I need expert advice!!!

Hi Everyone,

I'm new to this forum and I have a cat (her name is Tabby) that is too high maintenance. She's about give or take 6 years old and her problem that I'm very concerned about is vomiting.

I've taken her to the vet more than once about this problem but every time it just seems like I'm giving money to the vet for nothing. They do this test and that test but they can't seem to pinpoint the problem.

She has also try every kind of cat food imaginable. When I first got her from the pet store (I think she was abandoned by her previous owner), she was on Iams. She was doing well for awhile until she started throwing up. I than switched her to Tender Vittles and she was doing fine for a while. After Tender Vittles, she was on Science Diet Sensitive Stomach formula. Now she is currently on Science Diet Oral Care.

I failed to mention that she loves to eat strings. Since I had her, she had surgery to remove a string from her intestines that did not come out the other end. She also had another incident of eating a piece of thin plastic but that came out.

I think Tabby has a combination of sensitive stomach, bad teeth, and sheds too much fur. Can anyone suggest what kind of cat food that can help her with all these problems.

I've read many messages posted on this forum and a lot of you suggested on elevating the food & water bowls. I tried that and Tabby hasn't thrown up for about three days but guess what?...she's at it again. I'm so frustrated I don't know what to do.

Also, is it a good idea to get health insurance for my cat? If it is, which provider is good

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

I would go with Royal Canin Hair & Skin Formula 33 if it were me. Introduce her to it gradually, instead of all at once. Elevate your food bowl a bit higher and put a little bit of water in the bottom of the dish to slow her down eating it.

Try and keep strings and rubberbands from her, I do know that is hard sometimes. I had one cat that jumped up to the doorknob where we hang our rubber bands and snagged them all the time, until I finally moved them to the top of the fridge.

Hi Hissy,

Thanks for replying.

What do you mean by "Elevate your food bowl a bit higher and put a little bit of water in the bottom of the dish to slow her down eating it."? Do you mean actually putting a little bit of water in her food bowl?

One thing about Tabby is that she does not like soggy or soft food. I also noticed that sometimes she will swallow her food whole & sometimes she will actually chew first.

I would say to elevate her bowl a bit higher than it is, so she relaxes her throat. Instead of feeding her a lot of food, feed her just a tiny amount say 5-6 times a day. If she doesn't like soggy food then adding water won't work- but usually putting just a small amount of water in the bottom of the bowl will stop them from inhaling it. Another thing you can do if she is only eating dry, is put the kibble in a heavy baggie and break those chunks up smaller with a hammer. Just put a towel over the bag before you break it down and make it easier for the cat to chew.

Sam is also a vomiter. I tried both Iams and Science Diet, with no luck. He is now on Royal Canin for sensitive stomachs, and it has made a huge difference.

He has long hair, and I brush him once a day in the winter, several times a day in the summer, and that also helps. I grow cat grass for him indoors, and although that makes him vomit, he goes to it when he has something in his stomach that is bothering him, so that helps to prevent bigger blockages.

To help with the fur ingestion - use a Zoom Groom. It's the best for getting cat hair.

When I first saw Hissy talking about elevated bowls for cats...I just couldn't understand it. But I got a big dog who has elevated bowls - and they prefer his bowls! Who would have thought 2 little kitties would prefer to eat at Great Dane bowl height?? But they do, and they only drink his water because it is elevated and theirs isn't yet.

Another idea to slow down eating would be to get one of the small dog toys that you can put kibble or treats in. Then the pet has to work to get their food by rolling and batting the ball or whatever around.

I don't use toys, though I use large rocks that are scrubbed off and cleaned off and placed in the food bowls of gulpers. I make sure the rocks are to big to be eaten (of course) I also use this with one of my horses- it slows down him gulping his grain, plus also stops him from pawing his dish and spilling the grain all over. It really works just make sure the rocks are big enough that the cat won't even attempt to eat them.

I always recommend the big rocks for dogs (you can even put them in your dishwasher to keep them clean) but didn't know a cat would do that. My cats...I tell you the one would rather starve than make the slightest effort to eat. It's a wonder she bothers even opening her mouth.

The halfway house where we got our cats had an adult cat in there this past year who had a history of vomiting, so much so that it rotted her teeth and they had to be pulled. The owner of the place found out that she was getting bargain cat food and the owners never tried changing food and finally just gave her up. When that was found out, she was fed chicken and broth with some additional things in it until she finally healed and was able to eat a good quality cat food.
Maybe your kitten is allergic to a grain in the food or something else. There are a lot of brands that don't use a lot of fillers. Some probiotics might help too. If you're giving your kitten dairy, that could cause problems too.
I hope you get it resolved. That sure can take away the enjoyment of her.