Cat kidney issues, vomiting

chalupa

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Hi, I have a 9 year old cat with kidney issues beginning. Vet said she is not concentrating her urine as good as she should but it's not really bad yet. I have had her since august (that's when I adopted her). she has had constipation and vomiting at least once a week or if we are lucky every two weeks since. She has a great appetite and a lot of energy. I suspect she may also have arthritis (seems stiff, hesitant to jump, a little irritable). She might have been more overweight in the past but her weight is not too bad, around 11.5 lbs.
I try to feed her a good diet weruva, merrick, honest kitchen, Stella Chewys, and Rad Cat.
I have some frozen primal and natures logic raw in my freezer. Thing is lately, it seems like she is only vomiting when I feed raw food. Is this unusual? If it is not why is it causing her to vomit? Should I stop feeding. Vomit seems to happen the least with rad cat lamb, and any Stella chewys. Does anyone else experience this?
 
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goholistic

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I'm so sorry your cat has early kidney issues. At 9 years old, too. That seems kind of young to me. And it seems she has some GI issues. What you suspect may be arthritis could be abdominal discomfort.

If she's vomiting the raw food, then I'm inclined to say it doesn't agree with her...whether its a particular quantity or a particular protein. Is the vomiting immediate (aka regurgitation) or hours afterwards? Have you tried mixing raw with canned? Is she vomiting only the poultry varieties (poultry intolerance?)? I don't have the answer to why it would be causing your kitty to vomit, but I do know from reading others' experiences that certain proteins can do that and also if it is not introduced slowly. I'm also of the opinion that certain foods can be too rich for some kitties (dry, canned, cooked, or raw), and it's a matter of finding what works. If you'd like more responses on this particular topic, it might be best if the thread is moved over to the Raw & Home-Cooked Cat Food forum.
 
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chalupa

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Hi goholistic goholistic thanks for writing. With the raw food, since it happens within an hour of eating it sometimes, does seem like regurgitation. It seems to happen mostly with turkey or chicken, less or not at all with raw lamb, but maybe with beef/salmon. I don't think anything is wrong with the food since my other cat downs it all and never vomits after. Thing is, vomiting cat, Punky, eats weruva chicken flavors all the time with no issues. Maybe the raw turkey and chicken are more rich. She also sometimes vomits when she is using litterbox, but these instances happen with any food. As far as abdominal discomfort, I don't know. This cat sure can play more than any other cat I've ever known. She may have been much more obese in the past. They said she had extreme difficulty adjusting to shelter life and it took a long time, but she adapted very well after a lot of playing I guess. The arthritis thing is just an idea, she seems so stiff and thinks she can't jump on things, is that past weight related maybe? Thanks for your advice, I will post question in raw when get a chance. should I just stop the frozen raw all together for her maybe?
 

sarah ann

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If she only vomits on one type of food, I would eliminate it from her diet. Food allergies can cause vomiting. I personally am very sensitive to foods and certain things come right back up.

It could also be a food intolerance rather than a food allergy, but either way, I would avoid feeding it to her if it upsets her system.

I have one cat who vomits a lot within 1 hour of eating. The vet thinks it is either asthma or inflammatory bowel disease or both. She does have symptoms of asthma (with coughing) which can cause vomiting. But the vomiting tends to occur even when she does not cough which could mean she has IBD. 

For her, oral prednisolone (steroid) stops both the coughing and the vomiting, which means we are dealing with some sort of autoimmune disease.
 

momto3cats

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Some cats can tolerate certain proteins if they are cooked, but not raw, or vice versa. I would stop feeding her the raw poultry if seems to cause problems for her.

You could also try starting her on a joint supplement for cats, since you suspect arthritis. If she does have joint problems it should help.
 

stephenq

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I agree with everyone else.  If your cat reliably vomits after eating a specific food, then stop feeding that food.  The "why" it's happening is far less important than the effect.
 

goholistic

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As far as constipation and arthritis goes, my Boo has both of these. His constipation is chronic, but well managed by a wet diet and supplements (Miralax, probiotics, digestive enzymes, George's aloe vera). His arthritis and IVDD is being helped by Gabapentin, Chinese herbs, omega-3 fish oil, and a glucosamine/MSM/hyaluronic acid supplement. Boo will be 15, though, and needed more aggressive treatment. I agree that you could try a joint supplement and perhaps some omega-3s.
 
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chalupa

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Thanks everyone for your input and ideas!
 
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chalupa

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So I'm thinking in retrospect it might be regurgitation. She does eat raw superfast sometimes. Might give the chicken rad cat, not turkey, another try, once more, except small amount. I hope feeding raw in early stage of kidney damage is still ok, don't want to make her worse.
 

peaches123

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I had a cat with kidney issues also.  From what I understand, raw meat is a no/no for cats  and dogs.  I had a cat, Beasley who had both kidney issues and a heart mummer, he started to vomit almost every day and toward the last 2 years I had to  perform at home dialysis with an IV bag hanging from my dining room "chandelier"  (my vet who was very good and gave us instructions on how to do this) and sticking a large needle in his back. I swear it hurt me as much as it did him. I know that cats with kidney disease need a low protein diet and pee a lot. Your cat may need Lasix or other medication.  Beasley was a wreck from day one...peeing on the carpet so badly we attracted wood ants who ate right though the floor from all the clean up and the the cat pee neutralizer, but I still loved him dearly as he did me.  Best of luck with Chalupa..
 
 
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chalupa

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peaches123 peaches123 hi, thanks for writing, her kidneys are not too bad yet, mostly what I'm trying to do is prevent further damage. She is a terrible traveller so going back and forth to the vet is life or death only. Vet thought she is not too bad yet although her urine is not concentrating as well as it should. She pees a ton. On the up side she acts like a stiff kitten. By stiff I mean she seems slightly arthritic or something, hates jumping but will run in circles non stop to get that mouse! Going to cut back on the raw for a while to see if that helps. There's so much conflicting info about helping cats with kidney damage. Just trying to stay current and figure out what works best.
 
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