Young cat vomiting after breakfast

redgale

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Back story: We rescued 3-year-old Lilo off the street about 1 1/2 years ago. She was emaciated, limping, severe muscle dystrophy in her rear legs, and had fleas, worms, ear mites, and several broken teeth. Our first step was to take her to the vet for tests and treatment, then once she was stronger, we had dental work done. For the first 6 months of her life with us, she suffered with daily soft stools and sometimes diarrhea. She would also vomit a few times a week. Her extensive blood work and urine analysis showed nothing wrong, so I decided to change her food. I tried multiple kinds of food until I found a food that completely remedied her problem with soft stools and she has had normal stools ever since (hurray!). She has not, however, been able to gain much weight and is still underweight.

More recently:

In the past month, her vomiting problem (which had subsided for a few months) has returned. It started out gradual, like once a week, then a few times a week, then one night she threw up four times and then three times the next day. I took her to the vet and they did more blood work and another urine test and, again, found nothing wrong. (Another $300 and no answers.) They said it could be IBD, or pancreatitis (because the blood screening for that is only 70% accurate), early kidney failure, or even lymphoma. We decided to not do any further testing and see what happened.

Her vomiting subsided and she acts normal, except she vomits every few days in the morning after first waking up and eating some breakfast. It's always only in the AM. She'll eat a small amount of food, then act uncomfortable, then drink water, then throw it all up. Then she's fine and will eat normally the rest of the day.

For the sake of deduction, here are a few facts:

- She is not eating too fast.

- She is not eating a large amount.

- She will vomit wet or dry food, it makes no difference.

- The vomited dry food is usually still in large pieces.

- She has access to food all night, but often sleeps through the night without eating.

- She does not vomit every morning.

- She vomits within 10-15 minutes of eating.

The vet's only suggestion was either more tests (ultrasounds and biopsies), which we declined due to cost, or giving her a prescription food. I hate to mess with her food because it took forever to find a food that wouldn't cause her stool problems! After months of having to wipe her bottom after she pooped multiple times a day, I'm scared any change in her diet will mess up her now normal BMs. I'm willing to try the prescription food though, if that's the only option. She is a very picky eater and probably won't want to to eat it. She is also impossible to pill (the vet techs even had a really hard time) and won't eat treats or pill pockets or anything sprinkled in her food.

Her current food is:

- Merrick Grain-Free canned turkey pate

- Northwest Naturals freeze-dried raw turkey (she eats this dry)

Any suggestions, ideas, comments? I'm getting so tired of cleaning up vomit and spending all this money at the vet without any improvement or diagnosis. When we found her, we wanted to give Lilo a chance at a better life instead of just taking her to a shelter, but there are limits to what we can do for her. :'(

(Lilo, 3/23/2017)

 

Kieka

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I would say that IBD is the likely culprit from what you have said. While I know it is a scary prospect; changing food may be your only option. The thing about IBD and food allergies is that there can be no reaction or minor reactions to something for a long time and then suddenly one day it is reaction again. The food you are on now alleviated most of the symptoms but over time her body has decided it is not enough; is my guess from experience. Its been a while but do you remember which other foods you tried before settling on the one she is one now? 
 
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redgale

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At first I tried cheap stuff, like canned Fancy Feast and Friskies. She loved the taste of those, but they are crap and they weren't helping her symptoms. Any cheap dry food would really worsen her symptoms.

I also tried a number of more expensive, grain-free, high quality foods... like duck, venison, and rabbit. She HATED all those proteins and wouldn't eat them. I don't remember the brands, but the more expensive it was, the more she hated it. 
  I finally settled on these grain-free turkey foods, canned and raw, that she would actually eat. That's when I started seeing improvement.
 

abyeb

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It could be an allergy or IBD. I know you don't want to switch food, but if you transition slowly, there should not be an issue with soft stool (this just sometimes happens when cats switch food quickly, their digestive system has to get used to it).

Also, you might want to look into getting pet insurance so that you can do more testing. I always think a barium test is useful for cats who are vomiting. A biopsy would also be a good idea, to rule out gastroenteritis. The other diagnosis the vet gave also seem like possibilities. The benefit of a few tests is that when you find out the cause, you won't have to worry about this anymore! I agree that IBD is probably the most likely.

Also, for administering medication, ask your vet if you can get any required prescription in liquid form. This way, you can fill a syringe and administer it by holding her gently holding her head and squirting the medication down her throat.

Lilo is absolutly gorgeous. Please don't give up on her! Your vet will help you sort through this!
 
