PICA, Food Intolerance or Something Else? Please Help :(

I have an appointment scheduled with my vet next week and wan't to make sure I am fully prepared so any advice would be great!

This is about my 11 year old indoor cat named Coco.  It has kept me up at night and I am fearing for the worst, sometimes I cry because I think about the day when I won't have her anymore, so obviously you can see I am a nervous wreck!  I outlined below her current issues, she has otherwise been a healthy cat her entire life.  It all started when I decided to switch her to a higher quality food and she's been vomiting ever since.  Here is a current pic so you can see her weight:


OUTLINE:

[if !supportLists]·     Cat Chow Naturals Plus Vitamins and Minerals Dry
-Was on that for entire life
-Fed at 4pm 1x per day – ½ cup total
[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]
[endif]

[if !supportLists]·     Halo Spot's Stew Natural Dry Cat Food, Indoor Cat, Wholesome Chicken Recipe
-Switched approx. 1 month ago
-Same feeding schedule as above
-Vomited daily approx. 5-6 hours after feeding, vomit contained mostly undigested food w/a little mucus (cat hair 80% of the time)
[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]
[endif]

[if !supportLists]·     TIKI Cat Canned Food for Cats, Hawaii Grill Ahi Recipe
-Switched 5/15
-Fed 2x a day 8 hours apart, room temperature, 2 teaspoons total w/hairball remedy 1 table total broken up into halves (vet’s best natural hairball relief). 
-Vomited every other day same as above except vomit now resembling wet food (still 80% of time contains cat hair)
[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]
[endif]

[if !supportLists]·     Coco daily activities:
-60% sleeping
-25% grooming
-15% playing, watching birds from window, eating, potty, etc.
-Coco gets brushed every other day, small amount of hair contained in hair brush
-Coco has lost about 1 lb. since switching to the wet food (perhaps because she is fed less now to help her get adjusted to it)
-No other changes present with Coco including appetite, temperament, physical symptoms, etc.
-She appears to have PICA, she loves chewing on plastic (which I try to remove at all times).  And, she has always been a bit of a "nervous" cat since she was a kitten (shy, scared of people at first, etc.)
-I just ordered her NATURVET Enzymes and Probiotics

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP!!!

The vomiting could be from the rapid food change. Did you do any type of slow transition? Have you tried switching back to her old food to see if that helps?

I am also a little unclear in what she is eating currently. Is she eating both dry and wet food or just the wet? If just wet, 2 tsp a day is not nearly enough food. Losing a pound in two weeks is an alarming amount of weight loss and could lead to fatty liver. How much does she weigh currently? At this point, I would really recommend feeding her whatever she will eat and keep down and vet visit as soon as possible. I wouldn't wait until next week.

Thanks for responding VBall91!

She is currently on the wet TIKI only.

The idiot that I am, didn't know (or think to research) transitioning foods and I didn't realize how sensitive cats tommy's are.  So, when I first switched her from Purina dry to Halo dry, there was no transition.  With the Tiki, I did transition her slowly (I gave her a very small amount of the wet mixed with the normal dry feeding of Halo for about 5 days and would increase the wet until she was completely on the wet).

I've considered switching her back to the original food (the Purina cat chow naturals) but am afraid to with all the changes to her food.  My vet said to keep her on the current food (the Tiki wet) for at least 6-10 weeks via food trial.  I just can't stand that she keeps throwing up!!  She seems to do okay when I feed her just the 2 teaspoons of wet, and if I increase it more, her tummy can't handle it and she vomits it back up a few hours later.  Obviously I want to have her eating more in volume, but I am just trying to get the vomiting under control first.  

She currently weighs 10 pounds, which is what I've read to be a normal weight.   I'll see about another vet who can get her in sooner.  Everything else about her is fine so hopefully it's just the food being the issue...

Weight can vary largely depending on the size and build of each individual cat, so average is pretty subjective!

If you're concerned with just keeping food down in her for the time being, what about feeding her Tiki Cat in small meals and supplementing with her old food prior to her tummy upsets? You can call the vet and let them know she doesn't seem to be taking much in with the new food and are concerned with her losing weight rapidly. It could also get your appointment pushed if they have the time or recent cancellations. Is it possible to give her a third small meal during the day, to get her eating more volume just spread out?

Also, do you notice any clumps of fur floating around your home? If she spends a lot of time just wandering around, she can find or kick some of them up and lots of cats will just go ahead and eat their clumps of fur. I've found I have to crawl in and sweep out corners so my cat, who also likes to gnaw on plastic bags and eat fur balls, doesn't get herself sick. That may be a contributor to the fur in her vomit even with regular brushing.

