Stomach Issue mystery

[walli]

Blacky who is a Feral cat is doing ok for now, but he has had stomach issues for awhile now.
Last year he had diarrhea pretty bad and consistent, and then he was diagnosed with FIP which is really bad.
I have been giving him Pro Pectalin for a year now and it actually helped with the diarrhea.
Then recently he was throwing up every day. Got him to the vet which is a big deal for a Feral
He had a blood, urine, and stool test, all negative which is weird and now he doesn't have FIP (huh)?
I stopped the pro pectalin, if I see diarrhea he will go back on it.
The Dr suggested a hairball problem so I gave him Laxatone gel, I had to scruff him and syringe it as
he wouldn't lick it off his paw, that seemed to help, he has not thrown up since Thursday (so a week now)
except for 1 day, most of the times there is a couple pieces of grass (not sure what that means)
at first I could see hair, but not seeing it anymore, He has been drinking lots of water, sometimes I make him stop.
The Dr said encourage him to drink as he was a bit dehydrated, I guess he didn't hear me when I told him
he is drinking lots of water.
overall he is not the same, he is doing ok
but I can tell he is not 100%, something is not right, one day I almost took him to be put down
He looked like he felt so bad, next day he was better whew!
I recently found out the you need to change probiotics as they become immune to them.
so I'm going to try a new probiotic.
I do believe Blacky has some kind of stomach disorder because it's always the stomach, something happened
2 years ago also it was very bad, I have been taking care of my Ferals for about 5-6 years Blacky is probably 10 years old.
He has lived far longer than he would on the streets, he would not have survived the episode 2 years ago.
thankfully that is when I first brought them in. I would not have seen what he was going through if he was
still on the streets. I love Blacky so much, he lets me hold him, but I know his time could be limited.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hello

Have you tried S. Boulardii?

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Or have you tried changing the food you feed him? It could be a food sensitivity that is causing the vomiting. Unfortounately, vomiting in cats is hard to pin down. There are so many variables. Them eating too fast, or too much or drinking too much right before or right after eating dry food, straining in the litter box can even cause vomiting, so when discussing with the Vet it's very important to give them all the info you have...what you feed, how long after they eat do they vomit, what the vomit consists of, etc.

It sounds as if perhaps there was a hairball that was causing some sort of blockage since he has been pretty good now for a week as far as vomiting goes, but since you said he still isn't 100%. The only way to figure out what else might be wrong would be with more extensive testing, like perhaps an ultrasound, but sometimes even that doesn't show anything. Is he eating well? And still peeing and pooping normally? What is happening that isn't normal?

 

[walli]

Hey thanks for the replies! I have never heard of S. Boulardii, I will put that on my list to check out.
I just ordered Adored Beast Health & Gut and the anti inflammation one too.
I was just informed that there may be a problem with Fancy feast cat food.
I have noticed a difference in the eating behavior, I thought maybe they changed the formula
I'm going to get some different cat food today and see what happens.
It's hard to find food the Ferals will eat, If it was up to them they would just eat dry food.
They get blissful belly dry food and fancy feast canned right now.
they won't eat the blissful belly canned food.

 

[walli]

He threw up yesterday I didn't see any hair, he looks like he feels fine.
He threw up in the small section of grass I grew for them, I'm thinking of pulling the grass
the grass seems to make him throw up, but then again maybe the way he is feeling that is what he needs.
I got some pet grass yesterday NOPE he wouldn't eat it.

 

[walli]

I started Blacky on Capilex, Its for breaking up hairballs, the vet and the website says
cats will just eat it, Blacky would not just eat it. I melt it with about 30ml water in the microwave
on defrost, He doesn't seem to mind the taste when I scruff/Syringe him.
so far it's working. if he throws up while on the Capilex, It has to be something else.
One thing the vet said was he was a bit dehydrated, probably from throwing up
and then being so thirsty he drinks too much water, which makes him throw up, Catch 22
so the longer he goes without throwing up, the more hydrated he should be. (hopefully)
He does seem better, not so lethargic. I do have some electrolyte cat water coming
not sure How that will go, as I cannot afford to fill up all the cat bowls with this water.
maybe I will mix some in his food.

 

[marz]

It's good for your cats to drink water. Especially if you feed them a dry food diet, the more water the better. I had a tabby that had urinary issues and crystals starting at age 9 and eventually renal failure by the age of 20 but all along the way I was told to let him drink water it helps flush out the bladder, the kidneys and of course the stomach. Animals can die of dehydration and a dehydrated cat or a cat with bladder or kidney issues will drink more water. If the cat has struvite crystals in the bladder they can build up and cause a blockage in males, lots of water prevents them from building up. Water is essential to their diets in nature they get it mostly from the wild foods they consume not so much as domestics. Its important you let them drink what water they want. All cats should have access to fresh clean water all day every day.

As for finding grass in the cats vomit, cats eat grass to help move things out of their stomachs, so it makes sense that if a cat has an upset stomach it would eat grass to help move the issue out. They can not digest the grass, that is why you may see it in their vomit (hairball) or their stool. I use "cat grass" in my home for my 2 cats. One is a beautiful giant feral and the other is a tiny tortie with bladder issues. She eats the grass every day and rarely vomits.