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Kieka

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I would try one of the novel protein with a different binder then her current food. For dry food do a very very slow switch and she may not notice the difference. To do this when there is enough of the new food to fill a gallon storage bag (or if you already use a separate air-tight container enough for that) start adding in a half cup of the new food and mixing really well every time there is space for it. Over the course of a month or two you will very slowly increase the amount of new to old food. Most cats won't even notice the change this way because the taste and smell of the food will transition so slowly. I usually switch that way and I have never had a problem with rejection or tummy trouble. 

Wet food is trickier. I purposefully switch up wet food away from the one my cats absolutely love so they don't get stuck on one wet food. If you can afford to you might be able to mix small amount of the new food with the old food and slowly transition. Or just offer enough dry food to fill her each day and if she refuses the wet food that is her choice. Eventually she will realize you won't give in and she will eat the new food, hopefully. 

You might want to see if she will eat sardines (Trader Joes carries water packed, salt free sardines) because Omega 3 can help with some tummy and skin problems and could be a beneficial treat for her. 

Her weight will hopefully go up on its own once she gets on a food that fully agrees with her. Or she could just be a petite cat. As long as bones aren't sticking out I wouldn't be too concerned (although if she likes the sardines that will probably help her with that too). 

Try doing a search for IBD on the forums and you will find some more food advice for that specifically. I understand the money side of it and I would personally see if you can get her to do a slow transition on at least the dry and see if there is any benefit there before doing more testing. It might not answer the question of exactly what is wrong but if it works and the symptoms stop then I would consider it a success. 
 

PushPurrCatPaws

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Since she had such a rocky start, it is possible that she could have been exposed to some odd or even just persistent strains of bacteria. I imagine you and the vet put her on at least one antibiotic during her first six months? With the fleas, worms, mites and dental issues, some after effects of those might still be lingering (re: bacteria and imbalances, etc.)

A few questions:

- is there blood, even just a little, showing up in her bile/vomit?
- Is her poo very dark, sometimes with signs of blood?
- Did the blood work show any signs of anemia?
 
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redgale

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Since she had such a rocky start, it is possible that she could have been exposed to some odd or even just persistent strains of bacteria. I imagine you and the vet put her on at least one antibiotic during her first six months? With the fleas, worms, mites and dental issues, some after effects of those might still be lingering (re: bacteria and imbalances, etc.)

A few questions:

- is there blood, even just a little, showing up in her bile/vomit?
- Is her poo very dark, sometimes with signs of blood?
- Did the blood work show any signs of anemia?
The vet did not recommend antibiotics at any point when we first took her to the vet. After her dental surgery, they may have given her some type of injection afterward (I can't remember), but they did not send any antibiotics home with me.

- No, there is no blood in her vomit. It's just slightly chewed up food and some liquid. Sometimes it's just brownish liquid if she gets sick before she eats.

- Her poo is pretty dark, but not black. It looks very similar to my other [healthy] cats' poo.

- The vet didn't say anything about anemia.
 

PushPurrCatPaws

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Very good news that there is no blood in her vomit. If your vet did not bring up anemia, I should think that is good news too. (I was wondering if her vomiting could be caused by ulcers, either in her stomach or other parts of GI tract. Repeated vomiting can also cause ulcers/inflammation of the GI tract. My last cat had vomiting and a bout of ulcers in 2005, and the vet had her on sucralfate/carafate to help with the healing. She got better.)

There can be so many causes of vomiting, and it's hard to pin those down. :frusty:

Have you had a chance to take in recent poo samples to the vet, to have them tested for any of a variety of worms or parasites, and/or for their eggs? This can be one cause of vomiting. And those buggers can be persistent, with their egg cycles... you might want to try to rule that out before assuming it is IBD.

My current cat also eats Merrick's turkey pate (usually the LID version)... it is one of her standbys. If your cat is doing well with that food, like you, I'd be hesitant to change that. Is the freeze-dried turkey a new thing (e.g. longer than the recent month or so that she has started vomiting again?) Another cause of the vomiting might be the freeze-dried raw turkey...
 

orange&white

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I'm thinking along the same lines as PushPurrCatPaws.  Before switching to an entirely new food try feeding her only the Merrick Turkey Pate.  If she is vomiting that up, then try feeding her only the freeze-dried turkey and see how she does.  She also might do better on the freeze-dried by rehydrating it with water, rather than eating it dry.   If she is vomiting either one as the sole food she's getting, then you'll need to try something new.

Sorry to hear she's having problems.  She's a lovely kitty.
 

