My cat will NOT stop throwing up! (this is pretty long)

annabelle22

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I'm sure this has been posted several times before, but maybe my case is a little different. My boyfriend and I lived in North Carolina, and one day I saw a dirty looking cat rolling around on the sidewalk outside our apartment. He was cute and I wanted him, but I already had two cats and my boyfriend was working, and I had no way of getting hold of him to see if he would mind another cat. By the time he got home, this kitty was gone. The next morning though, one of our cats Smokey was sitting in the window, pawing at it and going crazy to the point where she was hissing and growling. It was the same cat I saw the day before. Figuring he was a stray at this point, we scooped him up and ran him upstairs to the bathroom and shut the door, not knowing if he had any sicknesses or how he would react to other cats. We took him to the vet and they told us he was FIV+ but possibly introducing him to the other two over time wouldnt be so bad if they could handle it. Needless to say, we tried opening the door to the room he was staying in to show him to the girls, but he went right for them without hesitation so we put an end to that. ANYWAY, he stayed in an extra room we werent using, the AC stayed on all day everyday (the weather in NC can get pretty hot in the spring/summer!) he had access to food and water whenever he wanted it, and some blankets to lay on. We found him in May of 2009 and he was fine, other than being cranky and getting used to us. He got sick maybe all of two times AT MOST from May to September of the same year, when we moved from NC to New York.

Fast forward. We live in NY now, and I dont remember exactly when he started getting sick. I believe it was not too long after he tore through the bedroom window screen one night while my boyfriend was sleeping. He was gone for a couple weeks, but we found him. He's a strictly indoor only cat, so it's not like he could be eating anything outside that's making him sick. Anyway, we were feeding them Frisky's Nine Lives? I think that's what it's called, it was in a big yellow bag. Since we moved to NY we've been feeding them Purina Indoor Formula. He took to that well, but I'm pretty sure ever since we got him back he started getting sick. It wasnt much at first, once or twice here, nothing for a while, then a couple more times there. We didnt think of it much, but over time it started to get worse, and now it's to the point where it's at least two to three times A DAY almost EVERYDAY. We finally took him to the vet just for them to say "he's eating too fast", because he "smells the other cats" and is afraid they'll come after his food, and he wants it all to himself. That's pretty much all we got from them, and I didnt really accept that answer but there obviously wasnt any help coming from them so we took him home. Now, the three did have fleas and we struggled pretty badly to get rid of them, and in the process Rusty got worms. We got that taken care of, but he still threw up. He got worms again, even after we got rid of the fleas. That left us thinking, what the heck is going on? Again, we got him fixed and he hasnt had them since. I know worms can be the source of vomit, but he hasnt had them for a while. Now when he still wouldnt stop, I talked my boyfriend into taking him to another vet because I wasnt convinced by the "eating too fast" nonsense. They looked him over, and we got over a $300 bill just to hear "he's just eating his food too fast, try feeding him canned food that should help" again. Well, it didnt help. He still got pretty sick. We took him again and they suggested feeding him 1/4 cup of food two-three times a day so he wont be taking so much in at once. The thing is, that doesnt help either. A lot of the time he gets sick not too long after he eats, and it's mostly undigested food. Sometimes he throws up a clear watery bile, which can be hard to spot until it's too late if you know what I mean. And sometimes he can go almost all day without eating, and STILL throw up a whole serving full of food! When that happens, it's mostly liquid but the color of the food we feed him. I'm at my wits end and pulling my hair out over this because it's become so constant and frustrating, and doesnt help that I'm pregnant and stay home alone with him all day; when he gets sick it never fails to make me twice as sick. I have to kick the poor thing off the furniture because every time he lays on the back of the couches when we're not around, he doesnt jump to the floor to get sick, he ALWAYS jumps to the cushions (and those are more of a pain to clean than hardwood!). I feel awful and hate seeing him like this, but at the same time I'm so sick and tired of waking up to three puke stains half dried to the floor, and I dont even bother mopping now (I know that's disgusting) because he just gets sick all over again an hour later. I honestly am not buying this whole "he just eats to fast he'll be fine" crap, what can I do about this? It's so frustrating!!
 

darlili

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Ok, do I understand right that most of the time it's undigested food - that you can recognize it? If so, the vet is probably right on target - cats can regurgitate food, as well as vomit - two different things, really. When they eat too quickly, they often regurgitate. Some people elevate the bowl, on a little stand, to keep them from eating to quickly, or if it's dry kibble, they put a ball or other object (nice and clean, of course), to slow the cat down as they have to pick around the ball to get to the kibble. Small, frequent feedings are also the usual route.

Did the vet perhaps suggest transitioning to a different food? Somewhat more premium foods aren't necessarily all that more expensive, as you can often feed less quantity and the cat still gets all the nutrition he needs. The current food may just not agree with him - I've got a cat who always gets soft stool on certain foods.

Also, is he susceptible to hairballs? I know it's tough with such a busy schedule, but do you brush your cats regularly? If he has too much hair in his system, that can throw off his appetite, etc. Re the fleas, have you considered using something like Revolution monthly on your cats?

Good luck and thanks for trying to hard - believe me, I know how hard it is to be patient when cleaning up messes - and it's so much worse when you're pregnant yourself.
 
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annabelle22

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When we took him to the first vet, they gave us prescription food (Royal Canin) for his digestive system and tuna flavored gel for hairballs. That food didnt help either and despite the flavor he wouldnt touch the meds we gave him for hairballs; we tried putting it in his food and he wouldnt touch it until we got rid of it, we tried putting it on his paws like they suggested but when he feels like he's being threatened (that includes when we tried brushing him once or twice) he lashes out, hunkers down to the floor, swats you name it so we have to back off. He doesnt like being pet down the back, only on his head and neck. The thing is there isnt hair or anything in his vomit, it's just chunky food not long after he eats. Even when he hasnt eaten for quite a while he still gets sick and that's what puzzles me the most. As for changing food, I dont remember either vet ever suggesting anything other than that prescription food that didnt work. We just buy the food at the grocery store. Our other two hold it down just fine, it's Rusty that cant. As for the flea issue, we get Advantage.
 

arlyn

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Sounds like a food intolerance or allergy to me.

I have one that can't eat corn at all, and another that can't eat chicken.
The corn allergy cat will vomit, the chicken allergy cat gets smelly liquid poo.

The most common food allergens for cats are corn, soy, chicken, wheat and fish.
There are a few others, but as you are feeding grocery store foods, these are most common.
 
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annabelle22

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What would be some suggested foods to try? I really dont know what to do anymore :/
 

arlyn

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Ahh not the food expert, but if you repost the question on the nutrition forum, you'll get a ton of replies.
 
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