Vomiting clear liquid when stomach empty. Any suggestions?

Ruby is still having issues with vomiting a clear, slightly yellowy liquid.  I usually find it when I get up in the morning or when I get home from work. So I'm sure it's when her stomach gets empty.  It's not every day, but a few times a week.   It doesn't seem to bother her or affect her appetite, but it is upsetting to me and I am trying to find a solution.

She's been on a veterinary prescribed hypoallergenic wet food since I took her to the vet 2 weeks ago because of her vomiting  (http://www.royalcanin.ca/index.php/...inary-Therapeutic-Formulas/Hypoallergenic-Wet) and it seems to be agreeing with her.   I give her half a can in the morning and the other half in the evening. Ruby does not believe in saving food for later, so I try to spread it out throughout the morning before I go to work and the evening before I go to bed.   She also gets a few treats.  But  there are still 8 to 10+ hours between her meals, which I am convinced is the problem.

I'm considering getting an automatic feeder to try to give her a little food during the day and maybe during the night. And I will check with the vet on the weekend.

Meanwhile, any comments, thoughts or suggestions?

I think some cats get a form of GERD.  Have you tried antacids?  Pepcid or Zantac?  That might help. 

One of my cats does this, and I give her a couple of 100% pure chicken treats (Purebites...they're freeze dried)  as soon as I roll out of bed in the morning just so she'll have something on her tummy, and this usually prevents it.  I also do this right before I go to bed so the time that her stomach is empty isn't too long.  Maybe you could consider doing something like that soon after you get home, then you could establish a true mealtime rather than spreading out her meal throughout the evening.  I'm home during the day, so I give my girl 3 meals per day. 

Additionally, I give my girl Vet's Best Hairball and Digestive Aid Relief Treats.  ALL my cats love them!  The reason I give them is that they have Slippery Elm  Bark and Marshmallow, soothing for the digestive tract.  These things come in "tablets" about the size of a thick quarter, but I break them up and, seriously, all three of my cats go crazy for them.  The label says to only give them TWO per day, and I have a hard time keeping one of mine away from the other two when I am doling them out to make sure he doesn't overdose on them  .  I also give my froth throwing up girl slippery elm bark syrup, on those occasion when she isn't eating as much as I'd like, because I KNOW if she doesn't fill up on food, I will find the tell tale signs later on  .  (And I'd prefer to use this natural method than Pepcid A/C, although I've done both), and also I'd much rather her lap her the SEB than have to try to pill her or coax her into eating a treat with the Pepcid inside it.

Now, for when you're gone all day, have you tried taking a yogurt cup with a lid (critical) and cutting a small hole or two somewhere in the cup just small enough for a treat to fall out.  Put some sort of treat inside, maybe a freeze dried Stella and Chewy's, or some Purebites, or whatever, put the lid on, and it becomes a play puzzle for her to work at and also a reward system as she gets a small food reward when she figures out how to get it out.    (you can google "video of cat food puzzle" and probably see some of these homemade devices in action

cprcheetah:    She was on Famotidine for just under a week and it may have helped.  Maybe she needs to go on it again for longer.  Wonder if GERD would make her feel hungry all the time?

mrsgreenjeens:  thanks for all your suggestions.   Doesn't your cat beg for her real breakfast when you just give her the chicken treats?    I'm pretty sure Ruby would.  I wish I could give her 3 meals a day, and I do on weekends, but perhaps that's a mistake.   It's just that she is always hungry and when she sees me eating lunch I want to give her something.

I actually have one of the treat dispensers, but I haven't tried it with her yet.    Perhaps we'll give it a shot on the weekend.  But she would probably play with it until it was empty.  That's why I thought perhaps the timed feeder might be a good idea, so she could have something to eat between meals.

I DO feed her within an hour of getting up, I just don't want to get her in the habit of waking me up to eat, and I have need to do a few other things when I first get up too, so I give her a few treats just to make sure she doesn't throw up.  This satisfies her because she knows the routine and knows her turn for breakfast is still coming. 

A timed dispenser would be a good idea, IMHO, but I was just giving ideas that might be a little less expensive that might work

How big is your cat? Just wondering because that's a small can, and wondering if she needs more than 1 can a day. Perhaps trying to feed her a little bit more? She could be very hungry and the cause of your problems. My cat would be needing roughly double the amount you feed and he's an average sized male.

it's up to you how many treats you put in any device, isn't it?

