Cat increased thirst, vomiting water, weight gain

[sierra400]

My 8 year old female cat has had increased thirst the last several months, along with vomiting water, and increased hunger & weight gain. The bloodwork, urinalysis, stool sample are all normal ranges except elevated kidney but still within normal range but on high end of normal. Vet thinks it could be IBD, wants to try food change. If she doesn’t respond with a month, ultrasound to check for lymphoma.

Has anyone’s cat had these similar symptoms, what was the diagnosis and treatment?



Symptoms in more detail: She always wants to drink out of the sink tap, multiple times a day. She also drinks from the water bowl, but prefers the tap. This has been going on since this past summer. She will wale me up multiple times a night wanting water from the tap. She started vomiting water in October. Her vomit was just cold water. Sometimes with food chunks. This happened a few times a week for a couple weeks. Then for about a month she seemed fine, still drank a lot of water but no vomit. Recently she started vomiting water again. The vomit usually occurs after she jumps down off a surface after drinking water. Sometimes she just vomits food too.

She is always hungry, loves her Dr Elsey’s clean protein crunchies the most, but also eats the Merrick Backxountry wet food. She is 2-3lbs heavier than her sister cat from same litter and they eat the same food, although her sister doesn’t eat much of the dry food, mostly just wet food.

She urinates and passes bowls normal. No increased urination despite the increased water intake. She is playful and affectionate with no changes in personality.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi and welcome to TCS - but sorry for why you are here. What you describe doesn't sound like any of the cases I have heard/seen with IBD, but there are always exceptions to every norm. Weight gain is rare in a cat with IBD, and many of them experience stool problems, most common being loose stools or diarrhea. It also doesn't sound like most cases of lymphoma either. It sounds more like diabetes, but that usually will cause weight loss as opposed to weight gain, and I am sure her glucose level was checked with her bloodwork. There are some endocrine/hormonal related issues that can mimic your cat's symptoms. Kidney disease can cause excessive thirst, but not commonly weight gain. Hyperthyroidism is another condition that could cause excessive thirst and ncreased appetite, but again weight gain is uncommon in these cats.

Has she recently been on any steroids? Those can cause excessive thirst and weight gain. Is she on any medications at all?

Has she really gained weight or is she just heavier than your other cat, and perhaps always has been? Eating more dry food can cause some weight gain due to the high carb count in most of them. But different cats can have different metabolism rates even if they are related.

It also sounds like she is overdrinking and that is causing the vomiting. If there is any food in her stomach when she over drinks, of course she will vomit that up as well. How often is she vomiting just food?

Personally speaking, I would ask for an ultrasound, and maybe some other testing related to her endocrine system, as opposed to changing her diet beforehand. First off, a month's food change probably isn't going to make much of a difference in the ultrasound results, even if this were IBD - and, she probably needs checked over for more than just that and lymphoma. At least have a talk to the vet about if waiting a month is worth it.