Won't stop throwing up

ashro

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My cat Salem is throwing up once or twice every day. At first I didn't think anything of it, but he wouldn't stop. I took him to the vet and he got vitamin shots, a blood test, but the results came back fine. Sometimes he will stop for a few days then start again. The vet told me to put him on hills prescription diet and he has been eating that food ever since, but he is still throwing up. I am getting really concerned about him and I don't know what is wrong, any help would be great, thanks.
-Ashley
 

mooficat

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oh my, that is certainly strange and not very good
poor kitty
I suppose Salem is loosing a bit of weight then.

Is it just food ? Hills is a good quality food - what else did the vet say - sorry about more questions, just trying to get a picture
 
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ashro

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Originally Posted by mooficat

oh my, that is certainly strange and not very good
poor kitty
I suppose Salem is loosing a bit of weight then.

Is it just food ? Hills is a good quality food - what else did the vet say - sorry about more questions, just trying to get a picture
Yes he has been losing some weight, but he has still been acting the same as he always has..like he has been playing normally, eating, everything that he has been doing before all of this throwing up. I don't think it is the food because before giving him the prescription diet sometimes we rotated with other good quality foods so it's hard to say. The vet said it could have just been him chewing on random things in the house [he has a little problem with doing that], but I'm not sure thats it because the throwing up is constant.
 

mooficat

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umm...sorry I meant (sorry a bit gross) was the vomit just food, or can you see other things, maybe fur balls or things he's nibbled on in the house ? I'm assuming he's an indoor only kitty.
 
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ashro

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Yes he's indoor, and the vomit just looks like food...there doesn't seem to be anything else in it
 

white cat lover

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It is possible, if there is hair in there....that he has hairballs.

Otherwise, you might consider a second opinion with another vet, just to be safe.
 

mooficat

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Originally Posted by white cat lover

It is possible, if there is hair in there....that he has hairballs.

Otherwise, you might consider a second opinion with another vet, just to be safe.
that was my next suggestion - if its only food, then maybe another vet needs to get that checked out - cat are sick but only occasionally, what you describes sounds way too much


aww give him a tummy rub from us
keep us posted !
 

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Did the vet mention the possibility of an obstruction, or constipation? Either of those would cause vomiting. An obstruction (foreign body, inedible stuff) seems less likely, though...as the vomiting would probably be more frequent if that was the case. With it subsiding for a day or two here and there, I would suspect constipation, although there are many possibilities.

Did they do xrays?

How soon after eating does he vomit?
 

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I hope my story will help you..

Princess was throwing up almost every day from simply eating too fast. I started feeding her just a little bit at a time (like 10 kibbles, then giving her more after a few minutes). I was feeding Iams Kitten and just yesterday switched to Nutro Kitten as it sounds much healthier for her.

To put it all simply, I think she might be scarfing it down like Princess was doing. To stop her from doing this, I spread out the kibbles, fed less more often and always gave her a little bit to begin before giving her the whole amount. She hasn't thrown up since!

I hope that helps you.. I was certainly worried about my girl too! I even came here for advice which is where I got all my ideas from
 
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ashro

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The vet said he is perfectly healthy..and it worries me that he is constantly throwing up- it doesn't look like their is any hair in it, either. I think I am just going to take him to another vet and get him checked out again! Thanks for the suggestions

And also, thanks for the paw print, crittermom!
 

debskats

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One of the symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is frequent vomiting. All 3 of mine have IBD though Bailey is the only one who throws up, the other 2 have diarrhea. My cats' blood work has always come back fairly normal and sometimes the vets can't even feel any abnormalities in their tummies. Sometimes they can see abnormalities of the intestines on x-rays, but to truly diagnose this, your kitty would need an endoscopy to look inside the intestines.

IBD is just another possibility. A prescription diet can be good, but if it's not working then it's not the right diet for Salem. One of my cats is on Eukanuba Low Residue dry and the other 2 are on Nature's Variety canned rabbit.

I think a second opinion would be a good idea. You need to find a vet who is willing to look a little further and find out what's actually causing Salem to throw up all the time.
 

jen

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Originally Posted by mooficat

oh my, that is certainly strange and not very good
poor kitty
I suppose Salem is loosing a bit of weight then.