Fleabags Mom said:

 
How big is your cat? Just wondering because that's a small can, and wondering if she needs more than 1 can a day. Perhaps trying to feed her a little bit more? She could be very hungry and the cause of your problems. My cat would be needing roughly double the amount you feed and he's an average sized male.

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She's about 9 lbs.  Until 2 weeks ago, she was getting 2 small cans of the IAMS wet a day, plus 1/4 cup IAMS dry, plus treats.  And she gained weight from Nov to Dec and then from Dec to Jan, so it may have been too much food.  I took her to the vet the morning she threw up the clear liquid several times overnight, and then threw up her food that morning.  That was when the vet suggested the Medi-Cal food.   She does get a few kitty treats as well.

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mrsgreenjeens said:

 
I DO feed her within an hour of getting up, I just don't want to get her in the habit of waking me up to eat, and I have need to do a few other things when I first get up too, so I give her a few treats just to make sure she doesn't throw up.  This satisfies her because she knows the routine and knows her turn for breakfast is still coming.

A timed dispenser would be a good idea, IMHO, but I was just giving ideas that might be a little less expensive that might work

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She tends to wake me between 5 & 6  - my radio comes on at 6.   The last few days I've been getting up after she wakes me, which I know is a bad habit to get into, but I'm just so afraid of her getting sick between the time she wakes me and when I actually get up.   Perhaps I could keep a few treats in the nightstand to give her when she wakes me, but that would probably start a bad habit too.   Yes, I know the timed dispensers are expensive and I'm not totally convinced it will work.

It's so strange, today I was gone almost 11 hours and she didn't get sick, at least not that I've found yet.   And other days when I'm not gone as long she does.

I have googled this topic and found some references to others who had the same problem (including an old message on this forum) but there was nothing saying how anyone actually solved the problem.

Oh ok, so she threw up back then too, even when having much more food, that makes things weirder.  I only wondered because you say that your cat doesn't save food - sounds like she's hungry or greedy ;-) I looked at the feeding guide on your food and I think she would be ok with another 1/3rd of a can too, if it helps - more food and more time to digest means less acid I guess.  Is there anyone local that you could trust to come in and feed her in the day in case it is acidic tummy before you paid out for a timed dispenser -  does she throw up at weekends when you are able to feed her 3 times a day? Is there any possibility that she nibbles anything else in the house, like plants when you are out all day?  Good luck.

Fleabags Mom said:

 
Oh ok, so she threw up back then too, even when having much more food, that makes things weirder.  I only wondered because you say that your cat doesn't save food - sounds like she's hungry or greedy ;-) I looked at the feeding guide on your food and I think she would be ok with another 1/3rd of a can too, if it helps - more food and more time to digest means less acid I guess.  Is there anyone local that you could trust to come in and feed her in the day in case it is acidic tummy before you paid out for a timed dispenser -  does she throw up at weekends when you are able to feed her 3 times a day? Is there any possibility that she nibbles anything else in the house, like plants when you are out all day?  Good luck.

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Yes it is weird and frustrating. She has thrown up the clear liquid off and on ever since I got her back in November.  However, 3 weeks ago she started leaving dry food in her dish after I gave it to her, which was so unlike her.  I thought maybe she was learning to save food for later, but she would never come back and finish it.   That went on for a few days, then on the Thursday morning I woke up to find she'd thrown up in 3 or 4 places overnight (clear liquid) and then when I gave her the wet food for breakfast she threw that up within 10 minutes.  I took her to the vet that morning and he suggested not giving her dry food anymore, and changed to the Hypoallergenic wet food. He also gave her a shot of Famotidine and gave me tablets to last about 5 days.   The next morning she threw up right after breakfast again, but that was the last time she threw up after eating.

Since then it's just been the sporadic clear liquid with a hint of yellow that I find either in the morning or when I get home from work.

I think she is gets both hungry and greedy!   Hungry is when she wakes me at 5 in the morning and won't leave me alone till I feed her.  Greedy is when she just wants to eat, but can be distracted with a toy.

I got more food today, and the vet gave me some more Famotidine tablets to give when she throws up.  They again said a can of food a day should be enough.

