Vomiting when feeding raw

valgal · Aug 4, 2015

Hi,

I started feeding my 3 cats commercial RadCat raw food(chicken, lamb and turkey) 3 weeks ago because 2 of my cats had IBD. I always fed them Wellness grain free canned, never dry since I got them from a shelter in 10/2010. I wanted to go raw then but my Vet discouraged me. My 2 IBD cats, Phoebe and Ollie are doing great but my 3rd cat Pez, who didn't had any issues started vomiting every time I fed him raw. I am totally disappointed. Has anyone ever had this happen. They all love raw, I also give them a chicken heart every other day and some raw chicken breast as they love it. Pez doesn't want to eat the canned anymore so I've been cooking plain chicken for the past day so he will eat. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Even home cooked suggestions for Pez.

Thank you,

Valgal

nora1 · Aug 4, 2015

Pez may not be able to handle/stomach the RadCat raw. I would suggest trying another raw brand to see if that helps.

Does he eat it really fast?

valgal · Aug 5, 2015

Nora1 it is not from Pez eating fast, I wish it was that easy. He was eating the RadCat for 2.5 weeks with no problem then I gave them some Orijen treats and that is when it started but I stopped giving him that and he still would vomit after eating. He wants the raw and cries for it but I don't want to give him stomach upset again. I use RadCat because they have not had any recalls as yet. What other Raw commercial would you recommend?

Thanks for the reply

Valgal

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valgal
Aug 5, 2015

lisahe · Aug 5, 2015

Valgal, that's a very curious story. I'm sorry to hear things worked out this way for Pez, particularly since he seems to like Rad Cat so much. Maybe it's worth trying it again in a month or two?

Our cats love Primal's freeze-dried foods; we feed them a little Stella & Chewy's, too. Both those brands make freeze-dried and frozen foods, making for lots of options. I find freeze-dried far more convenient than frozen so am glad our cats prefer it. Rad Cat is the frozen exception for them: they love Rad Cat chicken and turkey though will barely eat the lamb.

Nature's Variety's frozen is probably the easiest brand to find, at least where I live, but our cats would barely touch it. Some stores sell small trial-sized bags. Which reminds me: Primal has frozen trial packs, too, with several flavors, and will apparently send out freeze-dried samples if you write to them. Any of those three brands should be easy to order at a local store or online.

Good luck!

lisamarie12 · Aug 5, 2015

I'm sorry to hear Pez had digestive upset from RC.

Are you taking the chill out of RC? Some cats will throw up if the food is too cold, I usually add some warm water to my thawed raw.

I'm wondering if maybe a probiotic added to Pez's food would be helpful.

I use Primal, both freeze dried and frozen raw. Stella & Chewy's is a very good brand, as in Instinct, if your cats will eat the food. Primal and S&C use human grade meat.

Pez is a cutie! I agree with LisaHE - I would revisit RC again in a month or so, maybe just the chicken / turkey meats, I'm not a big fan of lamb which is a fattier meat.

Good luck.

valgal · Aug 5, 2015

LisaHE and LisaMarie12, thank you for your suggestions. I tried to stay with a raw food that has no fruits and veggies. I will slowly try giving him the RC chicken, very little at a time. LisaMarie12 thanks for saying he is a cutie

He is so sweet that is why I named him after the candy

He is my big Pez dispenser, lol.

peterbald love · Aug 5, 2015

Stop feeding the cat raw food .

lisahe · Aug 5, 2015

Valgal said:
LisaHE and LisaMarie12, thank you for your suggestions. I tried to stay with a raw food that has no fruits and veggies. I will slowly try giving him the RC chicken, very little at a time. LisaMarie12 thanks for saying he is a cutie He is so sweet that is why I named him after the candy He is my big Pez dispenser, lol.

I stayed away from Primal for a long time for that same reason but then -- partly because of the dearth of commercial raw options in local stores and partly because Primal's very low carb levels -- tried it anyway. It's worked out really well for our cats, who only have relatively slight/easy food sensitivity issues, but I might see things very, very differently if the cats had IBD.

Pez does look very sweet... and comfortable!

valgal · Aug 5, 2015

One more question, where can I find what supplements to put in cooked meat without bone, I know I need powdered eggshell for the calcium, is there a list of supps anyone knows ? I don't like the pre-mixes as they all have junk in them.

Thanks,

Valgal

dhammagirl · Jan 6, 2016

I've been having the same issue. My overweight cat transitioned to raw with no problems, but my other boy has developed an issue. It's frustrating. I started by mixing a bit of raw into his Fancy Feast pate, then increasing the raw. He seemed to really like the homemade raw, so I started giving him all raw. He seemed to do OK for about a week. I think part of the problem was that he was eating too much too fast. He'd scarf it down and ask for more, and I gave him more. So I reduced the amount of raw. Then with even the reduced amount he'd barf about 20-30 minutes later. After a couple days of this I stopped giving him raw and went to just canned. I didn't see him barf for a couple days, but he does go outside, so he could be barfing out there. Today I gave him a little NV Instinct raw,which he's had before. About 30 minutes later, he barfed. He'll heave a couple times, barf, then heave up some bile. Aaarrggh!! At least the dog likes to help with cleanup! After reading this thread,and some others, I'm considering that the raw is too rich and upsets his tummy, or that I need to warm up the food, even though he seemed happy enough to eat it cold, as well as needing to limit how much I give him at one time. So, I'm going to start over with him on canned, and slowly reintroduce raw, warm it up a bit, and take notes on how he responds. I hate to take him to the vet unless it's really necessary, he doesn't do well going to the vet, getting rather violent and super stressed. So I'm REALLY hoping it's just because of him adjusting to the food.

