Cat "Food Poisoning"?

My cats have been on raw (and occasionally Primal) for a few weeks now and it's been a smooth transition until now. One of my cats, Murphy, threw up and passed a 70/30 soft stool that smell like he was on commercial food. What they ate for dinner around 630p was Primal Chicken & Salmon, a flavor he's had before without issue. The only difference this feeding was I gave him 5 nuggets instead of 4 since typically he's asking for more after four. He finished 97% of the 5 primal nuggets and seemed satiated. 

Come to 1am he throws up and [gross description ahead] it's a thick milkshake-y consistency and I see a few flecks of bone mixed in from his breakfast of chicken. There was a pretty good amount of vomit. About 10 minutes after vomiting he went to the litterbox and passed the soft stool, it sputtered a little and looked a little darker than the normal yellowish/brown poop. 

From that description above, does anyone have an idea of what happened? 

This little guy has FLUTD and has blocked in the past (three years ago now) due to being dried out from hard food. Do I need to worry about his hydration right now? 

Here's some additional info: Breakfast was raw chicken, prepared correctly with supplements, the meat was from Hare Today. I have 2 other cats that ate the same breakfast and dinner and had no problems. It's very rare for this cat to throw up, I'd say about 3 times in the 5 years we've had him. 

As of now - at 2am he seems fine. Laying in my lap and purring. No lethargy or any other sign of being sick.

Thank you! 

Didn't see how to edit my post so I'm replying to myself in case someone else would find this helpful. 

Update: Was able to get an appt at the Vet's office and the doctor who saw him thinks it was a buildup of bacteria due to stomach noises, gas, etc. Murphy was prescribed an antibiotic and anti-nasuea, the first doses given to him at the office. 

The Vet I go to is basically a Science Diet practice and while the guy wasn't pushy he did tell me he didn't like raw diets for cats due to bacteria and then dropped it. I'm not sure what exactly caused this episode but I'm going to be readjusting how I store the food I make. I was trying to be eco-friendly with plastic deli-tainer containers but they take forever to thaw since our chest freezer keeps the meat rock solid so I'd grab an extra container to let it thaw in the fridge. I'll probably be switching to plastic bags or if I find the right tray for smaller portions I'll use that.

If anyone has any suggestions for storage, containers or ideas about my little guy I'm totally open for suggestions! 

Aw, I am sorry this happened! I am so glad my vet never wanted to blame raw. When we first start feeding it, it's so easy to think the raw is the problem. But if the meat were spoiled, it is far more likely that all of the kitties would have been ill.

Whenever any of my cats has a bout of diarrhea and/or vomiting, I usually give it 24 to 48 hours (depending on how bad it is and how they behave - the playful vs lethargic, the alert vs "dull", the hungry vs inappetant are all things that factor into my decision) before heading to the vet. And often whatever it is passes within that time.

That said, when we transition foods, it does impact the balance of gut bacteria. This is why so many recommend using probiotics into and during a transition. That said, I am a big believer in probiotics. A cat would naturally consume them with every meal as they usually eat the guts of their small prey. And that is one thing they do not get in even a raw diet unless we provide it. Given about 70% of the immune system resides in the gut, I think attending to this aspect of their health is important. I use Nexabiotic, and I give my cats half a capsule twice a day. I prefer human grade probiotics over pet probiotics - they don't know what is in the guts of cats naturally, and the strength usually isn't enough. It costs less (usually) to use human grade.

http://www.ibdkitties.net/Probiotics.html

I also personally avoid antibiotics unless there is a specific reason to use them. This is why. http://www.thecatsite.com/t/292440/we-and-our-pets-are-an-ecosystem

Were there any further incidents?

Hope he's feeling better!

Thank you so much! I will definitely check out the priobiotics. Does Forti-Flora count? I have some of that on hand, I'd have to check the expiration date though - unless it's still ok to use otherwise. I'm still really puzzled about what caused him to get sick. 

[Speaking of: does brown on rabbit meat = spoiled if no foul odor is present or does some brown equal oxidation?] 

Murphy was listless and showing signs of looking sick which is why I took him in. I have a bunch of personal GI experience with cats and this looked different to me especially since vomiting and diarrhea are both way out of character for him plus with his history of FLUTD I wanted to have all my bases covered. Before he left for the vet he was drinking water which was good. 

There hasn't been anymore vomiting or trips to the litterbox since about 7am this morning and after the vet he was more interactive, not just hiding under a chair. He's still quieter than usual and seems tired but much better than last night or this morning. 

Unfortunately where I live there are no alternative vets within a reasonable driving distance or anyone locally I could shoot an email to (which is why I was on here at 2am!) The practice I go to is pretty good and I've seen most of the doctors there throughout the 15 years of living with cats, I just don't listen to anything they have to say about food, it's sad. Do they think we're just buying grocery store meat? Or are they in the pockets of Hills/Purina? 

Yes - I would never discourage anyone from taking a kitty to a vet! It is always best to be conservative. :nod:

I don't consider Fortiflora a probiotic. I consider it a smell-enhancer that can help kitties with no appetite to eat. This article is on a ferret blog, but they are carnivores, too, and currently their diets are modeled, roughly, on those of cats. It explains the issue quite clearly: http://www.ferretharmony.net/2013/12/30/probiotic-therapy-for-ferrets/

The probiotics I personally recommend to people are in the article I provided a link to, above: http://www.ibdkitties.net/Probiotics.html


As to brown or gray meat - when meat has spoiled, it smells like vinegar. Brown/gray is, as you say, simply oxidation. I'm 52. When I was a kid, there weren't methods of irradiation or treating meat with carbon dioxide to lengthen its shelf life. Meat was gray on the outside (until cooked ) unless butchered that day, basically.

Don't worry, I didn't think you were steering me away from the vet! I take your stance as well however I'm extra cautious with Murphy the FLUTD cat because he blocked three years ago and almost died, not to mention costing us $1200 at the emergency vet. I don't want him to have to go through anything like that again. Heck, I don't want to go through that again. 

The probiotics you linked me, do you recommend a certain brand? And since all the doses are daily I'm assuming you give it to them at their mealtime? 

I'm still trying to figure out his vomiting and I've retraced my steps and I thought maybe I left their Primal food out for too long. I was distracted and I want to say it wasn't out for more than an hour but now I'm not sure. I definitely know it wasn't hours.  

Thanks for all your help!