Kieka

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I'm thinking along the same lines as PushPurrCatPaws.  Before switching to an entirely new food try feeding her only the Merrick Turkey Pate.  If she is vomiting that up, then try feeding her only the freeze-dried turkey and see how she does.  She also might do better on the freeze-dried by rehydrating it with water, rather than eating it dry.   If she is vomiting either one as the sole food she's getting, then you'll need to try something new.

Sorry to hear she's having problems.  She's a lovely kitty.
Just to point out. If you do try the freeze dried only to see how she reacts and she does well on that it is not a complete diet or long term solution. It is not nutritionally sound for a diet and will not provide all the vitamins necessary. If she does well you would want to find a limited ingredient turkey based food.

Reversely if the feeeze dried turkey is a new element then I would cut it out all together. It could be that the amount of turkey in the food regularly fed is okay but the freeze dried is too much turkey. If stopping the freeze dried doesn't stop the problem it could be that it pushed her body over the limit and any turkey now causes a reaction.

It really is one of those hard to pin down things that does take a lot of attempts and talking to a vet to figure out.
 
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orange&white

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I just checked the label on the Northwest Naturals freeze-dried raw turkey​.  It says it is developed as a complete nutrition food.  I would think that freeze-dried is very concentrated and would be more likely to cause problems, especially if the cat won't drink enough water.  Nutrition-wise it looks pretty good as a stand alone.
 

Kieka

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I just saw the freeze dried and thought it was one of those snack type ones. Yeah, that one does look nutritionally sound.

I go back to the original theory of she has developed a reaction to the turkey over time then. I know it could be 101 different things but a slow transition to a different protein source could help without needing further testing. I know I am influenced by my own experiences but if she had trouble with chicken before (as the main protein in most cat foods so assuming) then developing a problem with all poultry in general isn't a stretch. The speed of the reaction after eating is what makes me go that way.
 
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redgale

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Have you had a chance to take in recent poo samples to the vet, to have them tested for any of a variety of worms or parasites, and/or for their eggs? This can be one cause of vomiting. And those buggers can be persistent, with their egg cycles... you might want to try to rule that out before assuming it is IBD.

My current cat also eats Merrick's turkey pate (usually the LID version)... it is one of her standbys. If your cat is doing well with that food, like you, I'd be hesitant to change that. Is the freeze-dried turkey a new thing (e.g. longer than the recent month or so that she has started vomiting again?) Another cause of the vomiting might be the freeze-dried raw turkey...
I have taken at least 3 stool samples in for testing since we've had Lilo. There doesn't seem to be any parasite problems remaining.

The freeze-dried turkey is not new. She's been eating it for at least 8 months now.
 
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redgale

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I just saw the freeze dried and thought it was one of those snack type ones. Yeah, that one does look nutritionally sound.

I go back to the original theory of she has developed a reaction to the turkey over time then. I know it could be 101 different things but a slow transition to a different protein source could help without needing further testing. I know I am influenced by my own experiences but if she had trouble with chicken before (as the main protein in most cat foods so assuming) then developing a problem with all poultry in general isn't a stretch. The speed of the reaction after eating is what makes me go that way.
Right, the freeze-dried food it a complete food, not just a snack. I researched raw foods and IBD quite a bit before trying this one and she seemed to improve noticeably once she started eating it regularly.

Also, she has no problems with vomiting any other time of the day; it's just breakfast. She free-feeds and eats a few bites about every 2 hours during the day, but at night, I notice sometimes she doesn't touch the food all night (8-9 hours). I wonder if it's something to do with going so long in between meals that's messing with her stomach...
 

orange&white

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I wouldn't think that her morning tummy aches have to do with going all night without eating since she has food available all night it she wants to go eat.
 
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redgale

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Update: I started Lilo on the Purina EN canned food and she has been doing remarkably well. No more vomiting and no soft stools either! I've noticed her become a bit more frisky too, so that's great to see. She doesn't love the food, but she's eating it, so I'm thankful.
 
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redgale

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Second Update: Wow, literally hours after I post the above update, Lilo throws up AND has soft stool. [emoji]128557[/emoji] I should have known better than to think this problem would be solved so easily.
 

PushPurrCatPaws

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Update: I started Lilo on the Purina EN canned food and she has been doing remarkably well. No more vomiting and no soft stools either! I've noticed her become a bit more frisky too, so that's great to see. She doesn't love the food, but she's eating it, so I'm thankful.

Second Update: Wow, literally hours after I post the above update, Lilo throws up AND has soft stool. [emoji]128557[/emoji] I should have known better than to think this problem would be solved so easily.

Question: if you've been giving her a new food, does she eat it at night too?
 
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