lisahe · Jan 6, 2016

dhammagirl said:
I've been having the same issue. My overweight cat transitioned to raw with no problems, but my other boy has developed an issue. It's frustrating. I started by mixing a bit of raw into his Fancy Feast pate, then increasing the raw. He seemed to really like the homemade raw, so I started giving him all raw. He seemed to do OK for about a week. I think part of the problem was that he was eating too much too fast. He'd scarf it down and ask for more, and I gave him more. So I reduced the amount of raw. Then with even the reduced amount he'd barf about 20-30 minutes later. After a couple days of this I stopped giving him raw and went to just canned. I didn't see him barf for a couple days, but he does go outside, so he could be barfing out there. Today I gave him a little NV Instinct raw,which he's had before. About 30 minutes later, he barfed. He'll heave a couple times, barf, then heave up some bile. Aaarrggh!! At least the dog likes to help with cleanup! After reading this thread,and some others, I'm considering that the raw is too rich and upsets his tummy, or that I need to warm up the food, even though he seemed happy enough to eat it cold, as well as needing to limit how much I give him at one time. So, I'm going to start over with him on canned, and slowly reintroduce raw, warm it up a bit, and take notes on how he responds. I hate to take him to the vet unless it's really necessary, he doesn't do well going to the vet, getting rather violent and super stressed. So I'm REALLY hoping it's just because of him adjusting to the food.

Eating too fast can definitely cause it. And so can raw food that's too cold. One of our cats, Edwina, barfs moderately frequently if I'm not careful about how I feed her. The key things to prevent it seem to be:

-sticking with a somewhat-set feeding schedule of small meals during the day so her stomach is never too empty (I work at home so that's easy... if I don't get too caught up in my work)

-not giving her too much food at once

-not feeding her when she's just been playing or is otherwise worked up

-avoiding food competition/envy by not feeding our two cats close together

-being sure to feed the cats before bed so Edwina's stomach doesn't get too empty during the night

If it's possible, I'd probably try feeding tiny amounts of the raw food, starting with once a day and then slowly increasing the frequency and amounts of the servings. This helped when we were starting with raw food: Edwina loved the stuff but scarfed and barfed. We've gradually moved them up to (small) meal-sized portions of raw food. (All their meals are relatively small!)

Our cats came to us skinny and underfed and, even though they've been with us for more than two years, Edwina, especially, still seems to have remnants of food insecurity. At least that's my theory on why she eats too much, too fast! She was really tiny for her age when we got her so we think she got aced out of the food dish.

Anyway, good luck!

dhammagirl · Jan 6, 2016

Hey, thanks for the tips, LisaHE !

Also your reply made me remember that when I gave Bilbo the barfer that bit of raw this morning, he was eating in the basement with the overweight cat, which probably caused some stress while eating. I've been trying to feed everybody (got 3 ) in separate areas due to the relentless harassment by overweight Zeke.

Bilbo asked for food about 45 minutes ago. I gave him some canned, and no barf yet.

lisahe · Jan 6, 2016

Ah, yes, a harrasser! It's our barfer who's the harrasser (which I think is what stresses her: she's like a scavenger always waiting for scraps!) and now that we separate them for some meals, Ireland, our other cat, has filled out to a better weight. (She's been a touch too svelte!) I'm glad to hear Bilbo ate but didn't barf. May it continue! I hope something from the tips help... these things can be ridiculously individual, depending on our cats' behaviors. Which can be downright weird!

sophie1 · Jan 6, 2016

I'm all too familiar with this problem! It SO bothers me to see the food go to waste, too. On the good side, it means your cat LOVES raw food!

Second the recommendation to feed as many small meals as you can manage, and to try warming up the food. Getting your cat to slow down eating is key too. There are slow-feeding bowls you can buy, but there are plenty of DIY methods, like distributing food in a muffin tin or putting clean rocks or golf balls in the bowl.

Even just dividing meal portions in half and feeding 15 minutes or so apart might be enough to prevent regurgitation. I free feed so this doesn't apply to me, but one thing that helps is to pull my barfer cat away from the food bowl if he's eating too much. He'll go back a few minutes later to eat more, but that is apparently enough time for the food to pass out of the esophagus.

lisamarie12 · Jan 7, 2016

I agree with other comments re: warming up food. My little guy will throw up his thawed raw if it's still cold from the refrigerator - I just add a few drops of warm water and mix a bit. He also eats kind of fast so I do pause about 5 minutes or so, feed a little bit at a time.

I've noticed lately that he seems to regulate his eating a bit more, he seems to know he's had enough. Generally it used to be mornings that we had this upchuck problem. I also give him a small treat before his first meal, wait a few minutes and then feed.

dhammagirl · Jan 7, 2016

Thanks for the feedback. I'll have a go at adding a bit of warm water. That seems easier than trying to warm it up in a dish. I've been giving him a tablespoon at a time, then give him another tablespoon after a minute if he seems to want more. I've been writing down when I fed him, what food, and how much, just to keep me aware of his intake and to note any adverse reactions. I just turned some ground mouse into frozen cubes, and mixed in a little warm mouse meat with some canned for him. He ate it, and no barfing!

Vomiting when feeding raw

valgal

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nora1

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lisahe

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