Do your research about IBD before you panic. The more you know the better choices you are equipped to make. Again, just because he vomited certain foods doesn't mean he can't eat them. I don't know that there are any vet specialists for IBD. Some vets just seem to know more than others. Another option is Pepcid, which a lot of vets will prescribe for nausea and vomiting. Pepcid and SE do similar things. So your vet might suggest that too.
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My remaining cat's changed eating behavior and vomiting
- Thread starter trudilu
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My vet did suggest trying Pepsid AC mixed in food for a week. I did that, however, so far the foods that I put it in got vomited up with the food. I can't tell if it works if he doesn't eat it or he vomits it up. She said after that it wouldn't hurt to try an anti-nausea medication.
Do I know that he has IBD? I'll try and catch up with the links I've been given over the weekend.
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First you need to find a new vet if yours isn't helping. For our boy with allergies we consulted 4 vets total before settling on one and they all brought different things to the table. Some were helpful, some were not. You need to rule out any other problems before you settle on it being IBD. That can't be done on blood work alone unfortunately.
With the fussiness, often a cat will refuse a food it has vomited up for a while after it has thrown it up. Kind of like when you get food poisoning and you no longer want to eat that food. How many different foods have you tried and what are they?
With the pepsid don't mix it in the food. Give it to him about half an hour before his meal. That will give it time to kick in before he eats.
I understand your frustration. We lost 2 cats from old age (diabetes and IBD/cancer) exactly 12 months apart almost. When we finally adopted a new kitten she was a rescue and came to us so violently ill we only had her for 6 weeks before we had to make the heartbreaking decision to let her go to sleep and it nearly killed us.
A number of months later we adopted my allergic boy who wasn't allergic at that time and then 8 months later another kitten who passed suddenly and unexpectedly at 8 1/2 months from what we suspect was a heart problem (he also came to us with many health issues despite us going through a breeder that time).
I am often overwhelmed by my allergic boy. Nothing seems to work and it's a very slow process of eliminating things one by one, medicating when necessary to help him along.
Please do try to find a vet that helps. I know it gets expensive but in the long run it's worth it to have someone who knows what they're doing.
With the fussiness, often a cat will refuse a food it has vomited up for a while after it has thrown it up. Kind of like when you get food poisoning and you no longer want to eat that food. How many different foods have you tried and what are they?
With the pepsid don't mix it in the food. Give it to him about half an hour before his meal. That will give it time to kick in before he eats.
I understand your frustration. We lost 2 cats from old age (diabetes and IBD/cancer) exactly 12 months apart almost. When we finally adopted a new kitten she was a rescue and came to us so violently ill we only had her for 6 weeks before we had to make the heartbreaking decision to let her go to sleep and it nearly killed us.
A number of months later we adopted my allergic boy who wasn't allergic at that time and then 8 months later another kitten who passed suddenly and unexpectedly at 8 1/2 months from what we suspect was a heart problem (he also came to us with many health issues despite us going through a breeder that time).
I am often overwhelmed by my allergic boy. Nothing seems to work and it's a very slow process of eliminating things one by one, medicating when necessary to help him along.
Please do try to find a vet that helps. I know it gets expensive but in the long run it's worth it to have someone who knows what they're doing.
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PS. Slippery Elm won't be something your vet likely knows a lot about. You have to get it from a health food store.
Purebites for dogs crumble right in my hand when I squeeze, if you want more powder put in baggy and roll with rolling pin, also amazon sell vets best hairball relief chewy tabs, cats love them. They have slippery elm and psyllium as ingredients, it is inexpensive and works!
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I posted a response on page 1 of this thread. Perhaps you missed it. http://www.thecatsite.com/t/309661/...ged-eating-behavior-and-vomiting#post_3875343
Most freeze dried treats like PureBites are easy to crumble up by hand. I know some people here like to give freeze dried raw food as treats, too. Stella and Chewy's is a popular brand and very stinky which many cats seem to go nuts over.Place the treats inside a plastic baggie and then crush. Less mess that wayFreeze dried treats can be rehydrated in a little water as well.
All these comments really show how individual and erratic cat stomach problems can be. As if on cue, last night I was reminded of a version of scarf and barf: our cat with the more sensitive stomach spewed up her entire bedtime meal. She has a tendency of eating too fast, which is usually not a serious problem, but last night I made the mistake of playing with the cats just before feeding them. If Edwina is wound up, oopsy. My mistake, of course, and then I had to figure out how much to refeed her. Anyway, I guess I mention this because nervous or "worked up" stomachs can be a factor, too.
Trudilu, I hope it goes well at the vet's... Or that you're able to find one who's more helpful.
Trudilu, I hope it goes well at the vet's... Or that you're able to find one who's more helpful.
My vet knew about SE, although i started using it before i brought my cat to this vet for our first visit. I sought her out because she practices a balance of holistic and modern vet medicine, which is what i wanted. But i think you're right that "mainstream" vets won't know anything about it.
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Thank you. I will try and get Purebites today!
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I would consider trying out slippery elm (SE). It's safe, although it would be best if you can do it under the supervision of your vet. I mix 1 tsp of SE with 1/2 a cup water and simmer on the stove until it thickens. I then give my guy 1/2 tsp before his morning meal. It can be mixed into food, or some cats like the taste and just eat it. My guy i have to give it to him via syringe. =================
MissMizz,
My health food store has (SE) in many forms. Which form do you suggest I buy it in in order to concoct your recipe? Power? Tincture? They even have losenges at Whole Foods. They told me for a cat it would have to be a small dose because the smallness of the pet.