So for now, rather than confuse her tummy on the weekends, I am going to try sticking with a regular feeding schedule of giving her 1/4 can in the morning when I can't take her pestering me any longer and get out of bed, another 1/4 can at the time I would leave for work, then another 1/4 can at supper and the last 1/4 can before bed.  On weekends lunch will be a few of her Hyperallergenic treats.  Weekdays I'll fit in a few treats to keep the calorie intake even.

Hopefully this will help as I don't think it can be good for her getting sick.  If she still has vomiting issues then next I will look into getting a timed dispenser, as there is no one to stop in to feed her during the daytime. 

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

I agree that since one can has plenty of calories, that should be more than sufficient.  That being said, though, I'm wondering if maybe for her "early dinner", you could maybe just give her 1 Tablespoon or so, then feed her the remainder of the can right before bedtime, which might keep her more full overnight .

And I would still consider using that treat dispenser...depending on how it works, because if the treats are difficult to get out, she won't be able to eat them all at once, since it's a trick to release them from their "hiding" place. 

So, there is still the issue of WHY she seems to have an over acidic stomach though.  This does not normally effect cats unless there is an underlying issue.  Does your Vet suspect IBD or just food allergies?    MY cat has an over acidic issue because she has kidney disease, and these things go hand in hand.   Ruby is quite young, so I would not suspect kidney disease, although it is not out of the question.   Did your Vet offer any explanations for the "frothy" vomiting? 

You might still try the Vet's Best Hairball and Digestive Relief treats that I mentioned above.  Or the slippery elm bark if she is going to need something long term. 

After looking at ALL your posts having to do with this, could she be eating or chewing on something in your house? Like, especially, a plant? I know the vet said there was no blockage but sometimes just a leeeeeeeeeeetle piece of something can cause a gag reflex and in turn clearish, yellowish or greenish kitty throw-up.

mrsgreenjeens said:

 
I agree that since one can has plenty of calories, that should be more than sufficient.  That being said, though, I'm wondering if maybe for her "early dinner", you could maybe just give her 1 Tablespoon or so, then feed her the remainder of the can right before bedtime, which might keep her more full overnight

.

And I would still consider using that treat dispenser...depending on how it works, because if the treats are difficult to get out, she won't be able to eat them all at once, since it's a trick to release them from their "hiding" place.

So, there is still the issue of WHY she seems to have an over acidic stomach though.  This does not normally effect cats unless there is an underlying issue.  Does your Vet suspect IBD or just food allergies?    MY cat has an over acidic issue because she has kidney disease, and these things go hand in hand.   Ruby is quite young, so I would not suspect kidney disease, although it is not out of the question.   Did your Vet offer any explanations for the "frothy" vomiting?

You might still try the Vet's Best Hairball and Digestive Relief treats that I mentioned above.  Or the slippery elm bark if she is going to need something long term.

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I tried the feeding her right before bed last night.  She didn't get sick.  But she still woke me shortly after 5:00..     I finally relented at 5:40 and got up and fed her, then went back to bed.  She was back at 7:40 looking for more food!  That's all she getting now till supper, except for a few treats mid-day.

I tried her treat ball dispenser yesterday.  It kept her occupied for a while, and she did get treats out, but then I think she got bored and actually left one behind!   I googled treat dispensers and found this one that looks pretty cool: 
The vet did mention IBS when we were there 2 weeks ago.  I also wonder if the food vomiting was a food allergy.  The IAMS dry food was a relatively new bag and that seemed to be the food she was reacting badly to.   The hypoallergenic food agreed with her right away (except for the 1 vomit which was probably more to do with the day before than the new food).   I gave her half and half one day, then just the new food from then on and she almost immediately had the best tootsie-roll shaped deposits I'd ever seen.   She'd had diarrhea when she was still at the SPCA and never completed went away until the new food.

I googled IBD and found this interesting fact:   "An appropriate diet must be fed for eight to twelve weeks before a positive affect may be seen"   It's only been 2 weeks, so maybe I just need to be more patient.

I also googled Vet's Best Hairball and Digestive Relief treats, but I'm not sure if they are available in Canada, and will keep slippery elm bark in mind to mention to the vet if this continues.

mycatwasthebest said:

 
After looking at ALL your posts having to do with this, could she be eating or chewing on something in your house? Like, especially, a plant? I know the vet said there was no blockage but sometimes just a leeeeeeeeeeetle piece of something can cause a gag reflex and in turn clearish, yellowish or greenish kitty throw-up.

