Cat experts HELP!

[Shugardrawers]

I'm much more informed about dogs than cats so I'm kinda stumped here. Simon is a 9mo old mixed breed cat we've had since he was 7 weeks. He seems quite healthy in every way. He's up to date on his shots and was neutered about a month ago and has done fine since then. He had a change of food back in early September and has eaten the same thing since then. I honestly don't think he tries to eat anything else around the house with the rare exception of a nibble or 2 of Petey's food. So WHY is my cat barfing daily all the sudden? Is this what happens when they hock up a hairball? If so is there something I can give him for it? Should he see the vet?

 

[chrrycolalola]

Do you think it may be possible that he is eating too much, too fast? Cats do hock up hairballs, but usually not daily unless there is some type of problem. I have a stray cat that tends to throw up bc she eats every meal like its her last. Many cats have this problem if they are overeating, in this case you should just monitor the amount. Another reason maybe if you have any houseplants, cats tend to love to nibble on plants and grass, many types of which can make them sick. Just some thoughts, hope it helps, but if you still don't find an answer I would suggest taking you kitty to the vet...it never hurts to be extra cautious

 

[ugadog99]

I would also think overeating may be the issue. Did you say longhair or shorthair? My longhair cat would have many more hairball issues than the shorthair ones.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Ok...I have had cats for 30 years of my life. I lived thru alot of the common issues of course.

Regarding the barfing, it could be hairballs, disease, or the food. I would take the cat to the vet to rule out anything serious or simple first. Hairball remedy is an easy fix for example.

If you find that after a trip to the vet and some hairball remedy, the cat is STILL barfing, it maybe the food. I am sure you have read our pet food debates here.

The good news for you is that there is so much variety and info out there regarding pet feeding today. I wish I had that info way back when. It would have saved my carpets and made my cat feel better, I am sure.

 

[aviva5675]

If hes been vomiting daily it might not be soemthing he ate cause itd be gone by now. I agree take to vet, let them check him out. If its nothing, or hairballs, at least you've found out. Also see if there's unusual amounts of urine or poop, or if it's runny--kind of like if it was a kid!

 

[CheshireVal]

I agree you might need to take him to the vet, but don't worry too much. If he's running around and playing and otherwise acting normal, it's probably nothing.

My old roommate had a cat that threw up daily, and the vet never could find anything wrong with her!

 

[debden]

Try Laxatone...It's something you can get from your vet that comes in a tube and you give a teaspoon or so to your cat to help with hairballs/pukking...
It also comes in Tuna flavor but my cat likes the original better.

 

[horseshowmom]

DD's cat started having that problem several years ago. I think I took him to the vet 2 or 3 times trying to figure out what was wrong (tried the Laxotone). I accidentally found out on my own. For some unknown reason, Stormy can only eat Purina cat food (in the blue bag). Anything else will cause him to vomit. From time to time we've had to buy another brand over the years, and we always have the same result.

 

[chrissyk]

For us, it was the garbage that is in commercial petfood that caused our cat to vomit every day. We switched to a natural brand (Petguard), and the issue ceased completely. Our cat couldn't tolerate the rendered junk, dyes, preservatives, etc. BTW, when you buy the 12 oz cans of Petguard, it's CHEAPER than the supermarket stuff We buy it at Whole Foods/Wild Oats, but you can get it at petfooddirect.com if you don't have a natural food store near you. I can't tell you how much we spent on vet visits (including an endoscopy) before we figured out the problem on our own.

Other good brands are Wellness, LickYourChops, California Natural, and even Nutro if your cat can tolerate it.

 

[Shugardrawers]

To answer some questions, he's a long hair. He doesn't appear to eat that much in a sitting but his dish is always out to eat whenever he wants. He cries like he's starving when his dish is not overflowing full so he could well be over eating. Also, he poops like he's 3 cats not 1! Oh and no houseplants right now so it's got to be the food/hairball combo huh? Guess a visit to the vet is in order here. Thanks everone.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Could be a virus. Start with the vet visit and go from there. I don't think he's eating too much since he self feeds. That's more common when given set meals that they scarf down. We used to have a cat that did that and it will happen quickly after eating. Yuck!

He might be telling you that he'd like another kitten buddy around the house to play with...

