Senior cat needs help :(

Hello. I have a 10 y/o cat named Baby who has been a vomiter all her life. However, the vomiting had never been frequent....until now. Through the years we've tried different diets, can and dry. I notice Hill's is especially bad for her condition. Two years ago, she became sick with watery diarrhea (later I found out it was because of the cleaning wipes I was using. I used them on my other cats and they too got diarrhea) and after doing blood work and x-rays, the vet put her on hills diet and he told me she had to eat it for at least two days. She couldn't keep it down at all so i didnt force her to eat it.

Anyway, since she's been a big cat most of her life (16 pounds), I thought she ought to lose some weight. This past summer we tried to wean her off the dry food (merrick, perfect bistro) and try some can food. We tried different flavors of the instinct food, cat pride, wellness, different flavors of perfect bistro can food, lotus, and tiki. She has rejected them all. I didn't just put the can in front of her....i mixed it with her regular food, starting with a tiny quantity and then slowly increasing. She has decided she only wants fancy feast grilled chicken. After speaking to her vet, I decided to let her have it. She eats two 3oz. cans per day, sometimes a little more. I don't know if it's the diet but she lost a whole bunch of weight too fast. At the beginning of June she was fine, 16 lbs, vomiting once in a blue. She's now down to 11 lbs and for the past 3 months her vomiting has become very frequent. She vomits almost every day and sometimes twice a day. Other times she can go a whole week without vomiting but once it starts, it just continues. This makes me think she lost all this weight because of the vomiting, and that in turn could be due to an underlying health issue.

Baby had a dental cleaning in October and prior to that they did her blood work, which didnt show anything abnormal. A few weeks ago I took her back to the vet to talk about the vomiting issue and we repeated the full work-up and also added an abdominal sonogram. The vet called me with the results and said everything is normal. She doesn't think it's her pancreas because the vomiting is soon after eating. The food that's brought up is not processed at all.

I have three other cats besides Baby. She doesn't like them and fights with every chance. She's skittish around them and doesn't like crowds. I notice when there are others around, humans or cats, she eats fast and leaves. She won't even use the bathroom when we are around. I thought this could be the reason she's vomiting. To accommodate her, I feed her alone in a closed-door room. I've set up an extra litter box just for her, but it's not helping. She's still vomiting and still only using the bathroom when no one is around. I've even tried giving her smaller more frequent meals but nope.

I feel sad when I look at her. She's not bones but it's obvious she's lost a lot of weight. Her behavior is same old. She still loves eating and asks for food like she always did. Here and there she'll run around and play by herself, not with the others. Nothing has changed, except that she's vomiting more and she's lost weight.

Can someone please help me? Any advice/recommendations?

Thanks!

Is it possible to separate the meals into smaller portions? There is a small ball that you can put food into, called the "slim cat". As they roll the ball, food slowing spills out. This allows for cats to slowly eat their food so they don't inhale it, then throw it up. Maybe give this a try?

Best of luck! Hopefully some others can add to this as well

Is it possible she has a food allergy? Many cats can't take too much fish in their food (whether it's dry or canned). Sometimes, it's hidden in food, too (as in, not the main protein listed on the front of the package). I might also suggest getting a second opinion. Different vets have different experiences, and someone else might have run across other cats with symptoms like Baby has. I'm sorry I can't be of more help! 

First I'd like to address the issue of her losing weight.  The Fancy Feast Grilled Chicken you are feeding her is fairly low calorie.  Only about 72 calories per can!  If you are only feeding her 2 cans of this per day, and nothing else, that is probably not enough, particularly if she is throwing it back up undigested.  Are you supplementing with dry still, or not?  I can't tell by what you have written if you are.  I'm thinking possibly not, and this is one reason why she has lost so much weight so quickly, which is not healthy in a cat and can actually wreak havoc t.  When your Vet ran blood tests, did they do a complete blood test, including liver functions?  I would think so, but just want to make sure, as vomiting can be a sign of liver issues, and liver issues can be brought on by rapid weight loss. 

Now, are the other cats in your household NEWish, or has that situation always been there?  If it's not new, then I wouldn't think that would be suddenly causing her to vomit more frequently. 

