My cat seems to be regurgitating his food, not sure why. I'd LOVE some suggestions or help! Thanks!

lovemyfurbaby

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I joined this site after searching for answers in quite a few other places, but id like to ask some pet owners. maybe some of you have experienced the same issues i am? My year old male cat, Bear, has always had some food issues. I'm able to feed him relatively pricey dry food, which is said to be very healthy for cats. When i brought him home almost a year ago he was on very cheep, poor quality food. I immediately switched him to Wellness Core Indoor Formula, because id heard great things about it. At the time i had another, girl cat, who had lived with me for 6 years. they both fought quite a bit, being he was a kitten and she an older, slightly grumpy cat. soon after he was settled on the wellness food, he started regurgitating the food. at first i thought he was just eating it too fast, as on the farm he came from it was a first come first get basis. i feed the cats seperately  to see if this would solve his problem, but no luck. i bought him a special feeder, that has him work to get the food out of tubes, to slow him down. he immediately loved it because it was fun and interesting. 

He continued to have the problem of regurgitating his food, almost daily. I've tried many other types of food, and nothing seems to help. he is currently eating a mix of "Taste of the Wild" and some of the Hills Sensitive Stomach food.  I've tried everything from wellness core, to hills science diet, hills science diet sensitive stomach, two different flavors of taste of the wild. 

Now I've done research on how to switch a cats food, so I know I'm doing it how people recommend. he gets plenty of water, as there are at least 4 fresh waters out around the house, for just him, that are cleaned very often. I know im trying to feed him healthy food, as they all consist of great ingredients, most have no grains, and all have great results from almost everyone ive talked to.the vets around where i live don't deal with house cats very much and don't know what to tell me, its kind of a small farm town. im very worried something may be wrong, and if i can fix it now id be very relieved.  im aspiring to become a Vet Tech in a few years, so id love any input, suggestions,  or stories you all have to offer.  thanks :) 
 

goholistic

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Hi there! 
  I was about to sign off and just saw your post. I can't stay, but for now I will leave you with this informative website on cat nutrition, written by a well-respected veterinarian.

http://www.catinfo.org/

In a nutshell, if your kitty is regurgitating all dry foods, then perhaps dry food is the problem? 
 
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lovemyfurbaby

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oh sorry i forgot to say how much he gets a day. I give him a half cup in the morning and a half cup at night. he is a pretty big guy lol, but since he knows he has plenty I've noticed hes slowed down eating some. 
 
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lovemyfurbaby

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thanks for your reply:) ill check out the website you linked tomorrow :) 
 

bonepicker

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Hi there!  :wave2:   I was about to sign off and just saw your post. I can't stay, but for now I will leave you with this informative website on cat nutrition, written by a well-respected veterinarian.

http://www.catinfo.org/

In a nutshell, if your kitty is regurgitating all dry foods, then perhaps dry food is the problem? 
Yes I agree I switched to grain free canned and wormed her (just in case) and all vomiting has stopped.
 

nirvarna

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My cat was a barfer when he first came to me. He was eating dry food. Switched him to wet and now he only barfs when I feed dry because I'm in a hurry.
 

zoneout

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I agree with all the suggestions above.   Please see catinfo.org - especially the section on male cats and dry food.   It will possibly save you from much grief and vet bills.    Please rethink the Hills food.
 

xcourtney3

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Another thought - My guy vomits up all of his canned food if he's having a hairball problem, so he gets hairball remedy 1-2x a week. 
 

lisahe

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I'm also an advocate of not feeding dry food and, like @zoneout, I'd recommend reading Dr. Pierson's site. That was where I really started understanding how to feed cats. Dr. Pierson writes a lot about how much cats need meat instead of carbohydrates. Dry foods tend to have more carbohydrates than wet foods -- maybe Bear's body is having trouble processing ingredients like peas, rice, and/or potato that cats don't need in the first place.

Those ingredients are in a lot of canned foods, too, so you have to be careful when you choose foods. I buy only low-carb canned and raw foods for our cats but realized the potato starch that's used in a thickener in some foods was making one of our cats barf.

Good luck, @lovemyfurbaby! I hope Bear feels better soon!
 

cattitudes

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Hi there,

2 of my 5 cats have sensitive stomachs.. I tried everything under the sun to find a food that every cat would eat and would not cause any regurgitating or diarrhea for the 2 cats. I believe I finally found the food that worked for me, it's Nutro Natural Choice Canned.. It's grain free and preservative free and everyone seems to enjoy it. I buy them the chunky pate and smooth pate ones, avoiding the fish flavors. As an added bonus, the stinky #2 issue also went away with this food.

If you can manage raw feeding, I would go with that as first choice. Just be sure you get a good recipe or it will cause health issues for your kitty. Otherwise you can give the Nutro Naturals a try.. 

A trip to the vet might also be in order if kitty starts to have diarrhea as well. They can prescribe some medication that calms upset tummies. If he still throws up on the meds then you could be looking at a bigger issue than just diet.. 

Best of luck to you!
 
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bonepicker

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Ditch the dry and try grain free canned. But vets best hairball relief tabs. Sold on amazon they aid digestion and cats love taste.
 
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lovemyfurbaby

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Thank you all for your replies!! Wonderful information here, and so helpful! I've switched my boy to a high quality soft food, and he LOVES it. he begs for each meal he can hardly wait. I've also started giving him some pure pumpkin, which he loves as well, and is very good for his tummy, also he did have worms, so I've gotten that taken care of, and a new drinking fountain is on the way! Everyone is pretty sure he got worms from my other cat who has passed away, since hes not allowed outside. I've accepted i have a sensitive stomached cat, and well now ive found food that works for him I'm muuuch happier. Thank you all :D 
 

lisahe

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2 of my 5 cats have sensitive stomachs.. I tried everything under the sun to find a food that every cat would eat and would not cause any regurgitating or diarrhea for the 2 cats. I believe I finally found the food that worked for me, it's Nutro Natural Choice Canned.. It's grain free and preservative free and everyone seems to enjoy it. I buy them the chunky pate and smooth pate ones, avoiding the fish flavors. As an added bonus, the stinky #2 issue also went away with this food.
Our cats have sensitive stomachs, too, and they also do well with Nutro Natural Choice. I only feed them the ones without carrageenan and also avoid fish. They love them!
 
I've switched my boy to a high quality soft food, and he LOVES it. he begs for each meal he can hardly wait. I've also started giving him some pure pumpkin, which he loves as well, and is very good for his tummy, also he did have worms, so I've gotten that taken care of, and a new drinking fountain is on the way! Everyone is pretty sure he got worms from my other cat who has passed away, since hes not allowed outside. I've accepted i have a sensitive stomached cat, and well now ive found food that works for him I'm muuuch happier. Thank you all :D 
I'm glad Bear is doing better, between the deworming and the new food! And yes, sometimes just realizing/accepting the sensitive stomach is the first step. It's amazing what a difference the right food can make.
 
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