Cat coughing and vomiting white foam after eating raw food diet for several days?

I started my kitties on raw food recently (I grind up raw chicken and innards and add nutrients based on an online recipe), and while the boy is sort of resisting, his sister has taken to it quite easily. She has been eating it solidly for the past few days. 

Early this morning she had vomited white foam but did eat breakfast. She vomited once more at about 5 pm and has not eaten all day. They usually eat 4 times per day. While she remains fairly alert, she has also been sleeping most of the day and is not interested in playing.

If she is like this tomorrow, I will be taking her to the vet. But I cannot help but wonder if she could have gotten some sort of bacteria from the raw chicken? This is one of my fears in feeding raw food though I have read that raw food is generally pretty safe. Might anyone have any opinions on this? Or could it likely be something else that is not connected to a raw diet?

Also, she is an indoor cat so has not been in contact with other cats, except her brother. In the last week, I have taken her outside a little just to discover the world, but again, no other animals were around.

I, too, am sick at the moment, but have read that I would not be able to pass my virus onto her.

Thanks for any help.

Is she a longer haired cat? Possibly a hairball? Are you using bone or bone meal?

Thanks for your reply. She is a Ragdoll, so a med-long haired cat. 

I grind up the bone (rough grind then followed by a fine grind).

I am just concerned because she is not eating anymore and sleeping all the time. She is usually a food fiend and active during the day, so she is really not herself. Would a hairball cause the non-eating and lethargy too?

Konuku said:

 
Thanks for your reply. She is a Ragdoll, so a med-long haired cat. 

I grind up the bone (rough grind then followed by a fine grind).

I am just concerned because she is not eating anymore and sleeping all the time. She is usually a food fiend and active during the day, so she is really not herself. Would a hairball cause the non-eating and lethargy too?

Click to expand...

I wouldn't think it would unless it got stuck further along and is blocking something. Is she using the litterpan alright? Maybe try some cat food, canned or even tuna fish, to see if she will eat? The white foam, sounds like tummy acid. I'm not sure about the coughing, is she having any watery eyes or snot?

Thanks. Yes, she just ate a little and went back to sleep. Fingers crossed.



She has not used the litterpan much since she is eating less, but what she has done is fine. Firm stools and urine is okay. So, I will watch and see. She has coughed since. Hope it will resolve itself on its own. Poor kitty.

Also, no watery eyes or snot. Everything is clear there at least at the moment.

Where did you get your chicken and "innards".  From the grocery store?  If so,  That COULD be the problem.  When I was feeding raw, I didn't trust buying poultry from the grocery store.  If you DID buy it there, did you freeze it first to kill off any "baddies" that might have been in it.  If I remember correctly, freezing for 3 days should do the trick, but it's been a few years since i fed raw. 

When you just fed her, was it something else?  You could try lightly cooking a BONELESS chicken breast  or thigh (NOT what you have ground, as cooked bones are not good) and seeing if she'll eat it, or scramble an egg for her.  None of these are 100% nutritionally complete, but will get something in her stomach, hopefully, and maybe get her thru until she feels better. 

Are you giving her probiotics and digestive enzymes with her raw?   Is chicken the only protein they have tried so far?  Some cats cannot handle chicken unless it is organic.  Others, for some reason, have a problem with raw sometimes after even a year, and have to go off for a short time, then they can go back on.  (don't think that's the case here to, since they just started).  This may just be a bad batch, or a specific protein issue.

Thanks. It was free range chicken from the supermarket. I live in Switzerland so chickens are treated better here than elsewhere (for example, battery farming was banished in the early 1990s). I also did put most of it in the freezer and then thaw when I use it.

I could try to find organic but organic chickens cost a lot in Swizerland (small ones are about $25 each). I do sometimes add probiotics to their food - and have been giving her probiotics for the past 2 days. The recipe does not mention probiotics or digestive enzymes (I looked at two - one from catnutrition.org and the other from meolifestyle). They are both similar but slightly different. So, I appreciate the heads up there.

I have only tried chicken. As this is new, I thought I would just try this and see what happens. But they have never had problem with commercial tinned chicken cat food. I presume that if they had problems with chicken, they would have already shown some issues?

I took her outside my apartment for a short time the other day. She likes eating cat grass and I'm wondering if she chomped on something toxic. I do have ivy plants in the garden around me. Maybe that is what could have happened to.

She is doing much better this morning and almost back to her old cheeky self. So, I am feeling relieved!

Glad your girl is feeling better today

Just wanted to mention that I have fed raw for about 10 years. I go through about a pound+ of meat per day.

So, that calculates to about 4000 pounds or so of raw meat I have fed my cats.  I have never had a problem.

Now, I only purchase human grade meat with a good expiration date. I am also meticulous in the kitchen in order to not

contaminate counter tops etc. cuz, granted, here in the US, some of that chicken I bought had salmonella... 

