Well. That Was Unexpected.

[mokapi]

I just made my first batch of raw food for Mrowmrow. He loved it. He ate all of it.

And then he promptly puked it all up within about 5 minutes, something he hasn't done in months.

The base was 1 lb. MPC whole ground chicken, which he's been eating without issue. For my entire "batch", I added 9 oz. chicken heart, 14 oz. boneless pork, 1.36 oz chicken liver, and 2.16 ground beef spleen. I also added Alnutrin.

What could cause such immediate vomiting?? None of the food was "bad"; it's been frozen and I thawed it out today.

 

[Alejandra Rico]

Maybe Mrowmrow ate it too fast? My cat has sometimes have that same poblem with dry or wet food if for any reason he ate it faster than usual.

 

[mokapi]

Maybe Mrowmrow ate it too fast? My cat has sometimes have that same poblem with dry or wet food if for any reason he ate it faster than usual.

I really, really hope so. :| I'll be so bummed if I spent all night, all a decent amount of money, on a bunch of food he can't eat

I was so proud of myself too!!!

 

[Alejandra Rico]

I hope so, let me know what happens next time!

 

[haleyds]

Maybe the beef. Princess can't eat beef without getting either A. Diarrhea or B. Vomiting. Depends on the kitty really but think about it, a cat doesn't really stalk cows in the wild and kill and eat them. I've read a lot of cats have a hard time processing beef.

 

[mokapi]

Do you think he could acclimate to it if I fed it in tiny amounts? I mixed it into the whole batch /:

 

[mokapi]

He's crying at me like he's hungry. I put a little spoonful in his bowl and he sniffed it and licked it and then walked away.

 

[valentine319]

I'm assuming you've seen this.
Let's Talk About Cat Barf - Feline Nutrition

A few Simple causes are some eat too fast, some can't handle it cold (not warmed) and some drink too much water after having just eating. These can cause regurgitation.

I would try serving a smaller meal warmed and see how it goes. Maybe a topping if kitty is not eating it. That's a small amount of beef so maybe just eating too fast and scared they'll get sick again.

Mine regurgitated after i added too much water and she ate too fast.

 

[orange&white]

My initial thought, like others', is that he ate too fast. Hopefully that's all it was.

If it keeps happening, you may need to try all-chicken, then all-pork, then all-beef, and see if with or without Alnutrin makes a difference.

Your first batch is perfectly balanced 80/10/5/5.

 

[mokapi]

valentine319 & orange&white : I read the article, and it makes me think it was definitely vomiting, rather than regurg-- he gave me the "MOMMY MY TUMMY" howl, ran to the litter box, and immediately started retching. He threw up three times, each with retching. The last time, there was an almost whole chicken heart...I don't even know when he ate that. Must have stolen it off the cutting board?? I have no idea how he managed to swallow it. I will definitely try the next one warmed up, and smaller.

This morning he was obviously hungry, so I gave him what was left of the regular "chicken supermix". He idn't want to eat it at first, but he did end up eating some of it, and didn't puke.

I really hope he just ate too fast. I set out a half-size portion to thaw this morning, and will warm it up in hot water before serving it tonight.

If I have to try different proteins separately, will it make him sick over a short period of time (say, two weeks) to not have them balanced? I would get super mixes of each, which have bone/meat/organ.

And re: my perfect ratios for my first batch...I couldn't have done that part without you, orange&white

 

[orange&white]

If you are just testing proteins, you don't need to make a balanced mix. I don't think you need to test for a 2-week period either, since he threw up within 30 minutes...the reaction was almost immediate. You can offer him some chicken pieces for one meal and see if that makes him sick. Wait a few days and try a pork only meal. Wait a few days and try a beef only meal.

But....hopefully we're getting ahead of ourselves here and he just liked your mix so well that he ate too fast. Tossing up whole, identifiable pieces of food sounds more like regurgitation than vomiting.

 

[valentine319]

He really sounds like he hoovered it. It was too much for his stomach and he got sick. I put raw in a baggy and soak it on warm water to get rid of the cold. Cut the corner and squeeze it out into the plate. Mine is ground so I spread it out on a plate so it takes longer to eat.

