My Bitsy is Vomiting

My 17 year old cat, Bitsy, has been vomiting on a daily basis.  She was being fed 'Friskies' wet food, and when this began, I took her off of this food and put her on wet food with no grains. and a probiotic supplement.  This seemed to help a little bit, but not enough.  I took her off of this food, and put her on Stella and Chewys freeze dried raw food as well as added Sippery Elm.  She has lost weight in the past month,  and I want to make sure that she puts some back on, so I wanted to try Transfer Factor for her immune system and to give her energy.  (Her vomiting has lessened, in the week we have had her on the raw food.)  I should say that I have not taken her to the vet yet because they require her to have a rabies shot, and I don't want her to have vaccines, as she has not been outdoors in 16 years.  I also don't want the vet to do a biopsy/put her under anesthesia.  She's too old.  I want to try holistic remedies to make her more comfortable.

I can understand the reasoning behind not wanting to go to the vet but I disagree with your choices. Due to her age and constant vomiting (with weight loss) there are any number of factors that could be contributing. Without knowing the specific reason she is having problems it is difficult to treat it holistically or otherwise. It could be something that is handled with a round of antibiotics or daily meds for life but it could also be something that not getting treatment leads to a shortened lifespan. 

I think all cats should have vaccines even if indoor only because you never know if they could get out or be exposed to something brought in by another human or critter making its way in your home. As to the sedation/biopsy issue without a vet exam to figure out what the problem is you can't say that any of those are needed. It may be an x-ray is sufficient or blood work or any number of other options.

The constant change in food could be a contributing factor in the vomiting as it can irritate digestive systems when there is a sudden shift in food. This is why changing foods should take a week (at least, I think a month is better) with you slowly making the change by feeding a little of the new with the old and increasing the ratio each day until it is all new. So one thing you can stop is changing foods and sticking with one for at least a month before changing to something else and then make any changes gradually so her system to adjust. 

As to holistic treatments. They are questionable in humans and potentially deadly in cats. To steal the technical explanation: 

"Most essential oils are made up of hydrocarbons and terpenoids. In dogs, horses and humans, the terpenoids are transported to the liver to be metabolized after the oils have been absorbed through the skin or inhaled into the lungs. After the necessary metabolic processes occur in the liver and bloodstream, the remaining water-soluble metabolites are eliminated through the urine and feces.

But cats are different. Cats lack the liver enzyme (glucuronyl tranferase) that would allow them to break down these compounds. So it takes much longer for the metobolites to be eliminated from the feline system.

In cats, these otherwise harmless substances can build up in the liver, sometimes very quickly, depending on the amount of exposure. This can cause toxicity problems and liver damage. It’s usually a slow process and doesn’t show up until it’s too late.

This is not the only thing cats are extremely sensitive to. Cats are also particularly sensitive to chemicals, such as insecticides, herbisides"

Read more: http://essentialoilworld.com/essentialoilreviews/essential-oil-safety-with-cats/

When it comes to holistic treatments, even with humans, even the quality of the oils or herbs used matter and with cats that is doubly so. It is very difficult to say which holistic treatment options are actually helping our cats because they can't tell us and hide pain so well. You can easily do more harm than good or lead your cat to deaths door with the wrong choices. Especially with over the counter or pet store products where there is no review board or requirements for the claims on the bottles. There also is no good way to confirm the difference between the company using high quality ingredients and loading up on harmful fillers or sub-par quality. Also, a lot of those products will be marketed towards dogs and cats who have vastly different systems when it comes to the affect of chemicals on their bodies and what they can handle. Don't get me started on "All Natural" labeled products because there is no real agreed upon definition of where the line is between when a potato is considered "all natural" and at what point does it become the over processed and chemical laden hash brown at McDonald's that most people will agree is not "all natural". And I will say I do use some holistic treatments for myself at times. But I use high quality oils and monitor my condition and reaction at all times. If it progresses past the point of holistic I switch to modern medicine. But that line and the effectiveness can't be judged on our furbabies because they can't give us feedback. 

Now I am a fan of pumpkin puree or boiled chicken and rice for upset cat tummies as much as the next person. But it sounds like you are at the point where home treatment is no longer a viable option especially considering her age and how long it has been going on. If you absolutely refuse to take her to the vet after everything I've said and the other opinions I am sure will come in. Then your best option would likely be giving her digestive system a rest with a boiled chicken and rice diet (no spices whatsoever in either) then gradually switching to whichever food you are going to be giving her from this point out. You can also mix some pumpkin puree with the liquid from the cooked chicken to help out some too. 

BitsysMom said:

 
My 17 year old cat, Bitsy, has been vomiting on a daily basis.  She was being fed 'Friskies' wet food, and when this began, I took her off of this food and put her on wet food with no grains. and a probiotic supplement.  This seemed to help a little bit, but not enough.  I took her off of this food, and put her on Stella and Chewys freeze dried raw food as well as added Sippery Elm.  She has lost weight in the past month,  and I want to make sure that she puts some back on, so I wanted to try Transfer Factor for her immune system and to give her energy.  (Her vomiting has lessened, in the week we have had her on the raw food.)  I should say that I have not taken her to the vet yet because they require her to have a rabies shot, and I don't want her to have vaccines, as she has not been outdoors in 16 years.  I also don't want the vet to do a biopsy/put her under anesthesia.  She's too old.  I want to try holistic remedies to make her more comfortable.

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Are you sure about the vaccines.  Each state is different as far as the requirement for the rabies shot, I have a kitty with possible liver damage from having fatty liver six years ago and he has not been vaccinated since before that.  Have you called the vets office and asked about the shots.  At her age and with being ill they very well may not vaccinate her.  

She should get blood work done to  see where she is at as far as organ function.  You can refuse more invasive testing.

She definitely needs to see the vet.  She needs blood work and an x-ray to make sure that there's not something going on that's abnormal.  It might also show what's going on.  The bloodwork would also test her kidney levels. I had a kidney kitty and vomiting was part of life with her due to an upset tummy, or what we as humans call indigestion.  So, start with a visit to the vet and then work on the other stuff, but she must eat. If it's classic Fancy Feast, then feed her that. Also add in some plain meat baby food and offer her some kitten food. That might also help with her weight.

UPDATE!!  I took Bitsy to the vet.  He gave her a blood and urine test, which were all normal.  He also gave her an antibiotic because her tooth was infected, and we have been giving her the rest of the antibiotic all week.  For two days she did not vomit, then it all started again.   I also started giving her Transfer Factor, which increased her appetite and I can tell that she has put some weight back on.  However, she is still vomiting.  The vet recommended an ultrasound.  I can't afford this (approx.$500).  He said that an x-ray would not tell everything.  So we are at a stand still.  She's vomiting daily, but is eating and we are giving her the slippery elm and transfer factor.  One thing he said that could be the culprit was her thyroid - reading was 2.5 (still under the norm of 3.0).  It seems like a long-shot, but anymore tests have to wait because we just spent $460 on the one visit.