So...no blockage - good.  Normal bloodwork (assuming it was complete) - good.   Stress level - high - not good and not so easy to fix .  Have you tried calming techniques/sprays/oils?  Techniques would include more play one on one.  Sprays are exactly what they sound like and oils too.  Some can be added to her water, rubbed on her ears or paws or even on her gums. 

Lastly is her food.  It is VERY possible there is something in the particular Fancy Feast that is upsetting her tummy.  One of my cats eats Fancy Feast CLASSICS and has no problems with those, but she cannot eat the GRILLED (or ROASTED).  My girl is extremely picky too, so I know how difficult it is to find something they will eat that doesn't make them sick.  I've been through thousands of cans, I'm sure.  And I still search for different varieties, just in case, because she never likes the same thing twice in a row.   Have you tried Soulistic (Petco's house brand).  That's what I used when I transitioned everyone from kibble to wet food.  Now they all hate it, but once they loved it .  (be aware, though, it's also low calorie.

In the meantime, here is an article on how much to feed, which you may find helpful:  http://www.thecatsite.com/a/how-much-food-should-i-feed-my-cat

Is it possible she has streas issues? Has that ever been addressed? Because my younger cat came from a bad shelter( in fact it was just raided and closed by the SPCA) and she is very skittish and throws up when nervous.
Also how about ibd or allergies?

Hi, thanks for replying
I forgot to mention that baby has trust issues and does not like anyone. Not even me. I've been in her life since the day I rescued her as a kitten just a few days old, eyes still closed. She comes to all of us to ask for food but she doesn't like us. She does trust my youngest brother and spends all her time with him when he's home and even sleeps in his bed. We can not even touch her. If you lay a finger on her, she starts screaming on top of her lungs. I can't even clip her nails without wrapping her up in a big towel. She doesn't like when we try to play with her - starts growling and hissing and then runs off. She plays by herself.

We added Odie when Baby was 3 years old. Before his arrival she'd only come out to eat and use the litter box. Once she realized his presence, she was beyond furious, but she started to come out more. She was walking around the house more even if it was to pick on the new kitten or to use his litter box. He did try to befriend her but she has been turning down all his humble requests for the past 7 years. He's not dominant at all and respects her territory. They share a litter box and surprisingly she has never protested against that. I wouldn't say she became more aggressive after Odie's arrival.

We added two more kittens last year, who are now 10 months old. Baby does not like them but she's not any more aggressive. She picks on them, uses their litter box, sleeps on their beds, and beats them up when they cross her path. One of the kittens has a neurological deficit- he has really bad balance and unfortunately he can't run away fast enough so he gets picked on the most. She's the dominant cat and the rest of them respect her space. We all love her, respect her, and accommodate her beyond our abilities. I love her, she is my first cat and im willing to do anything to help her. I just don't know what to do next.

She's not eating dry food regularly. She prefers the kibbles and I give it to her as a treat once in a while. She eats purrfect bistro from merrick but honestly she'll eat any dry food. She recently had a dental cleaning so I thought she should stay away from dry food. I would like for her to eat more but given that she's also a gobbler, I feed her several times a day in smaller portions but the vomiting is still going on. I also see a lot of hair in her vomit, which is from over grooming. Since she's lost weight, she keeps grooming herself. When she was fat, there were areas she couldn't clean, including her behind. We would have to do it for her. But now she's able to clean herself but she does it excessively. I've tried given her malt but she's repulsed by it. I can try the plain Vaseline but don't know how she'll react.

I'd like to help her. I've tried Pepcid also as advised by the vey but that didn't change a thing. She's had a full blood work and everything was normal. All her liver enzymes are fine and she has a normal thyroid. Abdominal sonogram is also normal.

I think she might have food intolerance. Maybe she's not compatible with chicken, which is all she eats.

js124 said:

Is it possible she has streas issues? Has that ever been addressed? Because my younger cat came from a bad shelter( in fact it was just raided and closed by the SPCA) and she is very skittish and throws up when nervous.
Also how about ibd or allergies?

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She doesn't like my other cats. She could be stressed but her overall behavior has been constant. She has become bolder by the year. While my other cats run and hide when guests come over, she walks around and examines them all, even allowing select a few to pet her. The vomiting is only after meals and the food is still unprocessed.

Some questions, if you don't mind?

