12 year old cat has episodes of throwing up

[hopeful1205]

My 12 year old cat Roscoe has episodes of throwing up his food (up to four times a day & for a couple of days), after he eats.  He then will go a week or so without throwing up at all.  He still has a appetite after he throws up and goes back to his bowl and eats more...then throws it up right after.  I have never seen a hairball in his vomit, but there is loose hair in it.  He also has some dark areas in his stool that I assume is blood from his system because of throwing up.  His stool sample is normal

All his blood tests come back normal, his xrays are clear, I switched him to feline i/d wet food, tried predisone in case his intestinal track/stomach was inflamed, he has been dewormed, and given antibiotics in case he had a parasite of some kind, I have given him hairball remedy twice a day in his food, and he doesn't not gobble his food.  All this, AND none of it has helped.     I feel so bad for the dude.  The vet says the next step is to take him to get his digestive system scoped and biopsied.   I am nervous about subjecting him to it since he is older and they weren't even sure they would be able to find anything.  

Has anyone else had a cat with these issues, and if so...what ended up being the cause and how did you end up treating him?  I don't know what else to do for him.

Thanks!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Well, it could be IBD (inflammatory bowel disease), or even stress can cause it.  Has something changed recently.  Cats are very sensitive to change.  Or, someone recently posted that high blood pressure in cats can cause vomiting, which I new knew.  Did they check for that? 

Are you still feeding him the i/d?  Have you tried just switching him over to a grain free canned food, which is probably much more palatable, and you could try to eliminate food allergies that way too, by finding some with a single source of protein, or at least limited ingredients, in case he has developed a food allergy.

for your lil guy.  Oh, and BTW...welcome to TCS!

 

[hopeful1205]

Thank you so much for your reply!  I just picked up feline z/d which is allergen free today and am going to try that.  I am taking my other cat to the vet tomorrow, but I think I might take my other guy along too to get his blood pressure checked!  I have never heard that high blood pressure can cause vomitting.  Thank you for that insight...I am kinda at a loss and want to try everything before putting him through the edoscopy procedure. 

Thanks again!

 

[carolina]

Hi!

Take a look at these two very similar cases that were either resolved or are in process but with good results with a change of diet.... If you are open to it, it is something you could think about it... Southpaw's baby used to throw up up to 10 times a day
Lanie used to throw up a lot too.... Lost a LOT of weight.... But is not longer throwing up, and is already gaining weight back :bigthumb:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/242212/just-another-starting-raw-thread

and http://www.thecatsite.com/t/248410/lanie-is-wasting-away

My case was a similar success, but with violent chronic diarrhea - also solved by changing his diet to raw going your way

 

[ldg]

Yes, issues like this are so frustrating!

Thank you so much for your reply!  I just picked up feline z/d which is allergen free today and am going to try that. 

I assume you mean the z/d wet food only? Because the dry has brewer's rice in it, which can be a trigger for some cats (it was for my Chumley). And while the canned z/d has the hydrolized chicken protein, it also has corn starch - which is also a problem for some kitties.

For many kitties with IBD, feeding them unprocessed, limited ingredient foods resolves the problem. Carolina provided links to two threads I hope you'll read! And if you are interested in raw, but have questions or concerns, PLEASE feel free to start a thread in the raw forum.

But if that is not something you want to consider right now, if the z/d doesn't seem to help either, you might want to consider limited ingredient, novel protein foods. While I don't like the carrageenan in Nature's Variety - and for kitties with stomach problems, it can be an irritant - if you can try a protein your kitty hasn't eaten before (like duck, vension, maybe lamb or rabbit), the Nature's Variety Instinct canned foods are single-source proteins, do not use pea protein, and have limited ingredient lists. :nod: They do have some peas and carrots in them, but they are whole, and I recommend you just pick them out (to eliminate another potential source of problem).

The problem for many kitties with IBD is that their systems are just out-of-whack. Cats are obligate carnivores, and their systems are designed to utilize protein and fat for their energy and nutritional needs. They have no nutritional requirement for carbohydrates, and the foods we feed them are often high in carbohydrates. This can create chronic inflammation for some kitties, and a link has been made between carbs and IBD: http://jn.nutrition.org/content/134/8/2068S.full

So whatever form of feeding is chosen, trying a high protein, very low carbohydrate diet may resolve your kitty's problem.

Another helpful resource for you: http://www.ibdkitties.net

Many vibes you can resolve this problem without the stress and trauma of the exploratory work!

 

[natalie_ca]

Has his blood pressure been checked?  My RB kitty Chynna was throwing up like that and it turned out that her blood pressure was high. Once she was started on Amlodipine to lower her blood pressure, it stopped.

Blood pressures are charged extra and they aren't usually done unless you specifically request it.  Here my vet charges $40 for a blood pressure check.
 

When I took Abby (14 years old) for her senior panel a couple months ago, I had them do a BP on her.  I plan on asking for it to be done on each of my cats each time I take them to the vet for their annuals.  I figure people need their blood pressure tested. I was aghast to learn that the vet doesn't routinely monitor that unless they show signs and symptoms of what could be high blood pressure.

 

[ldg]

Yep, the OP is going to have her kitty's BP checked.