Kitty throws up bile

My cat is 13 years old, and she often throws up bile. Sometimes she throws up food, but mostly it's just bile. She's fed EVO kibble and Wellness canned right now. Before this she was on a raw diet (Nature's Variety) for a few years. Eventually that didn't seem to be agreeing with her anymore, so we made the switch of food.

Anyone know why she would be throwing up bile like this? Possible health issue... or just a fur-ball issue? Anything you can recommend?

Thanks,
Sandra

Bile is not normal. What bloodwork has she had done and how recently?

With her age and your choice of dry food my immediate thought is that she needs to have her kidney function checked.

Just wondering... is my choice of dry foods not a good one? I've always strived to keep it as close to raw as possible.

It may not be the best choice for a senior cat. A vet visit and blood tests will show if it's a problem.

For whatever it's worth...... when we were talking about good foods such as Evo and Orijen, my vet advised me not to offer them to my senior kitties. Our holistic vet's advice was the same.

Jasmine's Mum, are you feeding meals twice a day or are you free feeding?

You senior cat could need more frequent small meals throughout the day. And feeding raw or grain-free is alot harder on senior cats and dogs for that matter. Takes much more energy to digest and is harder on the kidneys too. Good luck and hope you cat feels better very soon.

^Wrong. Raw feeding is not harder for a senior cat to digest, nor are the grain frees from being grain free.
The problem is the DRY food that has things like ash content, and mineral levels in conjuction to high protein that aren't appropriate for a senior cat. Add this to the fact that it's a dry food and it can create problems that wet usually doesn't.

First, thanks so much for all the replies... I truely appreciate all the advice. I didn't know about the dry being difficult for an elder cat.... so I will make the switch to all wet. The only reason I kept the dry going is for teeth cleaning purposes.

To answer Violet's question, I leave the dry down all day and she picks at it. She doesn't seem to eat very much, as it doesn't need re-filling very often. She gets a wet meal each morning, which she loves.

And to answer strange_wings' question... it's been at least a couple years since her last bloodwork was done. Back when I had her teeth cleaned. I *had* thought her to be 12 at that time, but there was a time when I was mis-calculating her age. She turns 14 this July.

She needs to go to the vet. As a senior cat she needs to have thyroid, liver, and kidneys checked every year to twice a year. Waiting can cost her life.

Hi.  I too have a senior cat that regularly throws up bile and food.  She is an indoor cat and approximately 10 years old.  We are not sure of her age as she was abandoned in our neighborhood.  Her blood work shows no signs of anything being wrong.  This problem came on about three years ago and has steadily gotten worse.  She has been unable to keep any cat food down (canned or dry).  We began making our own cat food.  I used to make my own  baby's food and see this as a natural extension.  We tried the raw food diet which worked for about two weeks.  My cat then declined to eat it.  

Our veterinarian thought it may be an obstruction - perhaps an accumulated hair blockage.  I began giving her hairball treatment which did bring up quite a bit of hair.  However; she continues to worsen.  The good news is that she has maintained her weight over the past year.  I was concerned about dehydration and began giving my cat a non-flavored, clear Pedialite.  It tastes just like water.  I add this to her water.  I have also been giving her a Taurine supplement to keep her eyes protected.  Hope this helps!