<< he has not thrown up since Thursday (so a week now)
except for 1 day, most of the times there is a couple pieces of grass (not sure what that means)
at first I could see hair, but not seeing it anymore, He has been drinking lots of water, sometimes I make him stop.
The Dr said encourage him to drink as he was a bit dehydrated, I guess he didn't hear me when I told him
he is drinking lots of water.>>

 

[walli]

Hey! thanks for the reply, 20 years! job well done
My Tigger lived that long also.
about the Cat grass, how do you grow it? I bought some at Petco, it seems to just die out.
Blacky is drinking lots of water, He had blood, urine and poo tests at the vet so no organ issues (Yay)
actually he may have slowed down the last couple days, I feel like Columbo, I'm constantly watching
but this Capilex hopefully is what he needs.

 

[walli]

Blacky is doing ok Day 4 today, I'm thinking the capilex is working, he's not drinking so much water.

 

[marz]

Yeah, the cat grass dies off unless its planted in the ground and even then it goes to seed. The seeds are not edible, but they are dryable and you can reuse them.

My favorite grass is Rosies cat grass. Its organic and it grows fast. You can get it online from some places.
My cats both love it. It can also be used as a bonding tool. I feed Cali (my tiny tortie) one blade at a time. My giant feral Jake saw me doing that and he wanted to immediately. I do this for several maybe 5 blades and they are sated. Its kind of fun. I usually try to reuse the dirt at least once with a sprinkle of fresh dirt across the top. I dig it up and break up the old roots then add a little dirt and more seeds. thin cover of dirt over them.

<<Cat grass, how do you grow it? I bought some at Petco, it seems to just die out.
Blacky is drinking lots of water, >>

 

[Furballsmom]

about the Cat grass, how do you grow it?

You could look into obtaining your own seed, a container with drainage holes and some potting mix.

Alternatively, there is this product, below, which I like because the container isn't easy for Mr Captain to move or tip when he's eating grass. I'm not using the grey rubber mat that comes with it.

For the second growing I'm using only half of the seed and half of the vermiculite, and added a little potting mix - it seems to be growing better.

He didn't like other types of cat grass. (There's a company called sprout people that has cat grass where the seeds are wheat, barley, oats, rye and flax. Catit grass seeds are barley and wheat).

I remove the insert that holds the grass seed and water it in the sink, and wait until it drains completely. Again, if there aren't drainage holes you need to punch some into the bottom of the insert. By removing it from the outer part, the risk of mold is decreased.

Amazon.com this is for either just the planter which is two compartments and the lid, or the planter plus the grass seed

Amazon.com this is just the grass seed

If the grass seed becomes difficult to find from this specific company, I will likely just use my own seed and soil.

 

[walli]

Hey thanks for the Cat Grass info!
I will try it, I did not get my Moms Green thumb!

 

[stephanietx]

Drinking excessive water could indicate nausea. It sounds like he might have IBD or something like that. Vomiting, diarrhea, and food avoidance are key symptoms.

 

[walli]

Hmm I will have to check that out, nothing came up on all the tests he had

 

[walli]

Blacky is doing a bit better, I finally got the Adored Beast gut soothe in the mail yesterday
started him on that and took him off the capilex to see if it's working.
he only threw up a little bit in the past couple weeks.
I bought the catit cat grass, question: how often do you water it?, I have sprouts already.
I pulled the patch of regular grass I grew for them in the backyard.
it didn't look so good.

 

[Furballsmom]

how often do you water it?,

I lift out the inner dish/planting bowl (I had to punch a few more drainage holes into mine) and set that in the sink so that it drains really well - probably every second day or so once those sprouts have started. It depends of course, there's not a lot of humidity in Colorado USA.

 

[walli]

I accidentally lifted that green grass separator thing off when I was trying to lift the other bowl so now I can’t get that back on. I ordered two so I think I might start another one. Not sure how it’s gonna grow without the green thing on it. Thanks for all your help with this.

 

[Furballsmom]

I've accidentally removed it as well. You should be able to work it back on, don't give up the green top is to keep cats from pawing at the grass and making a mess, or being able to pull the grass out of the stuff it grew in as they're eating it.

 

[lisahe]

I'm glad to hear Blacky has been doing better and hope he improves more with the Feline Gut Soothe. It sounds like you probably haven't given him many doses but I want to mention that if he vomits in these early days, it may help to not give any Gut Soothe for a few days, then return to it in tiny doses. That's what I had to do with our cat. She's a long-time barfer who's been doing much, much better since I restarted her on FGS and took a month or two to get her up to the full dose for her weight. It was worth the wait!

Fingers crossed that the little guy feels better soon. Just ask, too, if you want/need food recommendations. We've been through a lot with that, too, to find the least carby and least thickened foods for our two.

 

[walli]

Wow thanks for that info. A friend of mine here did tell me not to give a full dose so I gave half doses the first two days and I gave him a full dose today. I better back off. Thank you so much. Yes any food recommendations would be great. I’m trying to switch foods right now and it’s very difficult with four cats and very costly, because some of them they won’t eat !!!

Thanks tarasgirl I will try to get it back on!