I need kitty cat advice... any vets out there?

[richmond282]

Our cat is 13 years old. She has been both an indoor and outdoor cat (but currently indoors because we had to shave her and it's too cold for her outside.) She throws up all the time, a least once a day, but sometimes more. This has been going on for quite a while (6 months or so) and it's getting really old. She also was losing weight, but that seems to have stopped. Her hair was so matted, we had to have her shaved.

We have tried different types of food and it doesn't help. We took her to the vet. Her blood tests all came back normal. She was tested for leukemia (negative) and a thyroid problem (also negative.) The vet said "maybe she's depressed." We spent $500 for the vet to tell us he has no idea what's wrong with her and just can't afford to continue to run tests on her.

My DH and I would have her put down (no flames please) except our DD6 the cat sooo much. Anybody have any ideas besides taking her back to the vet which we can't afford to do??

 

[azdizzymom]

Is she drinking lots? Could she have diabetes? Have you switched her diet at all? Have you tried a different food?

 

[Shagley]

I had a cat that threw up all the time too. We never did figure out what was wrong, but it went on for many, many years and she never seemed to be any worse because of it. We took her to the vet repeatedly, but finally concluded that she just had a touchy stomach (and furballs because she insisted on licking clean our very furry maine coon cat). I would recommend just giving her lots of attention and love and keeping an eye on her in case she gets any other symptoms, but I know from experience that the vomiting might not be a sign of any other illnessed other than a touchy stomach.

Edited to add - my other cat (the maine coon) was diagnosed with diabetes this summer, but he wasn't vomiting. His symptoms were drinking a lot, peeing a lot, being lethargic, and diarrhea. I'm sure there could be other symptoms too - and the vet didn't even bother to check for diabetes until I specifically asked for the test.

 

[laurafergie]

We had a old Siamese with this problem. (vet said nothing wrong, just like OP) The only food that didn't make him throw up was the (Paul) Newman's Own Organic. He lived to be 17 years old. I would just try a different food every week until you hit on one. Or maybe look into making his food for him, lots of internet info out there about that.

 

[doggydoc]

Chronic vomiting in cats is a common complaint with, unfortunately, a wide array of possible causes. The blood work your Veterinarian performed was an important first step. Kidney failure is common in older cat's and vomiting is usually one of the first symptoms seen. Same with liver disease. Hopefully liver and kidney function was part of the panel performed.

Cat's do have "touchy stomachs" sometimes. The underlying problem is usually Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) this might be managed with a special diet such as Hill's I/D or other easily digestible foods. Also low doses of the steroid Prednisone can be very helpful in these cases but you have to be careful because it can also induce diabetes if not used properly(or sometimes even if used properly.)

Unfortunately there are other less benign possibilities as well that would require advanced imaging (i.e. barium series, ultrasound) or exploratory surgery and biopsies. Cat's can have long-term partial blockages with hairballs that present with vomiting. They are also prone to obstipation(severe constipation) this leads to vomiting because what can't move out must come back up. There are also things like intestinal lymphoma or carcinoma which can present as vomiting.

Due to the weight loss I would be more likely to encourage at least some abdominal x-rays. Weight loss in cats is very serious and can lead to liver problems completely separate form the underlying problem.

 

[jls886]

This may or may not help your cat at all, but I thought it was worth mentioning. I have a cat who would throw up 1-2 times a month, seemingly just for fun. My vet recommended that I feed him pumpkin occasionally, as that "lubricates" their insides and helps keep things flowing through. I went and got baby food squash since pumpkin comes in a can and doesn't keep well. I have been feeding it to him for about 18 months now and he literally has not thrown up one time since I started giving him squash. I feed it to him a couple times a week usually and he thinks it is quite a treat! Apparently most cats like the taste of pumpkin...mine sure does! So it might be worth a shot since it's a cheap and harmless option.

 

[Tinkerbelle32]

This sounds interesting. I have to ask, how much squash do you give your cat Thanks!

 

[rapmarks]

our cat was a thrower upper too. never seemed to find what caused it. our carpets looked pretty bad, but she would throw up, in fact, we would hear her in the middle of the night, and step in it in the morning.
in November she suddenly threw up large amounts and was bleeding out the back end. blood tests revealed hyperthyroidism. from the day she started the thyroid medicine, she lost her appetite. I tried every food available, human, baby, every type of canned food. doctor gave her some special food after she hadn't eaten for several days. she did eat that food. it was a recovery food for after surgery. by then she was under 4 pounds. then she had trouble breathing. we finally had to put her down at 14 and 4 months. i am still missing her , it has been two weeks. I wish we had tried that food earlier, we might have saved her.

when they stop grooming and their hair mats up, it is a bad sign.

 

[kjs1976]

Our cat is the same way. She will go into a barfing routine about once every couple of weeks and barf about 4 times. Act like she doesn't feel good for a few hours and then be just fine. She is 8.5 and it started when she was about 2. I do notice that if she eats too fast, she'll get sick and then be fine. This usually happens if she's around when we fill her dish. Vet has done blood work on her and everything comes back normal. She hasn't lost weight. But we will need to replace the beige carpet downstairs because, w/o fail, she barfs 95% of the time in random places down stairs.

 

[jls886]

I don't want to sound like feeding your cat squash will fix everything...my cat is a healthy 2 year old cat so I'm in a different situation. However, it is a very cheap 100% risk-free option that would at least be worth a shot. I feed Calvin about a heaping spoonful at a time, so a jar lasts probably a month. As soon as he hears the jar and the spoon he is at my feet and can't wait for me to put it down.