MissMizz,
My health food store has (SE) in many forms. Which form do you suggest I buy it in in order to concoct your recipe? Power? Tincture? They even have losenges at Whole Foods. They told me for a cat it would have to be a small dose because the smallness of the pet.
I follow the recipe from http://www.littlebigcat.com/health/slippery-elm/
Do NOT use lozenges or tincture. Pure powder only.
I buy this slippery elm, which is a powder, put 1 tsp slippery elm in 1/2 cup water on the stovetop and let it "sit" for a little while (this helps this SE thicken up into a kind of syrup) then i heat it up per the instructions and let it cool down and refrigerate for 1 week. I give 1/2 tsp to my cat via a syringe about 5 minutes before his morning meal. If he's having a bad day and vomits more than once, i give him an additional dose before his PM meal.
I saw an improvement in my cat right away, but my vet said that it can take a few weeks to see good results and that it would continue to get better over time.
Again, I suggest you read about about SE before using it on your own cat if you aren't doing it under the supervision of a Vet. Here's another link with more information. http://www.felinecrf.org/holistic_treatments.htm#SEB1
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I think I'll end the link to my vet (re slippery elm) since she has never heard of it ; or we also talked about going to a specialist who may be more knowledgable about nutrition. First, I'm trying to rule out other things, I guess. I don't want to pour money and get no answers. That is so frustrating. It's extremely hard when you spend $10,000 over a period of 4 days; and then your cat doesn't make it. You have to; you just do but it seems so unfair that one is so stressed from not only throwing away so much money with no positive results.
I have so many try this & try that that it becomes confusing. This really ought to be left up to a good vet who knows what they're doing becuase they've seen so many cats in their profession. I do believe the vet when she says that vomiting is often a tough one to diagnose - but it seems I have to before I treat him. He may have IBD; then again, he may not. I could be something else, yes? All I know is that my cat must eat w/o vomiting.
When I'm home with him lately, he's unusually affectionate and seems sorry he;s putting me through all this. I can pick up the Slippery Elm tomorrow, but I figure it's much like giving ones cat Pepsid AC an hour or so before meals. That's fine; maybe that would work to prevent vomiting; but how do I get him to eat ??? What is irresistable to a cat AND healthy?
Slippery elm helps stimulate appetite by coating the GI track which soothes and prevents vomiting/nausea. My cat starting each a lot more after i started giving him SE.
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I plan to get some tomorrow; although I would have to administer with a syringe. Hopefully he'll eat something other than treats afterward. He has a smorgasbord out to eat tonight; he has choices, but it's always the treats.
Have you tried Merrick's limited ingredient foods? My cats don't like the limited ingredient from Nature's Variety, but they like the Merrick ones. You can get them at Petco, and also on Chewy. It's good simple ingredient you might see if he likes it.
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No I haven't. Too many options all at once; it confuses me. I have to try one thing at a time. Righht now, I'm trying to find some sort of vitamine I can add to the' treats' which is all he WANTS to eat right now.
He probably associates throwing up with with all kinds of wet food now, because he doesn't touch anything, but I have to feed him something.
I don't know that that's actually possible. You should encourage him to eat his food by mixing his treats into his food or putting them on top. I don't think cats really associates food with vomiting. If he's hungry he'll eat. Try feeding him small meals multiple times a day and see if that helps too.
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false
I HAVE been mixing his treats on top of his wet food, and for a short while he was eating it. Now if I put the treats on top of the wet food - he won't eat, period! even if that's the only thing left out to eat. He's very hungry, but he won't eat the wet food anymore. So - he IS hungry, but he will NOT eat the wet food anymore. Since he throws up just the wet food, that is my best guest (along with my vets) that he is associating at this time eating his wet food with throwing up. Cat's learn and associate. I've done all of the above. Nothing works. I've tried everything - believe me - he won't eat anything but the treats. Or, a little of the dry food if the treats are not available. But definitely has gone from eating wet foods to NOT eating wet foods. Why do you think that is. He doesn't throw up the dry foods; only the wet foods; so what would your theory be?
Believe it or not, he wont starve himself so if he's hungry enough he'll eat something. If he eats dry food then offer him that while searching for a wet food he likes. I think you're sort of your own worst enemy here. By giving him what he's demanding you're actually harming him more than helping him because treats aren't a complete food and he's not getting the nutrients he needs. Others have suggested good quality treats so you should try those and use them to entice him to eat some wet food. If he's throwing up EVERYTHING he's eating then he needs a feeding tube and you need to get him to a more qualified vet ASAP. To me, it sounds like he's being picky and you're giving into that.
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For 2 days I stopped the treats. I offered him dry food, wet food, etc. He didn't eat at all. The rest of the time, he's waking me up in the middle of the night, or meowing for something I'm tryng to avoid him eating (the treats). 2 days w/o eating is holding off long enough. He HAS to eat something and I've tried very hard not giving into his demands, but it seemed after 2 days of not eating, I wanted him to eat something rather than nothing. Now, I'm adding vitamins to the treats. I have given him good quality treats - he threw them up too! What it sounds like to you is not that way it is. So please, I'm doing everything I can possibly do for HIS benefit. All those good quality treats? you recommended, he throws them up. I'm waiting to get a referral to a 'more qualified vet' and an ultrasound - in the meanwhile - he has to eat. He's definitely NOT ready for a feeding tube.
So, if you'll excuse me, I'm tired; tired o staying up all night with him meowing for food because he's hungry refusing EVERYTHING else except treats, and so yes I'm temporarily giving in to his demands because a) eating treats/vitamins is better than nothing and b) if I don'g get some sleep, I won't be in anh\ condition to keep at this. I've also done a lot of research on my own and it's not true I've hard stories of cat being fed just treats for years because they won't eat anything else and they are surviving and at least healthy now.