How long after the meal does she throw up?
How many meals a day does she eat?
Is there a pattern to when she throws up? For instance, is it usually in the morning - or can it happen any time?
When blood work was done, did they run the GI panel? This tests cobalamin (B12) / Folate / and the spec fPLI (pancreas).
The ultrasound was of ... pancreas? Stomach? Intestines?

Purina Kitten chow is high calorie and high nourishment. When mine won't eat, they will go for that. Baby food, also. That amount of weight must be alarming to you. And there has to be a cause for the vomiting. I hope you find a way to stop it. Try the baby food first, in small increments.

There are also vet diets, such as Critical Care canned food and food for sensitive stomachs. I believe Purina makes one - or it  might be Science - for sensitive stomachs. Critical Care went well when mine wouldn't eat.

I have 6 cats, my Rachel vomits if she over eats. So I watch the soft food she takes in. If I see her over eating I just take her dish away. I use I IAM original hard food which they have access to all the time. I have started reducing all of their soft food intake from 3 feeding a day down to 2 as I can see the chubbier ones are putting on the pounds. Rachel is also skidish so for the past year I have been using Felaway and it seems to work just fine.

She still vomits at least 3 times a week but it's structly from overeating. Rachel weights about 8 lbs. she used to be a hisser but the Felaway stopped that.

LDG said:

Some questions, if you don't mind?

How long after the meal does she throw up?
How many meals a day does she eat?
Is there a pattern to when she throws up? For instance, is it usually in the morning - or can it happen any time?
When blood work was done, did they run the GI panel? This tests cobalamin (B12) / Folate / and the spec fPLI (pancreas).
The ultrasound was of ... pancreas? Stomach? Intestines?

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No I don't mind at all
She usually throws up soon after her meal, sometimes a few minutes later and other times 10-15 minutes later.
She eats about 6 times, small portions, finishing her two 3 oz cans. If she asks for more, I give her because i think she could use the extra.
she usually vomits in the mornings or evening, and sometimes both. Rarely in the afternoon.
I don't know if the vet ordered a GI panel on her. I did the blood work twice and she said all her enzymes were normal. Also, she didn't tell me what kind of sonogram it was, just that it was abdominal. I can call and find out.
When the results were pending, she did say that if Pepcid doesn't work, I could try the B12 or supplement with pancreatic enzymes. She also recommended some pancreatic tests which she said are really expensive. She attended a seminar recently where a GI specialist said that some cats tend to lose weight as they get older and its becaus their pancreatic tissue gets harder. Instead of doing the tests, she said I could supplement the enzymes and see if that helps because they are not harmful to use without testing her first. If I need to do the test, I would do it obviously, but now the vet is saying that she doesn't think it's her pancreas because the food is not even staying down long enough. I don't know if she's saying this after looking at her blood work and seeing that pancreatic enzymes are normal or just based on my assessment that the food doesn't look processed.

blackcat416 said:

I have 6 cats, my Rachel vomits if she over eats. So I watch the soft food she takes in. If I see her over eating I just take her dish away. I use I IAM original hard food which they have access to all the time. I have started reducing all of their soft food intake from 3 feeding a day down to 2 as I can see the chubbier ones are putting on the pounds. Rachel is also skidish so for the past year I have been using Felaway and it seems to work just fine.

She still vomits at least 3 times a week but it's structly from overeating. Rachel weights about 8 lbs. she used to be a hisser but the Felaway stopped that.

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Initially, this is what we thought Baby was doing also-overeating. Given that she was 16lbs, we thought we ought to control her food intake and also switch her to wet food. I tried to transition her with the many foods listed but she took to fancy feast right away so I thought it's better than eating dry food. She lost all this weight and way too fast but so far there doesn't seem to be a medical issue. Even though she's now eating in a more controlled and disciplined manner, the vomiting is still there.

