my poor cat is throwing up

[ldunbar]

My older cat has thrown up about 4 times in the 3-4 months we've had him. I asked my vet about it last time i was there for his routine shots and he was not very helpful. He told me if i really wanted to find out what the problem was, it was going to be expensive. I inquired further about how expensive it was, and he couldnt give a definate price but it was in the neighborhood of 200-300 dollars.

Unfortunately, I cannot afford this. If i could, let me assure you that i would do it in a heartbeat. I really dont want my kitties to go through anything bad.

So, i turn to you and hope that you can help me out once more. Is 4 times in 3 months or so a lot? I'd rather he didn't throw up any, but i am sure it must happen from time to time, right?

I think the problem is that we switch food trying to find one that is not only healthy, but one that he will actually eat as well. He did not receive the "better" cat foods well at all. He threw up the science diet and iams but seems to be doing alright on purina pro plan.

Someone tell me that we're doing ok, please? And that once we find a good kitty food, he wont throw up anymore?

 

[sandie]

You sound like you are on the right track. Cats that vomit usually do so because they arent tolerating the food very well. When you change food, keep in mind that you need to gradually add the new food to the old. You also need to keep them on the same food for about 3 weeks to get a definate answer. Their systems dont switch right over once you switch the food. You can also add some fish oil to the dry food. It makes it a little more palatable and it also eases hairballs along with giving them a GREAT coat. All cats a different, so I cant tell you which food is best. I used to use the Purina and had a problem with vomiting. I switched to science diet and all is great now. Just make sure and keep track of what foods did what to him.

 

[catspride]

"Vomiting" is not precise enough to help much. If he throwing up solid sausages of undigested or half-digested food? Little clumps of same with a lot of whitish or greenish liquid? Fairly well-digested food? Does it smell very bad, or is the odor more like the food itself? It is throwing up mostly liquid (whitish or greenish) and very little else? Is there any hair in the vomit? any bits of undigested grass?

Careful observation can rule out some things and suggest others. Check also the cat's stools for additional clues to what is happening in the digestive track.

Cats throw up all the time, They can have allergies, hairballs, upset tummys from snacking at the neighbors or eating some noxious insect, a polluted water source (he might be drinking from the sink and taking in dishwashing water or the like), or different kinds of worms or parasites, in addition to just not liking their food. It could even be the mop water you use or a pesticide you are using behind the bookcases or furniture or in closets -- supposedly places your cat can't or doesn't go. They can also have all the kinds of things people can have -- tumors, ulcers, obstructions, and congenital internal deformaties. Happily, most of the problems fall into the first, more easily remedied catagories.

I assume your vet asked you all these questions. If he/she didn't, perhaps you should think of finding a different vet. For example, he might have asked for a simple sample of the vomit (take a clean knife or spoon (depending on consistency) and put the sample into a clean plastic baggy or a clean glass or plastic container and take it in for analysis). If the cat has diarrhea, take him some of that too.

I personally don't thing that 3 or 4 times in 4 months is excessive - especially during during hairball season. Some cats really develop them no matter how often you try to groom them. Other cats have plain old-fashioned nervous stomachs when events over stress them.

Eliminate the first possibilities and don't go for all the exploratory surgery or fancy tests until you can be sure none of the easy things apply. Good luck.

 

[tara]

Catherine, I was interested in what you said about different types of vomit as my 5 year old Persian has phases of vomiting 1 or 2 times a day for a couple of days and then nothing for weeks until the same pattern. My vet puts it down to a vague tummy upset and isn't worried. It is always the same type of vomit - whitish and a bit bubbly/frothy and only a very small amount at a time. Does this type of vomit suggest a particular cause? She eats any insect she can catch and may have hairballs, being a Persian, although I rarely find hair in the vomit.

 

[catspride]

The frothy whitish vomit is often the liquid medium for bits of whatever the cat's stomach doesn't want to tolerate. It is usually a sign of something that the cat finds difficult to digest. Hairballs, grass, spoiled of very spicy food can all be culprits. I have observed that cats, like dogs, use grass as a trigger for vomiting, so apparently they feel that vomiting is going to give them some kind of relief.

I think I said elsewhere, among my cats I have those who never (or never where I find it) vomit. They seem to have the proverbial iron-clad stomach. then there are others who have very fragile digestive systems and they vomit fairly frequently -- like once or twice a month. Anything that irritates their stomach lining can cause vomiting.

Look at the coat, brightness of eyes, general energy and liveliness. If all is reasonably good, you can probably discount the vomiting, but do try to observe if there is a pattern for the past several days of a certain kind of food or drink.

If the coat becomes dull and the cat becomes very lethargic and begins to lose weight, the vet should make a few tests. This might mean that the cat's stomach is upset because it has enteritis of some sort.

Of course, if the cat is blood, feces, or undigested food, there is likely to be blockage somewhere. Panic depends on whether the cat also has fever, diarrhea, a deterioating coat, etc. If the cat seems otherwise healthy, and the vomiting is not constant, you don't have a real problem (usually).

If the vet isn't worried, he has probably already considered all the possibilities. Keep an eye on things and see how often it happens and the nature of the vomit. On the basis of what you said, I personally wouldn't worry unless the condition changes.

 

[tara]

I have tried monitoring different types of food but I can't find any pattern that relates to vomiting. Usually she is fine after vomiting but sometimes she seems a bit listless and won't eat as much as usual but generally she is very energetic and playful. I've only had her for 6 months and she was only 4 lbs when i got her and is now 7.5 lbs so she's not losing weight and hasn't been sick for over a week now so hopefully it's a sporadic thing that isn't anything to worry about. Your reply was very useful, so thanks .