 

[doggydoc]

This sounds interesting. I have to ask, how much squash do you give your cat Thanks!

Pumpkin (which is a form of squash so summer squash or whatever should be a subsitute) is very high in fiber and therefore acts as a natural laxative. It is usually dosed at 1 to 1.5 teaspoons twice per day. Unfortunately not all cats respond to fiber therapy, in fact low residue/fiber diets are most often recommended as are laxatives like Miralax. Stimulant laxatives however should be avoided! Ask your Veterinarian what they recommend.

 

[Tinkerbelle32]

Thanks guys!

 

[snowy76]

Due to the weight loss I would be more likely to encourage at least some abdominal x-rays. Weight loss in cats is very serious and can lead to liver problems completely separate form the underlying problem.

This.

We got an x-ray for our kitty who I suspected was constipated. Poor thing has such a big belly that they needed to do the x-ray because the vet couldn't feel deep enough to detect any obstructions.

The vet confirmed he WAS constipated - but the x-ray tech who verifies every slide the vet takes also found a tumor in kitty's abdomen. He could have had it for years and we'd never have known it.

 

[krisa77]

Some cats are allergic to the ash in a lot of cat foods. One of the cats I had growing up had the throwing up issue and both of my current cats have stomach issues. The only food that worked for them was a science diet formula- Feline W/D. The doc has to order it if they don't already carry it (most offices do but it's a prescription only food). It comes in a wet or dry formula. No other foods or treats allowed with it though. I would try it!

 

[Melynny]

Op, sorry to hear about your pukey kitty, I have had from up to 6 inside cat's but now we are down to 2. We have had some that vomit on regular basis... for no reason. All our have had regular vet appointments and I do believe that some cats have some kind of some kind of stomach trouble at some point in thier lives. That said, if it continues, or seems to not let up and the cat is loosing weight, then it is time to really figure out the problem.

As a cat lover, I have always thought that if someone invented an alarm clock that had the sound of a cat vomiting instead of the beeping, you could make a fortune! Once you have heard that sound in the middle of the night, in your bedroom, you are awake, and moving at full speed making sure it's not in your bed..( and yes it has happened to me )...

OP, hope your kitty does better.

 

[marie1203]

I would recommend you change the diet. Try taste of the wild cat food and see if that helps it could be food allergies. Also have you seen him/her eating? If she is eating too fast can cause the vomiting (try a feeding ball). Did they test for parasites? Do you have any indoor plants?

 

[richmond282]

I would recommend you change the diet. Try taste of the wild cat food and see if that helps it could be food allergies. Also have you seen him/her eating? If she is eating too fast can cause the vomiting (try a feeding ball). Did they test for parasites? Do you have any indoor plants?

OP here. Yes, she tends to eat fast or maybe too much?? Not sure. We had another cat that ate way faster and and lot more and didn't have problems, but who knows. She is 13 and has only had this problem for 6 months or so, and I don't think her eating habits have changed which is why I'm not convinced it's because she eats too fast.

Yes, they tested for parasites and checked her thyroid and kidneys too I think. And, no, we don't have any indoor plants at all. The vet also said her teeth were "remarkably good for a cat of her age." so I don't think it's that she can't chew food either.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I think I'm going to try a different type of food and perhaps the squash. I figure, what's the harm.

 

[sherry7]

This may or may not help your cat at all, but I thought it was worth mentioning. I have a cat who would throw up 1-2 times a month, seemingly just for fun. My vet recommended that I feed him pumpkin occasionally, as that "lubricates" their insides and helps keep things flowing through. I went and got baby food squash since pumpkin comes in a can and doesn't keep well. I have been feeding it to him for about 18 months now and he literally has not thrown up one time since I started giving him squash. I feed it to him a couple times a week usually and he thinks it is quite a treat! Apparently most cats like the taste of pumpkin...mine sure does! So it might be worth a shot since it's a cheap and harmless option.

Ditto, we feed our cat pumpkin also. He thinks it's a kitty treat. The fiber in it helps them to pass hairballs out in their poo, rather than vomiting them up. Pumpkin freezes very well. It gets a little watery, but you can stir it up.

 

[csharpwv]

There is a difference between 'vomit' and regurgitation - if they are just 'gagging' up un-digested food she may just be over eating.

If in fact your cat is vomiting digested food and/or contents from her stomach there could be deeper issues.

One of our cats goes through periods of regurgitating on a daily basis - and yes its gross - but we clean it up and go on about our business.

Our vet said that since it wasn't digested food - there was nothing to worry about. Could just be hairball related.

 

[Shmily1]

We found a long haired cat at work and carried him home because they had called the pound to come put him down. He's a beautiful cat and is probably about a year old now. He threw up daily at first, then I took him to the vet and they checked him out and said he just had hairballs. They gave me some medicine for him in a tube that I just squeeze out and he eats like it's candy.

Later on, about 2 months ago, he was limping and couldn't jump on anything higher than about a foot without falling off so I carried him back to the vet. The vet picked him up and said he thought he had an enlarged heart. Sure enough, they did xrays and said yes, that was it. He was limping because his kidneys were hurting and not working right because his heart wasn't working right. I started giving him his heart medicine and he's a different cat now!

Good luck! I hope it all works out good for you. It has in our case and luckily, both medicines are really cheap and we have a happy cat.