I understand about trying to get the vomiting under control, but at this point, the lack of adequate nutrition is VERY alarming. 2 tsp of wet food is not enough. Between that and the vomiting, she is also most likely dehydrated. Rapid weight loss can quickly lead to hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver disease) in cats.

I am not sure why your vet wants you to try a food trial for 6-10 weeks, especially on tuna only which is not a healthy thing to feed as the only source of food. Were there other issues before the food change? If the vomiting started with the food change, then that's the most likely culprit.

Vet sounds like an idiot if he is aware of this dangerously low intake and still wants you to keep on with the Tiki Cat. I'd get the cat back on the Cat Chow NOW if she's done ok with it this far. Though you also need to get fluids down her too, syringe what you can manage down slowly every 30min-1 hour. Check her gums to make sure they aren't pale or yellowing, press them to see if color comes back quickly as well as feeling if they're moist or dried out. You can also lift the back of the neck to check hydration. If it snaps right back then your cat is much more likely to be hydrated. If it goes down slowly then the cat is dehydrated!

Personally I'd have this cat at the vet TODAY! Your cat is at a very high and very serious risk of hepatic lipidosis as others have stated. This CAN kill your cat and without immediate attention, it WILL kill her.

Is it possible to switch back to the original food before the vomiting occurred? At this point the food that your feeding her isn't helping much and I hate fish as cat food. I don't see cats in the wild eating fish plus some cats may be allergic to them.

You mentioned that your cat has PICA. Do you think she may have ingested something causing a blockage which in turn making her vomit? Just a thought.

vball91 said:

I understand about trying to get the vomiting under control, but at this point, the lack of adequate nutrition is VERY alarming. 2 tsp of wet food is not enough. Between that and the vomiting, she is also most likely dehydrated. Rapid weight loss can quickly lead to hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver disease) in cats.

I am not sure why your vet wants you to try a food trial for 6-10 weeks, especially on tuna only which is not a healthy thing to feed as the only source of food. Were there other issues before the food change? If the vomiting started with the food change, then that's the most likely culprit.

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Absolutely. The 2 tsp of Tiki, is NOT enough food for a 10 pound cat, or any cat for that matter, regardless of weight. The Tiki cat food is very low calorie, low fat and its quite possible that between the switch in dry and the daily serving of fish, this is what is making her vomit. Tuna is very rich and shouldn't be served every day. Switching dry foods in particular, must be done gradually to avoid stomach upset. I would slow down on the dry food, and get her onto another type of wet canned until the vomiting is under control. You can do some chicken or turkey which will be easier on her digestion.

I can't begin to express how thankful I am to each and every one of you who have responded!

I think I am not going to wait until next week, and take her to the ER Vet this evening as you've given me some different advice than what has been told to me and I want to be open to all forms of advice (not just from her current vet).

Depending on what they say, will also suggest switching her back to the old food and mixing it with a different wet.  Does anyone have any recommendations in the meantime?  I guess it obviously will depend on what the vets at the ER say too.

Hi vball91, 

There were NO CHANGES to Coco before the Initial Food Change.    The vomiting started, shortly AFTER the initial food change...Before that, she had not vomited a day in her entire life.

Hi CHWx,

Her gums are pink and no changes when they are pressed down.  I'm going to leave the rest to the ER vets and see what they say.  Thanks again!

Hi Aoi chan,

She sometimes manages to get a hold of the kitchen trash bag (even though I make sure no portion of it is hanging from the sides but sometimes she manages to get in there) and she'll chew on the plastic and some of it looks missing so she probably ingested some of it.  But, this was several days ago and I've since put the kitchen trash can in an area she cannot get to.

Hi everyone.

Just wanted to post an update in case anyone is experiencing the same issue.

Coco was treated by a veterinarian and a full panel was done.  All of her panels came back perfectly normal and the vet said she is in excellent condition.  

Coco is now back on her old cat food (the Purina) and has not vomited since.  She also gets some Gerber Chicken baby food with it and her Enzymes/Probiotics.  

I asked the vet if there was a high quality pet food out there we could switch her to instead of the less quality Purina, and he said it's probably best to keep her on the Purina since she's never had an issue with it in the past, and just to make sure she is getting enough Taurine.

So, I will continue to feed her the original cat food as described above and perhaps look into adding an additional raw protein source to make sure she is getting the exact amount of minerals and vitamins her body needs.

I am SO happy she has been given a clean bill of health.  I hope others who have gone (or are going) through something similar finds light at the end of the tunnel.