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You deserve a medal for reading all my posts on this topic.  It's been an ongoing issue and after my first all-inclusive post, I tried to make question specific ones.  Anyway, I only have 3 plants (2 Christmas Cactus & 1 African Violet) and none of them have any signs of kitty bites.   Also, I'm almost 100% sure the clear liquid vomiting is from an empty stomach because the first time it happened was 2 days after I got her when she was lethargic and not eating much after getting a shot the day before. At the time I thought it was a reaction to the shot, now I think it was because she wasn't eating.  Thank you for taking the time to read all my posts and replying.

And thank you to all of you who was reading and replying to my questions.    I didn't realize adopting a cat would turn me into a worrywart parent.   Now off to post in the "I know I'm a cat parent..." thread.

My kitty is 4 months old. I have had her for a month. She has a hearty appetite and has eaten her kibble no problem. on the second week i started introducing fancy feast to her, a little protein just in the morning and at night, this is how i feed my 13 year old cat, and the rest of the day the older cat grazes at her convenience on dry food and is happy. Being out of the loop with kitties and how much they need to eat I do admit, but this cat, vomited bile wednesday when i got home from being gone 4 hours. i only feed her the gooey fooed mornings only. she vomited 2 days later same time of day, and then this morning first thing. just yellow bile. ok i am tracking it, and realize she has been boycotting her dry food and holding out for the gooey food. the last couple of days her food bowls are not getting emptied. hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

i remember thinking she wasnt eating enough kibble 2 days ago and dumped it out and gave her a fresh bunch. 

ok so this morning after she vomited the bile, i fed her the gooey food and she gobbled it up no problem, and it encouraged her to eat a few bites of kibble.

so there you go. her eliminations are perfect so i know she is not ill. after reading all of the wonderful posts here, i realise i need to feed her the gooey food morning noon and night, and i will start doing that today. her 2 previous vomitings were midday when i dont feed her. i never thought a kitty would get so empty that the bile and acids would cause them to vomit, but it does.

i am going to keep a little plate of gooey food in a little travelling ice chest i have, and keep that in my bedroom bathroom so she can have that at 6 am, that way i wont have to get up and prepare or disturb anyone else in the house. I am so relieved. 

she ate her gooey food an hour and 15 min ago and is perfectly fine . This really is a first for me, although when i was younger, i just laid out kibble for animals and was not educated enough to realize they do need more protein than that. Thanks everyone will check back and let you know how it is going.

christinemay:   interesting that both our cats have similar symptons.   Ruby is older, but other than that it is the same situation.   I'm happy to say there was no vomiting over the weekend.  And better yet none today, and I was gone from 8 until almost 6.  Hopefully your kitty had a good day too.

Hey rubysmama that's great news. I have success too. I started feeding kitty more gooey noon and bedtime an I kept that foo I my tiny ice chest and gave her bit at 5 am. No vomiting at all. And giving her gooey more often is encouraging her to eat a few bites of kibble after! Win win !

Just thought I'd post an update on Ruby.

It's been 2 weeks with no vomiting, so I hope the change in her food has solved the problem.   She's still getting 1 can of the Royal Canin Medic-Cal Hypoallergenic food a day (half in the morning and the rest spread out over the evening), plus a few treats.   I give her the last bit of wet food just before bed, and though she still wakes me at 5 looking for breakfast, she doesn't throw up when I make her wait till 6.

The prescription food is a bit pricey, but if it means a happy kitty tummy, then it's all worth it.  

that is super news Rubysmama. Thank you for sharing. All is well with my kitty too. since i started giving her the gooey food more often, no more vomiting has taken place. so i give her a plop of it around 8 or 9 a.m. just a small amount, and that encourages her to eat some of her kibble too. she gets another small amount at lunch, dinner and bedtime. she has grown to love eating the kibble between now, and is so on the path of great digestion. i take the tiny ice chest to my bedroom/bath at night and have her 6 a.m. plop of gooey food in there on a plate ready to go. so she and i dont have to get up and disturb the household. o- this has worked out so well, and i am a happy mama to see kitty doing so well.  i have had her for 6 weeks tomorrow, and i swear she has doubled in size. she is 4 months and one week now. she is a ragdoll kitty and so precious. 

Excellent! congrats!

christinemay:  congrats with the success with your kitty too.  Is that her in your avatar?   I was actually going to ask if you had any pictures of her, then I noticed the cat in your avatar. 

mycatwasthebest:   thanks for your earlier comments and posts