Cat can't keep anything down

[Terri Moore]

My 13 year old cat throws up everything she eats! She is losing weight and got to where she would not eat, so she was throwing up brown liquid almost daily. She is not a good patient so vet had to sedate her to run tests, which included bloodwork and xrays. Nothing abnormal, but sent her home with Prednisolone.This does make her hungry, but she always throws up her food, 3 times today matter of fact. She has not been diagnosed with IBD but it is suspected. She has always eaten Purina Pro Plan, but refuses wet food. Never has been interested in wet food. I really don't want to lose her, but I am so scared at this point. Even on these steroids there are days she doesn't eat. I'm worried about her not getting any nutrients. Any thoughts? I'm at the end of my rope.

 

[Kflowers]

First I would wonder if there was something wrong with the current bag of Pro-plan you have. I'd close that bag and buy a different food. If you feel you must get another bag of pro-plan be sure it comes from a different lot, with different numbers for where it was made. sometimes several lots of a food have something in them that kitties are allergic to, so it's best to avoid all lot numbers connected to a particular date if you can. There are many different dry cat foods out there. Perhaps try something made by a company other than Purina Nestle, Mars makes several varsities of cat food. You may want to steer clear of Smuckers, since Meow Mix is heavy on grains rather than meat.

 

[louisstools]

You might need to push the vet for more diagnostics. My cat had suspected IBD and it took an ultrasound and some fancy GI bloodwork to rule it out. As I said, it's fancy bloodwork and they don't always do it b/c it requires fasting and it needs to get sent out to a speciality lab that typically only exists in a small number of universities.

How long has it been since she saw the vet? You probably need to call them again to see what is next if it's been a few days.

Has she always been throwing up? Did this suddenly start? Did this suddenly get much worse?

 

[heatherwillard0614]

Did she suddenly start throwing up one day?
How did it start?
Did it start once here and there?
Did it start once daily?
Did it start a bunch of times daily?
How are her bathroom habits?
Normal urine?
Normal BM?

How long has she been vomiting what is the pattern behind the vomiting?
Have you opened a new bag of her food since she started vomiting?

When was she at the vet?
What were all the tests they performed?
Did anything at all stand out in the results?
Did they do an ultrasound?

An ultrasound can show some things that xrays can't and vice versa.

 

[silent meowlook]

I would look for a feline only vet in your area and get her seen there. Feline only vets are much better at handling cats that get stressed.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi, you've gotten excellent suggestions above. In addition, maybe there's something in this list she can keep down, in order to get some calories in until this gets squared away
Any Good Tips To Get Your Cats To Eat? Share Them Here!

 

[Alldara]

T Terri Moore Definitely call Purina in case it is the batch of food.

However, at 13 it can be many things. If it's been a long-term issue it could be hyperthyroidism or constipation, parasites or an infection or something else not letting her finish the digestive process.

Also, how do you store the dry food? A cat can become seriously ill if the food is stored improperly.

I know the immediate issue is getting her to keep food down.

In my experience, a kitten wet food put through a blender with some water can easily be the best bet. If she won't eat wet, try some Royal Canin Mother and Babycat dry food as the food is rehydrate-able (meaning safe to add water to and you can also blend it).

If she's already nauseous, elevate her food so she's not bending over as much which can cause acid reflux.


Here's what I would confirm with the vet: Did the bloodwork included hyperthyroid?

Were you able to give a stool sample to the vet?

 

[daftcat75]

I would ask your vet for Hills A/D and a GI food like Hills I/D. Both wet foods. I know you said your cat doesn't do wet food. Well, she's not doing dry food very well anymore. I've transitioned kibble addicts. It's possible. You just have to find something highly appealing and start small. That's where the Hills A/D comes in. This is a high calorie recovery food used to get sick cats and dogs eating again when they have stopped eating or don't feel like eating very much. It's also used as a recovery food. It's not meant to be a replacement forever food. But it could be a very good bridge to get your girl off of dry and eating something easier to digest. A/D on its own is very rich and she's not going to eat very much of it. That's where the I/D comes into play. The I/D will be easier to digest than her dry food and it will help her eat more calories than A/D alone. To be honest, I'm not terribly impressed with the Hills I/D formula. But it did stabilize my Betty and it was one of the few foods she actually wanted to eat. I would offer a small amount of A/D on its own (less than a spoonful.) If she likes it, and most cats do, add in a little of the I/D. Play with the ratio. She'll probably prefer A/D to I/D to start. As she eats more wet food, she'll probably happily accept a more modest ratio like 3 parts I/D to 1 part A/D.

Hills I/D does come in a dry form. But I'm not impressed with that formulation either. You could certainly try it. But I think her kibble-eating days are probably numbered. There's a whole host of "old cat" illnesses (IBD/lymphoma, dental issues, kidney, liver, pancreas disease, constipation) that are all greatly improved with more moisture (e.g. less dry food.)

If you have the option, I recommend getting her seen by an internal medicine specialist. IMs will have much more expertise and experience. They can also be more dedicated as they are not distracted by all the other cases coming into your general vet's office.

 

[Terri Moore]

T Terri Moore Definitely call Purina in case it is the batch of food.

However, at 13 it can be many things. If it's been a long-term issue it could be hyperthyroidism or constipation, parasites or an infection or something else not letting her finish the digestive process.

Also, how do you store the dry food? A cat can become seriously ill if the food is stored improperly.

I know the immediate issue is getting her to keep food down.

In my experience, a kitten wet food put through a blender with some water can easily be the best bet. If she won't eat wet, try some Royal Canin Mother and Babycat dry food as the food is rehydrate-able (meaning safe to add water to and you can also blend it).

If she's already nauseous, elevate her food so she's not bending over as much which can cause acid reflux.


