Cat goes to vomit, but it's only spit. What could cause this?

[fizzycrow]

Hello all!

I work 4pm to midnight, so I don't usually get up very early in the day.  Although, the times I do, I notice my cat gets very excited, thinking she is going to be fed.  She is always looking for food, and is on a diet of a half a can of Fancy Feast every 12 hours.  This diet has been in place for a few months now.  She also has access to a quarter cup of Canidae Life Stages dry food.  Being stubborn, she doesn't eat much of that.  

Here is my question.  When I do get up early, and do not give into the cats cries for food (don't worry I don't!) She always seems to "vomit", but only spit comes out.  If there is any color, it is white, like when a human hacks a snot rocket.  Sorry for the nasty details!!  I am unsure if this happens everyday, because I am sure if it happens while I am asleep, it will have dried by the time I wake up.  I am just wondering if this is cause for concern, if its just because she gets so excited, then has to relax, I just don't know.  I think today she may have even had a bite of the dry food and then she did the whole hack thing, but there was no food in it, and so little spit, I wondered what all the effort was for.  There has been no change in her behavior, other than she has been a bit more cuddly than normal.  She obviously still wants to eat, has been pooing fine, and just had her shots two months ago.

Any information on this would be great!  Thanks, and I hope you weren't eating, or planning on eating, whilst reading this!

 

[stephenq]

@FizzyCrow

Cats with empty stomachs as meal time approaches still excrete stomach acid in anticipation of the meal their body knows (or thinks) is coming, and if there isn't any food in their stomach this can cause an upset stomach and they vomit.   If you get up early her body may start telling her that a meal may be coming, the acids are produced and then no meal and she vomits.  When are her two meals given?

I would consider upping the number of meals to 3x a day so that in the early am she doesn't have as empty a stomach.

 

[fizzycrow]

I try to stick around feeding her at 12pm... and 12,am since I get home at midnight, and I don't want to feed her too early in the day, as I leave for work at 330 pm.  That does make sense though about the stomach acid.  If I happen to get up early, and feed her earlier in the day, she will have a longer time to go in between without her wet food, while I am at work.  She always has some dry food.  She does seem to eat that if I am not around.  Weekends, she will not eat it, she just yells at me for more food.  I am unable to come home from work to feed her, and have no one that can stop in.  I also do not want to give her more food, as she is quite, well, fat, and this diet seems to be working nice and slow.  I know going to fast with weight loss can make a cat sick.  

Do you think if I feed her earlier, but let her go longer during the day with no wet food, but also without me around to get her "excited", that would be better for her stomach?  I could also try cutting her morning meal into two, kind of thirding the can.  She will get small portions each time, but then she will have something in her stomach!  As you can see, this is my first cat, and my first time around getting her to stick to a diet!  She is one picky eater, so it was tough for a while to find wet food she would eat, and dry that she would attempt to eat.  

Thanks for information, and for any ideas you might have to help her stomach!  Poor cat, I feel bad!!

 

[stephenq]

@FizzyCrow

I would look into readjusting her portions into 1/3's and going to 3x a day, or possibly just giving her the occasional extra meal when you get up early, but this could cause her to wake you up for food which would not be good.  Cats tend to have better managed weight with wet food rather than dry, so perhaps you an cut her dry a bit.  If this continued to happen, you could discuss with your vet adding a small dose of Pepcid once a day to her regimen, this is often done for cats with too much acid, but it would be better if you could control it without meds.

Bottom line, it isn't healthy for her to vomit, it erodes the esophagus, and tends to create a vicious circle.  You may wish to consult your vet about this as well.

By the way, how much does she weigh?  Using the link below, can you estimate her BCS (body condition score)?

http://vet.osu.edu/vmc/body-condition-scoring-chart

 

[fizzycrow]

Thank you for the reply.  She was actually treated for having really really bad smelling poo earlier this year.  We got that under control with a few medications, and change in her wet food.  She is not on any kind of medication now.  This was the period where it was hard to find something she would eat, but that would not cause her stomach to be so dang angry!!  I found that despite buying her the expensive wet food, she really likes Fancy Feast, and have had no problems since she has been on it!  The dry food she has is really there just as a back-up.  This is in case I get stuck at work, I don't want her to be starving.  I recently, well 8 months ago, moved to a whole new area of Ohio, and have not met anyone trustworthy enough to give the keys to my apartment,  to stop in and feed her if needed.  My theory is that if there is some dry food around that she sometimes eats, that if something were to happen to me, she would at least have a meal or two before someone can come help her.  Always thinking about keeping the kitty safe!!  I will try the thirding of the can, and see how that goes, before I subject her to the vet. Taking her to the vet is most distressing to her, so, if it is not dire, I try to avoid it.  I get a really big ear full of complaints when we return from any vet visit!  

And I hate to admit this, but according to that chart, she is overweight, to obese.  I think the vet used the work very thick, this last time we were there.  He is aware of my diet plan as well.  She had not gained any weight from the time I had her bad smelling poo treated, to the time she needed her shots, (about 4 months) so something is working!  

If this problem persists though, we will be paying a visit to the vet whether she likes it or not.  I do have some pro-biotic powder that I was using on her food to see if that would help her bad poo, before I realized it was beyond that.  I stopped giving that to her, since she seemed to eat around the powder.  However, would it be worth a shot to try it again, to maybe help if her stomach is upset?   I am not sure if pro-biotics work that way, but if it might help, and not make the problem worse, I can try that again!

 

[fizzycrow]

Update:  I have been feeding my cat a small amount, if I happen to wake up earlier than normal, or if nature calls and I have to hit up the bathroom.  I haven't seen or heard her spit up at all since I have been giving her a bit of food when she starts to expect food.  Thank you again for the advice!  I am sure the cat thanks you too!!

 

[stephenq]

Excellent news, thanks for the update!