Is it just food ? Hills is a good quality food - what else did the vet say - sorry about more questions, just trying to get a picture
Blah! Hills is NOT good quality food. They like to think they are but look at those ingredients! Maybe he has an allergy. I would get him on a different food, a more healthy one, maybe try something with alternative ingredients. How abou Wellness? They make grain free wet food I do believe which might be better, he may not be able to handle the grains. Or try something with a different meat source like lamb or vennison.
 

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Oh my god i am so glad I found this...

My cat, Mr Jinx, has been throwing up none stop(everytime he eats and sometimes throws up white spit when he hasn't eaten) since last Thursday and has been at the Vet since last sunday! They have no idea what is wrong with him... xrays, blood work, steriods...etc and he still throws up
I have no idea what to do! My bill is mounting and my poor cat is going through hell staying there. All his tests come back fine and he acts fine as well.

He use to throw up once in a blue moon, he is almost 5 years old. This is so weird though, how he started last week and now won't stop. He eats nothing but meow Mix and not a recalled food.

If I have any break throughs with Jinx I will be sure to post.
 

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Hello and welcome hc666


Have they been done a barium series on Mr. Jinx? Some obstructions don't show up well on an xray...barium makes them more visible. At just 5 years old, non stop vomiting really points to an obstruction.

You might want to start a new thread about this, I'm sure others would come along with more advice.
 

luxum

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My cats threw up frequently for years, the vets i talked to all said this was normal. But i switched them off the Iams they had been on for years to better food and they still throw up every once in a while, but on Iams it was several times a day! I suspect the corn, personally, and the problem has not recurred since i started to avoid corn in their food.

Something else you could try is Laxatone. It is designed to help them pass hairballs instead of throwing them up, and helps with constipation as well. Most cats like the taste and will lick it off your fingers.
 

beandip

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Originally Posted by luxum

My cats threw up frequently for years, the vets i talked to all said this was normal. But i switched them off the Iams they had been on for years to better food and they still throw up every once in a while, but on Iams it was several times a day! I suspect the corn, personally, and the problem has not recurred since i started to avoid corn in their food.

Something else you could try is Laxatone. It is designed to help them pass hairballs instead of throwing them up, and helps with constipation as well. Most cats like the taste and will lick it off your fingers.
I agree about the likely culprit being corn. I don't agree with the vets you talked to about it, though.. I would consider once or twice a month "normal" for a cat...but not more often than that. Something isn't right if it's happening more than 1x-2x/month.
 

jenny82

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Originally Posted by beandip

Hello and welcome hc666


Have they been done a barium series on Mr. Jinx? Some obstructions don't show up well on an xray...barium makes them more visible. At just 5 years old, non stop vomiting really points to an obstruction.
That might be a good idea. My 4 year old cat was throwing up nonstop a few days ago so I took her to the vet and it was an obstruction (showed up on the Xray though).
 

luxum

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I agree about the likely culprit being corn. I don't agree with the vets you talked to about it, though.. I would consider once or twice a month "normal" for a cat...but not more often than that. Something isn't right if it's happening more than 1x-2x/month.
I agree, it's not normal, and i can't beleive that i accepted their assertions for so long. My poor kitties.
 

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Originally Posted by luxum

My cats threw up frequently for years, the vets i talked to all said this was normal. But i switched them off the Iams they had been on for years to better food and they still throw up every once in a while, but on Iams it was several times a day! I suspect the corn, personally, and the problem has not recurred since i started to avoid corn in their food.
I just went throught this this past week with one of my cats, she threw up her dry food or spit for 3 days straight. However she won't throw up her wet food. I thinks she's developed an allergy to barley (which I'm guessing explains the bald spots over her eyes) which was in her Wellness dry. I've switched her to Evo dry for breakfast and I'm keeping her on California Natural (I've stopped CS as it also has barley) or raw for her dinner and she's stop vomitting and the hair on her face seems to be growing back (possibly 'cause she's not scratching anymore). Try changing her food and see another vet for a second opinion.
 
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