we had two days of no vomiting but last night it started again. I gave Baby a little more than 1/4 of a small can of fancy feast, grilled chicken. About 20 minutes later, my sister and I tried to give her some malt. i totally forgot that she ate not too long ago. i offered her some vaseline, she was repulsed. I have these chicken treats, PureBites Freeze dried chicken, that all my cats go crazy for, including baby. i covered the vaseline with the treats and offered it to her, but she still refused. maybe it"s evil of me, but i tried to force it in her mouth but that didn't go too well. she was hissing, growling, and ran off. next, i offered her some of the regular malt, and she refused. she used to eat the malt without a problem but for the past several months, she's decided that she doesn't like it. i tried to put some on her mouth and paws but she wouldn't allow me. given that the malt is sticky, i wasn't successful in getting it off my fingers. since she's crazy about pill pockets, i thought i should put the malt inside the pocket and see if that works. i opened one of the pockets, put some malt in there and using another pocket, i made a ball and offered it to her. initially, she was growling and rejected the offer so i just left it in front of her. a few minutes later, she ate it. This back and forth lasted for about 10 minutes. once i was done with her, i went to feed my cat odie. he's the only one on dry food and he eats a prescription urinary diet. the other cats love his food and when it's time for him to eat, they all gather around, including baby. if odie decides he doesn't like their presence, he walks away without eating and i have to put the food away. a few minutes later, he would be harassing me again to come feed him. so i usually have to lock everyone up so odie can eat (it's a task!). since baby was growling at odie to move so she can eat his food, i had my sister give her a little bit of the merrick purrfect bistro (the bag says it's especially for cats over 7 years old and it's grain free) dry food. she ate about 20 kibbles and literally one minute later, everything came out--the fancy feast, the chicken treats, and the dry food, all unprocessed and whole. she is not even chewing her food, just gobbling it down.

she vomited again this morning and then in the afternoon, right after her meals. she eats crappy food which is devoid of proper nutrients to begin with and then she throws it up, so her body is not getting much. no wonder she is so thin. I'm honestly very scared for her. if there's nothing wrong with her as the vet says, why is she vomiting all the time? the food is not even going past her stomach, and it's totally unprocessed.

I'm looking into some hypoallergenic foods to try. another problem is that she's so picky about what she wants to eat.

does anyone have any ideas? i am so frustrated.

have you tried any of the liquid diets or supplements? Rebound or CliniCare liquid diet or Catsure? 

detmut said:

have you tried any of the liquid diets or supplements? Rebound or CliniCare liquid diet or Catsure? 

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No, I haven't. Are they good? She needs a lot of protein to gain some of the weight back. I'll look into the foods you mentioned tonight.
Thanks for the advice.

QueenOf3 said:

No, I haven't. Are they good? She needs a lot of protein to gain some of the weight back. I'll look into the foods you mentioned tonight.
Thanks for the advice.

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both Rebound and CliniCare liquid diets are complete and balanced. Catsure is for supplemental feeding

Ok, thanks for that info. I'm looking into them.

If anyone else has suggestions, I'd appreciate it a lot.

Are there other diagnostic tests I should look into? I really am curious as to what could be going on because she's perfectly normal in her attitude and behavior. Nothing has changed. She loves to eat but she just can't keep it down

Both of my cats used to vomit all the time on dry and canned food. After I switched them to a raw diet, it stopped pretty much completely.

One cat kept vomiting because he ate too quickly. He barely chews and minutes later, he vomits it all up. After raw, he's forced to rip and tear, so he chews it bite by bite. He still occasionally scarfs his food, but when he does vomit it, it's still whole and he re-eats it. Gross, but I'm not complaining LOL

Second cat vomited because she would eat dry then drink water. So the food would bloat and not digest, and so she vomited. The raw food digests more naturally at a biologically appropriate rate. So she no longer vomits. 

Not sure if changing the diet to raw would work for your cats, but it worked for both of mine.

Following @stiletto  's post, I do think you should look into nutrition, however I would be very wary of switching a senior cat's diet into raw, so please consult with your vet and read up on that option. We have many articles about feeding raw here -

Raw Feeding Cats: Types of Raw Diets & Feeding Options

Feeding Raw to Cats - Safety Concerns

Homemade Food for Cats: Consider Your Recipe!

Preparing Raw Cat Food At Home - Tools of the Trade

Raw Feeding Cats: Calcium and Bones

Raw Feeding for Cats: The Ingredients

Prey Model Raw: The Basics

Raw Feeding for Cats

If you have more questions about raw, please do start a thread in our Raw & Homemade diets forum. It's a bit of a controversial topic, so we try to keep discussions of raw limited to that forum. Thank you!