I don't even have the money for a simple blood test atm. They charged me like $96 just for being there & I had to ask for a loan from my grandfather for that.
 

LTS3

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Dry food won't help with hairballs, not even those claiming to help with hairball issues. It's just a marketing gimmick. You can give a hairball remedy instead such as the ones sold in pet stores. Or try a raw egg yolk (no raw egg white) or powdered egg yolk lecithin mixed with the canned food.


I don't know if rubysmama rubysmama know of any financial aid resources in Canada who could help you out some with the vet bills.
 
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Mike89

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Dry food won't help with hairballs, not even those claiming to help with hairball issues. It's just a marketing gimmick.
I'm guessing that also refers to the "special" dry food they have at the vet clinics, right?
 
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Mike89

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Would it help if I brushed her more?
 

SarahGonzalez

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Our 10 year old tortoise tabby had been dealing with occasional vomiting and even patches of hair loss and scabs from over grooming certain areas repeatedly. I was astonished when the vet said she was allergic to gluten, corn and animal by products. She said she needed sensitive formula and suggested Purina but it was $50 a bag so we went with blue Buffalo sensitive. She no longer has any of the aforementioned problems and lives a good life. It might be worth looking into.
 
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Mike89

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Our 10 year old tortoise tabby had been dealing with occasional vomiting and even patches of hair loss and scabs from over grooming certain areas repeatedly. I was astonished when the vet said she was allergic to gluten, corn and animal by products. She said she needed sensitive formula and suggested Purina but it was $50 a bag so we went with blue Buffalo sensitive. She no longer has any of the aforementioned problems and lives a good life. It might be worth looking into.
Thanks so much for the suggestion! :) I'll be sure to look into that!
 

rubysmama

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Unfortunately I don't know of any Canadian financial aid resources, however, I am fairly familiar with a cat that vomits frequently.

Mike89 Mike89 : does it happen at the same time each day? Before or after eating? Or just random times?
 

LTS3

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I'm guessing that also refers to the "special" dry food they have at the vet clinics, right?

Prescription diets are junky marketing gimmicks IMO. Most do not help the health issue at all.

If you cat just has a sensitive tummy as mentioned above, try a hypoallergenic limited ingredient type food. There commercial brands sold in pet stores. Here are some US brand that you may be able to find in Canada:

BLUE Basics® Limited Ingredient Cat Food | Blue Buffalo
Limited Ingredient Diet - Grain Free Cat | Merrick Pet Care
Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet | Instinct Pet Food
Minimally Processed Natural Cat Food Archives | RAWZ
www.naturalbalanceinc.com

Most have a canned food version available.

Another canned food only brand to try is Fresh & Natural Cat Food - Hound & Gatos
 

SarahGonzalez

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Our 10 year old tortoise tabby had been dealing with occasional vomiting and even patches of hair loss and scabs from over grooming certain areas repeatedly. I was astonished when the vet said she was allergic to gluten, corn and animal by products. She said she needed sensitive formula and suggested Purina but it was $50 a bag so we went with blue Buffalo sensitive. She no longer has any of the aforementioned problems and lives a good life. It might be worth looking into.
Is this the cat food you were referring to btw? :) https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07S6W9KR7/?tag=
 

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Mike89

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does it happen at the same time each day? Before or after eating? Or just random times?
It usually happens hours after eating, at random times. Sometimes I'll wake up to find some throw up. She just throw up again, but it was a very small amount. Probably the smallest amount of throw up so far.
 

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How often do you feed the cat? Sometimes cats who go too long without food will throw up bile.
 
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Mike89

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How often do you feed the cat? Sometimes cats who go too long without food will throw up bile.
I usually have dry food out all day/night & feed her a small amount of wet food at supper time.
 

rubysmama

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It usually happens hours after eating, at random times. Sometimes I'll wake up to find some throw up. She just throw up again, but it was a very small amount. Probably the smallest amount of throw up so far.
Frustrating, and worrisome, too. Hopefully being a smaller amount, things are getting better. :crossfingers:
 

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Our cat had this issue, and we have been feeding her food made from rabbit for years with no issues. Plus her coat is beautiful. We feed Nature's Variety Instinct rabbit, she eats both dry and wet. The vet said rabbit can be very good for cats with allergy issues.
 
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Mike89

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Our cat had this issue, and we have been feeding her food made from rabbit for years with no issues. Plus her coat is beautiful. We feed Nature's Variety Instinct rabbit, she eats both dry and wet. The vet said rabbit can be very good for cats with allergy issues.
ty for the suggestion! :)
 
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