My cat vomits when I go on vacation

pink2378

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Hi there, I have two 6 year old cats that I have had since they were 9 weeks old. They aren't "normal" independent type cats. They seek out human attention and enjoy our company. I call them dog cats. That said, we used to be able to go on away over a weekend leaving them with enough food and water and they would be fine. (If we are gone longer than 2 nights we either have someone stay with them or come over once a day and feed/water and take care of their litter box).

Over the past year, I've discovered that one of them seems to start vomitting while we are gone and keeps vomitting for several days after we get back. I think he might be stressed out from lack of attention or something like that because he doesn't act lethargic or out of sorts and it's not hair balls. It's food. Sometimes partially digested and sometimes not.

Help! We are going out of town for a full week and I don't want to come home to puke piles all over my house (we are renting and the carpets are suffering). Has anyone else ever experienced this? Are there any solutions for me?

Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated.
 

strange_wings

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Can you have someone they know very well and adore come over once, or better yet twice a day? Maybe this would help. Have the person at least stay an hour or more with them a day, just doing people things like watching tv.

What could be happening is that they're eating up all their food that first night, making themselves sick, then not getting enough to eat the second night. This combined with the stress of their people being gone could attribute to them being unwell for a few days after you return.

But, better safe then sorry - have a vet thoroughly check them both out before you leave and make sure the vet's numbers (regular office hours and emergency) are on the fridge or somewhere else easy to remember for the sitter


Another idea is to set the TV timer to be on a few hours a day or night, and leave it on a nature channel. If they're use to hearing this it may make them feel like the home schedule hasn't been changed up so much.
 

happilyretired

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Although it's best for cats to remain at home, if your cat becomes ill like this perhaps he'd do better boarded at the vet while you're gone? If so, you probably should board them both. A friend of mine regularly boards her cats, and her vet keeps her two together which is less stress for them.

I am facing leaving my new boy for the first time in November (week-long cruise), and he is VERY, VERY attached. So I have someone who will live in my house while I'm gone plus a neighborhood teen who will come in every afternoon to play with him and give him the "loving" he craves. This cat has to be cuddled almost daily. I'm hoping this works. I share it because perhaps you can get a "live-in" sitter for yours.
 
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pink2378

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Thanks for your advice. I might consider boarding them. We just moved here and don't know anyone that would be willing to come and spend that much time with them. We have a great neighbor that comes over once a day to feed and water them and I think her and her daughter spend 15-20 minutes with them.

I'm thinking about getting some Rescue Remedy for that week and hoping it will calm him down.

I don't believe that it's him eating all his food and not having enough the next day because there's always left over food when we get back.
 

piikki

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One of our boys is prone to reacting with his stomach. It is not too uncommon to find some barely digested kibbles purged around when we come home from being away. We leave boys alone if we are away just for one night but any longer they have their boy-nanny coming over. Since we started using a regular guy who they like and who does not just come over to feed/empty litter boxes this separation puking seems to have lessened.

We have a container full of food when we are away, so Ossi has never faced a no-food catastrophy. It's still stressful for him to be home alone with furbies only, and we suspect that he overeats in his anxiety, then vomits. Since we found this great nanny (he comes over and watches movies/studies and plays with the kitties for hours), the puking behavior has drastically lessened. Ossi is still the one who gets the most clingy after we come back so we suspect it all had to do with his nerves. Luckily we now have an arrangement that works for him and us better.

Good luck finding something that will get your puke-master in check!
 

althekitty

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Have you tried feliway diffusers? You plug them in the electric socket and it calms nervous or stressed kitties down. It is not cheap but not too expensive either. I have used it with my friends nervous kitty and it works. I know a lot of people on this site have used it and may have more knowledge of it and how it works but I would suggest looking into it
. I board my kitty when we go away as we have not been where we live long and he seems to love his hols too!!
 
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