Cat Throws Up Every Time He Eats! Please Help!

My cat Sunny vomits almost every time he eats.  Sometimes he'll re-eat it (ew) but sometimes even that comes back up.  I've tried changing his food, feeding him grass, and even small bits of cooked rice but it always comes back up.  This has been happening for several days now. and he definitely feels lighter than his brother.  I've looked up other sites and a lot of therm suggest he's eating too fast but I can't tell if he's eating faster than the other cats.  He is drinking and seems to be using the litter box normally and his overall personality hasn't really changed.  He's still bright-eyed and runs around and plays.  Nothing overly stressful is going on either.  I'm not home all day every day so I can't say for sure though. 

I've checked the littler box and the vomit and I'm not seeing any worms or parasites.  No sign of illness in the other cats so I don't think it's a virus or anything.

Any idea what I should do?  I can't afford a vet but I need to figure out what's going on!

There are several things you can do to slow down a cat who is eating too fast.  

--Raise his bowl up a few inches.

--Put an overturned cup or golf ball in his bowl so the food is spread out towards the edge of the bowl.  

--You can also try using a muffin tin or ice cube trays  - just put a bit of food in each cavity so he has to move from one hole to the next.  

It is also possible that Sunny is allergic to something in his food.   You will probably have to keep a food diary to identify what that might be.  The following is a very long thread but it discusses some of the most allergenic ingredients and how people go about identifying problem ingredients.

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/220579/cat-with-food-allergies

Having said all the above, Sunny probably does need to go to the vet since this is something that has just started.  There are options out there for low/no cost vet care, however.  Read the following article for some resources.
[article="32915"]No Money For Vet Care How To Find Help And Save Your Cats Life  [/article]
Since you are in the United States, try searching for the nearest VCA Animal Hospital.  They offer a free first exam.  It's fairly basic but the vet will be able to give you some idea of what your cat might need in terms of tests, meds or prescription food.  http://www.vcahospitals.com/main/offer

You can also check the US Humane Society's site where they have a list of national and statewide resources:  

  http://www.humanesociety.org/animal...ry_care.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/     

More ideas: 

Prince Chunk Foundation: Provides help with food and vet care.   856-302-6373  http://www.princechunkfoundation.org/veterinary-care-assistance.php

Best Friends  Provides help with vet care:   http://bestfriends.org/resources/financial-aid-pets

The Pet Fund:  Provides help with vet care:   http://thepetfund.com/   

Red Rover:  Provides small grants for vet care:    https://redrover.org/      https://redrover.org/redrover-relief-grants    

Ask the vet about a payment plan.  If he or she declines, CareCap is an organization that works with vets to try and set up a plan:    http://www.carecap.com/thepetfund/for-pet-owners

 cwWHwodg4YOsA

CareCredit:  A health care credit card that covers vet   http://www.carecredit.com/faqs/basics/

Good luck!  Please let us know how Sunny does!

I forgot to mention that I have changed his food. He was eating Kit n Kaboodle so I switched to Cat Chow Indoor with no change.

I just remembered that a few weeks ago he was throwing up little drops.  They were the color of the food but it was all digested and was pretty much totally liquid.  Now it's not even partially digested.

I'll see if I can find an old muffin pan but he tossed a tiny spoonful of rice when I gave it to him.

How long Sunny been throwing up his food and how old is he?

Have you tried feeding him small amounts of food a few times a day instead of allowing him to just eat as much as he wants? I adopted one of my cats when she was a baby and at first she would eat too much at a time and throw it up. When I began controlling the portions she was eating at each meal the puking stopped. I think since she was abandoned as a baby she was afraid of not always having access to food. Once she realized she would always have food she stopped the behavior.

If this puking has been going on for a while then I would think this could be a nausea issue or a food allergy which would need a vet visit,

If Sunny is not getting enough calories due to throwing up his food it could cause health issues you do not want to keep putting off dealing with.

Another thing you could try is to feed plain boneless cooked chicken. I used the chicken breasts I would cook myself and cut it up in small pieces and cooked it plain in a skillet. I then let it cool and gave it to my cat on a plate a few pieces at a time. I have never given my cats rice.

Is it possible he ate a feather or string?

@catlover73

He'll be a year in August.  I'm not 100% sure but he's been throwing up for a little over a week now though only recently he's been doing it after every meal.  It used to be only a tiny bit once in awhile.  I work and visit my mom on weekends so I can't be totally accurate.  I just found a golf ball while vacuuming and might try putting it in the food bowl and see if that helps.  I tried giving him wet food the other day to see if he could take it.  But I forgot that because wet food is a rare treat he and my other cats practically inhaled it causing him to throw it up within a minute of eating it.  As for the rice, I heard that it's good for pets with sensitive stomachs so I tried it this morning but he couldn't keep it down either.  Would canned white meat chicken work?

I do know he is drinking and he doesn't seem constipated or bloated.  His personality is basically the same.  He still plays with his toys and he's not lethargic or showing any signs of pain.  Even his eyes are still big and bright.

@Handsome Kitty

I really have no idea.  I don't think it's a feather though since there's nothing in the house that uses them.