 

[maureen brad]

A sudden change of diet can cause stomach upset. You also combined many different proteins so, it can be hard to figure out which ingredient may have been the cause. I have read it is best to start with one protein in a single meal, all chicken, all turkey etc. I have one that vomits beef, I had started adding extra heart but, another one of my cats throws that up.

 

[mokapi]

Update: He refused to eat at all tonight. He's clearly hungry, but won't eat the mix.

I have nothing else thawed except my dog's beef mix and tripe, neither of which he'll touch. How long can I safely wait him out?

 

[orange&white]

Did he eat anything earlier today? It's a problem if he doesn't eat anything for a full 24 hours. If that happens, you'll need to syringe some food and water in his mouth. Is he drinking?

Most pharmacies will give you oral syringes for free. If he doesn't eat, I'd get some canned cat food and get some calories into him. If he absolutely refuses food, or has vomiting/diarrhea, you'll need to take him to your vet.

My senior went off food for a few days when I brought the kitten home. After he didn't eat a full day, and wouldn't eat breakfast the second day, I started syringe feeding him. He wasn't wanting to swallow canned food either by the end of day 2, so I started feeding him egg yolk on day 3. Those went down really well with him. On the fourth morning he started eating again like nothing was ever wrong.

 

[mokapi]

I mean...he'll eat kibble if I put it down. I just didn't want to do that. Butthead cat.

He's allergic to wet food, just across the board, so force feeding him wet food will just cause him to throw up more.

Edited to clarify: He's not "allergic to wet food", I guess, but he's allergic to some mystery ingredient that I swear is choline chloride or potassium chloride. Everything makes him throw up, regardless of protein, brand, quality, etc.

 

[maureen brad]

You wrote that yesterday you made your first batch of raw. I get that you don't want to waste the food but but, it is a lot to ask for him to go from kibble to raw in 24 hrs.Most cats go from kibble to canned and then transition. Transitions to raw can take some time.There are some really good guides to that here. By the way, it is very common that cats have a problem handling beef.If I were you , I would slow down , offer him simple proteins after he has been off kibble for awhile.I would not get into syringe feeding him now. That is just for when a cat refuses to eat anything and his health is in danger.

 

[orange&white]

Well, give him a little kibble so he doesn't mess up his liver. Rome wasn't built in a day. I had a cat in 2008 who took 3 months to convert to raw and a few years later, he refused again and would only eat kibble the rest of his days. I really hate kibble, but cats absolutely have to eat something.

You could try smashing up a few kibbles and sprinkling the crumbs on top of the raw food.

 

[mokapi]

maureen brad whoops, I should have included that in my original post...this is my first batch of "mixed" raw, but he's been ON raw, a "super mix" of ground chicken that included bones/muscle/organs, for...oh, two weeks or so?

I'm assuming it's either the beef spleen or the liver that's causing the upset.

orange&white I did put some kibble (and some raw scallops...lucky kitty) on it, but still no dice. I put the kibble back out. We'll see how it goes. Maybe in a few days he'll get tired of kibble and will be willing to try again, LOL.

 

[maureen brad]

maureen brad whoops, I should have included that in my original post...this is my first batch of "mixed" raw, but he's been ON raw, a "super mix" of ground chicken that included bones/muscle/organs, for...oh, two weeks or so?

I'm assuming it's either the beef spleen or the liver that's causing the upset.

orange&white I did put some kibble (and some raw scallops...lucky kitty) on it, but still no dice. I put the kibble back out. We'll see how it goes. Maybe in a few days he'll get tired of kibble and will be willing to try again, LOL.

Oh, now I understand. Ha ha, have to admit I thought you were being a little hard on the poor kitty. I have one cat who vomits red meat, except for Llama. I try mixing it with chicken, turkey or rabbit but no go. Figures she can tolerate Llama. She has expensive tastes.I have heard some cats hate the liver. A few people on this forum use freeze dried liver. Good luck to you. I know how you feel.