And as to the poop, our 2 kittens poop a lot more (and it's a lot more stinky) than our 2 cats. We got one of the robotic litterboxes, which was very expensive, but it's wonderful! Worth the high price tag!

 

[SEAlla]

My cat has the same problem. The vet said it is something similar to heartburn and in order for relief the cat will vomit after eating. He recommended a quarter of a tablet of Tagament once daily. He hasn't had but a few episodes since.

 

[BeNJeNWaFFLe]

I would take him to the vet to rule out anything. It could also be that he is eating his food too fast. One of my cats now does this almost daily. He eats too fast and then he throws up. Its really pleasant to find in the morning. Other posters have mentioned this, it could be the food. You might want to try an all natural cat food. My mom swears by this stuff because it contains no animal by products. It is a little more pricey but my dopey cats do good on it. Even the picky eater will eat his dinner now. Hope all is well with your kitty.

 

[chyam]

What kind of cat food are you feeding him? I would almost think it is the food. Mine could not tolerate the Friskies dry and although I still use one of the supermarket brands I do not have that problem anymore. I have 6 cats and an automatic feeder that holds 20lbs, it is readily available to them. Mine love the Kit and Kaboodle, it is important to find a dry food that feels a little oily at least that is my opinion.

 

[CheshireVal]

What kind of cat food are you feeding him? I would almost think it is the food. Mine could not tolerate the Friskies dry and although I still use one of the supermarket brands I do not have that problem anymore. I have 6 cats and an automatic feeder that holds 20lbs, it is readily available to them. Mine love the Kit and Kaboodle, it is important to find a dry food that feels a little oily at least that is my opinion.

I had a cat who *adored* Kit and Kaboodle-- that's all he ever wanted to eat. Then he developed diabetes.

Now, I don't feed my cats any cheap food that doesn't have real meat as its number one ingredient. Too risky!

 

[Feralpeg]

We have one cat that does that. I took her to the vet. He says she eats too fast. She also eats often.

 

[Shugardrawers]

Sort of an update: Called the vet. He said he'd be happy to run tests but suggested a change of food first. He didn't recommend a brand but said either one that is a "hairball formula" or a high quality brand and a seperate hairball remedy. He says because he seems normal in every other way that it's most likely a combo of hairballs/food intolerance. Right now he's eating Friskies because that's what he likes best. He's not going to be happy but he'll have to learn to deal with it.

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

I'm hoping that's the problem,Shugardrawers. I hope it's not anything serious.

Our furling, Rumpleteazer,had the same problem. We'd been feeding her IAMS Active Adult formula and she started puking almost daily,with the puke being a mixture of semi-digested food and wet fur. The vet suggested we switch to Hairball Control and we've not had as much of a problem since. The only time she pukes is if she does something stupid like stuff her face too fast or if she accidentally gets into the garbage and finds something that doesn't quite agree with her.

TOV

 

[chyam]

I had a cat who *adored* Kit and Kaboodle-- that's all he ever wanted to eat. Then he developed diabetes.

Now, I don't feed my cats any cheap food that doesn't have real meat as its number one ingredient. Too risky!

I don't believe that the Kit and Kaboodle was the cause of the diabetes.........it's kinda like us, some of us are more suseptible to diseases because of our genes, I think what is important is to find a "good" quality food and that doesn't mean it has to be the most expensive on the market......this debate goes on and on with each side thinking the more I spend the better it will be. I have always fed Pedigree dog food and my dogs have all lived to ripe old ages 14+ while others think that Iams etc are the best and the more natural the better. You have to find a balance with any foods be it for humans or pets. I would never feed a pet food Full of meal but I try to find one that has a good balance. All six cats I now have are all strays and are living a very good life compared to what they would have had. I just lost my 20 year old in Feb. along with a 21 year old 2 years ago, presently I also have a 17 year old so what every I am feeding must be doing some good. I do know that none of mine did well on Friskies dry and it was a constant battle cleaning up the little puke balls. Since that time I have fed them either Kit and Kaboodle or Meow mix and have had little problem, either with puke balls, hair balls or health issues............maybe I am just lucky or maybe I have rescued kitties that have good genes!

 

[CheshireVal]

No, I don't blame the food necessarily, but I felt horrible about it, anyway, because after I did some reading on cat food, I realized that I really had been feeding Sydney horrible stuff all his life. Corn gluten meal-- that's not good for cats!