If this has gotten notably worse in the past week he should really see a vet.

I tried the golf ball trick last night and he was eating noticeably slower.  When I woke up this morning there were 1 1/2 new barf piles.  He probably threw up once then ate it then threw it up again.

That means that it's not just the speed at which he is eating, and he really needs to see a vet.

I'll try to see what I can do.  I probably can't get him in until after Easter.

He may have developed a food intolerance. .. corn is kind of hard for cats to digest, and many cats can't tolerate food coloring. The vet may recommend a food change.

@Willowy

I hope that's all it is.  Last night I let him lick of my plate and he didn't barf it up.  And yesterday when I was making lunch I gave him a little bit of shredded cheese and turkey lunchmeat.  He threw up the meat and rice but I didn't see any cheese.  Maybe I should try wet food again?

This is really confusing.

i'm sorry to hear about your little barfy baby i had the same problem with one of my kitties. i did a lot of research on cat nutrition and learned that dry food, even good quality dry food, can irritate their digestive tracts. i have since switched all my cats to canned food, two small meals twice a day, and have not had any vomiting issues!

Cait Sith,

I would try wet food but also try to figure out a way to get him to a vet. Explain your situation to the vet and see if they can help on cost (or try to google any vets that will volunteer their services). You may want to see if a local rescue might help you find a friendly vet. There could be a number of reasons he is reacting to the food by throwing it up. Glad to her he is acting like himself and drinking but something is going on and he really should be looked at by a vet.  Wishing you both the best.

Sunny should go to the vet this week if possible.   If he's throwing up almost everything he eats, it means he's not getting enough protein.  Cats who don't eat or can't keep their food down will quickly develop hepatic lipidosis, or fatty liver disease. Fatty liver disease develops within a matter of days.   Once it gets underway, it's very difficult to treat.

The following article will give you some information on this.  Pay particular attention to the section near the bottom:  "Is it dangerous for my cat to stop eating?"   
[article="32998"]Why Has My Cat Stopped Eating And Is It Dangerous  [/article]
I can appreciate the financial problems and completely understand the way holidays eat up the time.  Cat's often seem to get sick at the worst possible time - not that there is ever a good time for this kind of thing.  Still, it would really be best for Sunny if you could get him to the vet within the next couple of days.

The Humane Society of the United States has something called "Pets for Life". See if that program is available in your area. Here is a link that you can learn more about it:  http://www.humanesociety.org/about/departments/pets-for-life/what_is_pfl.html?credit=web_id238582932

Good luck.

@xenafritz@CalicosRSpecial  

I tried wet food a few days ago but he scarfed it down so fast he threw it up in less than a minute.  Not sure if that was his stomach or because he went too fast.

@Margd

Just as I was writing this he went into a panic as he was throwing up.  He was running around and huffing and it sounded like he was sneezing.  He got it up and he's fine now.  I'll try to get him in tomorrow afternoon since I'm working in the morning.

Cait Sith said:

 
@xenafritz@CalicosRSpecial  

I tried wet food a few days ago but he scarfed it down so fast he threw it up in less than a minute.  Not sure if that was his stomach or because he went too fast.

@Margd

Just as I was writing this he went into a panic as he was throwing up.  He was running around and huffing and it sounded like he was sneezing.  He got it up and he's fine now.  I'll try to get him in tomorrow afternoon since I'm working in the morning.

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That's great if you can get Sunny in tomorrow afternoon.   It's possible that he aspirated a little bit of vomit if he was running around making weird respiratory noises while trying to throw up, so be sure to tell the vet about this incident.  Poor little guy.   Hopefully he'll back on the road to health soon.     

The vet is already closed so I'll have to call them first thing in the morning and hope they can squeeze him in.  I was making a cake and I let him lick out the egg shells which he seems to enjoy.

EDIT:  Nevermind.  He threw up the tiny bit of egg he ate.  And the bit of sauce on my plate.  I don't know what I'll do if he requires continuous healthcare.

Cait Sith said:

 
@catlover73

He'll be a year in August.  I'm not 100% sure but he's been throwing up for a little over a week now though only recently he's been doing it after every meal.  It used to be only a tiny bit once in awhile.  I work and visit my mom on weekends so I can't be totally accurate.  I just found a golf ball while vacuuming and might try putting it in the food bowl and see if that helps.  I tried giving him wet food the other day to see if he could take it.  But I forgot that because wet food is a rare treat he and my other cats practically inhaled it causing him to throw it up within a minute of eating it.  As for the rice, I heard that it's good for pets with sensitive stomachs so I tried it this morning but he couldn't keep it down either.  Would canned white meat chicken work?

I do know he is drinking and he doesn't seem constipated or bloated.  His personality is basically the same.  He still plays with his toys and he's not lethargic or showing any signs of pain.  Even his eyes are still big and bright.

@Handsome Kitty

I really have no idea.  I don't think it's a feather though since there's nothing in the house that uses them.

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I really think it may be time for a vet check up before trying more foods.  Not sure about the canned white meat chicken because of how it is preserved in the can.    If he is not keeping down the rice then I am wondering if this is an allergy of some sort to grain.  Have you ever tried grain free foods?