Just be aware that MOST vets will blame the food as soon as you say you fed raw meat and may then miss the real culprit

Thanks so much for your reply. Yes, I think I will spray down all the cutting boards with vinegar water before and after use just to be sure. I scrub them well, but one never knows. It is possible that I just switched to 100% raw too quickly? 

I was concerned about having the vet tell me off for feeding raw and then try to sell me prescription dry food. Ugh. I'm sure there are some vets that believe in raw, but just not sure where they are in Switzerland. 

I also gave her 2 or 3 drops of colloidal silver internally last evening. She has been like a bottle rocket all day today, so I will keep a watch.

I will also be adding probiotics and digestive enzymes too every day just in case.

Thanks again!

The probiotics and digestive enzymes won't by part of any recipe, they are just good to add to their food BECAUSE .   I started giving digestive enzymes when I started mine on raw, but didn't feel the need to continue once they were completely used to all the different proteins.  Now I only used them (the digestive enzymes) on my senior because she is losing weight and they help "supposedly" keep the weight on. 

I DO continue using the probiotics everyday for all the cats and all the humans because everyone needs to have happy, healthy gut flora .  We ALL take the same ones, it's just that the humans take an entire capsule in the morning , while the cats get 1/2 capsule each in the morning, and 1/2 in the evening, mixed into their food.

I'm glad your little one seems to be doing better.  Whenever mine eat "cat grass", they throw up, but there's always grass in it

HI, I feed my cats raw food diet supplemented with herbs and goat's milk, and have had wonderful results, healing older cats of kidney and liver issues. But it is important to vary the food. If you only feed one type of meat, such as chicken, food allergies can develop. So at least feed two, such as turkey and chicken, or duck and chicken, in order to avoid problems. I avoid beef, not only for the expense, but because it is not even close to a meat that they might encounter in the wild. I assume you know to add heart for taurine. I used to add Nordic Naturals Salmon Oil for pets, but now I supplement with Udo's choice Pet Essentials for Cats and GNC Superfood Complext for cats, which takes care of the requirements for Omega 3 Fatty acids. I have incredibly healthy and vibrant senior cats, but have not yet had the opportunity to feed kittens on this diet

How is she going? I have a male kitty who suffers allergies. I wanted him on raw for that reason, but the 3 times we tried chicken he got terrible diarrhea and ended up at the vet on fluids and antibiotics despite me taking precautions with free range and freezing. He does okay on cooked chicken (although I can't rule out that it doesn't make him itchy at this stage).

Next I tried raw kangaroo. I've tried it 5 times and each time he has done what your girl did. The first 3 times he was okay for 3 or 4 days then he'd go off his food and have an almighty vomit and not want food again for about 24 hours. The last 2 times he got sick by day 1 or 2. So I suspect he's allergic to both raw chicken and raw kangaroo (which means probably to the cooked kind as well but to a lesser extent, less violent reactions).

He does fine with beef and lamb.

Might be worth trying a different meat and seeing how she goes. Also introduce it about 1 tablespoon per day for a few days then gradually add more and more until she's eating a full meal

Tobilei said:

 
How is she going? I have a male kitty who suffers allergies. I wanted him on raw for that reason, but the 3 times we tried chicken he got terrible diarrhea and ended up at the vet on fluids and antibiotics despite me taking precautions with free range and freezing. He does okay on cooked chicken (although I can't rule out that it doesn't make him itchy at this stage).

Next I tried raw kangaroo. I've tried it 5 times and each time he has done what your girl did. The first 3 times he was okay for 3 or 4 days then he'd go off his food and have an almighty vomit and not want food again for about 24 hours. The last 2 times he got sick by day 1 or 2. So I suspect he's allergic to both raw chicken and raw kangaroo (which means probably to the cooked kind as well but to a lesser extent, less violent reactions).

He does fine with beef and lamb.

Might be worth trying a different meat and seeing how she goes. Also introduce it about 1 tablespoon per day for a few days then gradually add more and more until she's eating a full meal

Click to expand...

How about rabbit? Or possibly duck? I know duck and rabbit are slightly higher in fat and also more expensive but for your boy, it might be worth it.

I agree that it could be food allergies. In fact, if you only feed one type of meat, you virtually ensure that the cat/kitten will develop a food allergy. But that is not necessarily what happened, as animals also simply have allergies. I have a cat who is allergic to turkey, and have to feed him chicken, duck, and rabbit to ensure that he did not develop any more allergies.

Raw food is, if done intelligently, a wonderful way to keep cats healthy. But individual biological variabilities must be respected and taken into account.

Hi.Have you looked at Dr.Pierson's site on Raw? www.catinfo.org Excellent.Welcome from Switzerland BTW!!! Hugs From Canada C.

My cat was vomiting after eating some food. No meter was that food from can or cooked or row meat. What we done is to buy organic food for cats. Without food preservative, E sings, gluten and with more than 90 % of real meat. My cat stopped vomiting right away. In cats food and in humans food there is just to much bad stuffs in side. This food is costing but your cat is healthy.

Hope it helps.