Here's what I would confirm with the vet: Did the bloodwork included hyperthyroid?

Were you able to give a stool sample to the vet?

Elevate food? I'll try that. Bloodwork did include thyroid, she said bloodwork was great. Might try a kitten wet food - it's worth a shot.

 

[Terri Moore]

I have been keeping in touch with my vet. Today I was supposed to start her on Celenia (is that spelled right?) just 1/4 pill. It kind of came all apart trying to separate it in to forths, so we couldn't get it in her. I don't know what's going on. She really acts like she feels bad tonight. All these meds make me nervous.

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. She really needs to be seen again. There is something going on. Maybe a second opinion. Cats hide their illnesses extremely well, so if you are thinking she isn’t feeling well, she really isn’t.

 

[Alldara]

I have been keeping in touch with my vet. Today I was supposed to start her on Celenia (is that spelled right?) just 1/4 pill. It kind of came all apart trying to separate it in to forths, so we couldn't get it in her. I don't know what's going on. She really acts like she feels bad tonight. All these meds make me nervous.

My experience with cerenia has been good. I've had 4 cats with no real adverse reactions to it. One had some fatigue. It really helped jump start Calcifer's eating when he had a mild tummy thing as a kitten.

Maropitant Citrate | VCA Animal Hospital | VCA Animal Hospitals(brand%20name%3A%20Cerenia,'%20or%20'extra%20label'.


You can always look up "name of medicine, cat, VCA" and see their panflit on the medication. Then you know what side effects to be on the lookout for.

 

[daftcat75]

Cerenia is good for inhibiting vomiting. But there’s a lot of debate on whether it helps with nausea. Additionally, many cat guardians report that their cat loses their appetite on Cerenia. Sometimes stopping the vomiting is more important and an appetite stimulant is also prescribed. If nausea relief is desired, Zofran (ondansetron) is an effective drug with few if any side effects reported. And if it’s progressed to pancreatitis (has the doc ruled this out? It’s not a standard blood test), your cat may be prescribed all of these drugs together.

Another reason to get a can or two of Hills A/D is that many cats can be taught to take their own medicine if it’s packed in a capsule and dipped in A/D. I call it my Betty’s cake frosting because she’ll take just about anything and eat just about anything that has been dipped, coated, or topped with A/D. Meds time could not be any easier with her.

 

[maggie101]

I agree with everyone. More testing. My vet can also do an ultrasound. She can get even more sick if not eating. Cerenia should be given at least 30 minutes before eating. It will not help with inflammation. Just might help her feel better to eat. Internal medacine doc is more familiar with ibd and above. Ultrasound showed my cats walls in her intestines were thickening. Cerenia did not help.

 

[maggie101]

Cerenia is good for inhibiting vomiting. But there’s a lot of debate on whether it helps with nausea. Additionally, many cat guardians report that their cat loses their appetite on Cerenia. Sometimes stopping the vomiting is more important and an appetite stimulant is also prescribed. If nausea relief is desired, Zofran (ondansetron) is an effective drug with few if any side effects reported. And if it’s progressed to pancreatitis (has the doc ruled this out? It’s not a standard blood test), your cat may be prescribed all of these drugs together.

Another reason to get a can or two of Hills A/D is that many cats can be taught to take their own medicine if it’s packed in a capsule and dipped in A/D. I call it my Betty’s cake frosting because she’ll take just about anything and eat just about anything that has been dipped, coated, or topped with A/D. Meds time could not be any easier with her.

Cerinia never made since to me. It's not an inflammatory drug

 

[stephanietx]

Did they check her pancreas? If the pancreas isn't happy, the whole body isn't happy and it can cause vomiting and diarrhea. It's a separate test that takes about 40 mins to get the results.

I have had a cat on Cerenia and on Zofran. Zofran is a better fit for his symptoms, which is tummy upset/indigestion. We have also previously used over the counter Pepcid (not Pepcid AC) to help settle his tummy, but that just didn't cut it so we went the route of Zofran.

I agree with the others, as stressful and expensive as it is, your baby needs to go back to the vet.

 

[Terri Moore]

How would the pancreas be checked? She had to be sedated to get blood, and they did xrays. Vet says her bloodwork was remarkable. Today she is in the closet asleep. Last night she looked like she could not get comfortable. I'm starting to lose hope.

 

[maggie101]

How would the pancreas be checked? She had to be sedated to get blood, and they did xrays. Vet says her bloodwork was remarkable. Today she is in the closet asleep. Last night she looked like she could not get comfortable. I'm starting to lose hope.

Blood tests need to be run

 

[stephanietx]

How would the pancreas be checked? She had to be sedated to get blood, and they did xrays. Vet says her bloodwork was remarkable. Today she is in the closet asleep. Last night she looked like she could not get comfortable. I'm starting to lose hope.

It's a blood test.

 

[daftcat75]

How would the pancreas be checked? She had to be sedated to get blood, and they did xrays. Vet says her bloodwork was remarkable. Today she is in the closet asleep. Last night she looked like she could not get comfortable. I'm starting to lose hope.

It’s a blood test Either SNAP or fPLI. It’s not a standard blood test. But considering the symptoms, they really should have checked it. But maybe they were conservative about not adding charges you didn’t ask for. You could try to treat it supportively with all the drugs I mentioned and a high appeal food like A/D. But it’s really better to have the vet onboard and knowing exactly what you are (or are not) dealing with. Have you tried giving your cat gabapentin before the appointment? Also some vets can give them a puff of the gas that settles them down without fully sedating them. If it’s only a blood test, that may be the best way to go. If you also decide to get an ultrasound (recommended!) then she may need the stronger stuff. All really good things to discuss with your vet even before bringing her down again.