Cats stopped eating wet food

[cmshap]

It's pretty much the same here, though we were already feeding almost exclusively wet food. Sorting out individual ingredients that caused vomiting helped a lot. Then Edwina's vomiting got much worse last year and (long story short) she had to have stomach surgery; we'll never know what caused her problem but (again, long story short) I'm leaning toward the parasite theory. Even biopsies couldn't give us a definitive answer. In any case, it's definitely worth talking with your vet about nematodes if you just can't figure out what's causing your cat to vomit.

Oh, raising dishes helps a lot in preventing regurgitation!

My cat is 10 at this point and was checked for absolutely everything... parasites, fecal exams, etc. Multiple times during his life. And this was by a competent vet (a cat-specialist vet, actually). The best explanation, which the vet admitted is not really an actual explanation, is "sensitive stomach." Which could be caused by food allergies, which can develop and change during a cat's life.

Also, his gut flora could be off. But I have been giving him probiotics for a long time, and they helped for a time but then stopped helping.

In short, I've been chasing this problem for almost 9 years, constantly changing how I treat it and what food I give him. Right now, he is very stable and rarely vomiting, and hasn't for the better part of a year. That is a considerable victory.

Getting him onto mostly wet food definitely was a big step in getting here.

 

[lisahe]

That truly is a considerable victory, cmshap ! The whole "sensitive stomach" thing is frustrating because there just aren't good explanations for what happens with cats like ours. (As with Edwina's weird case... Edwina started to feel loads better last week after her we started her latest round of dewormer, which makes me wonder if maybe parasites really did cause her problems. She loves to eat crickets and they can carry one of the two suspect parasites. So this is me for the millionth time: )

Fingers crossed that you'll be able to get him on more wet food... without him vomiting!

 

[cmshap]

Oh, raising dishes helps a lot in preventing regurgitation!

Yes, I did this. I bought him a raised dish, which actually helped a little. But with wet food, I went back to a normal plate.

The particular raised dish I was using wasn't as good at holding wet food on it (he licks it up, and in the process, tends to push a lot of it off the edges of the dish). Since he hasn't been vomiting, I've been sticking with a normal plate that holds the food a little bit better.

But this is a good suggestion, nonetheless.

The whole "sensitive stomach" thing is frustrating because there just aren't good explanations for what happens with cats like ours.

Yes, it's frustrating that it's almost impossible to find a direct cause in some cases. And it's frustrating how many times I've had to change his food, and just use trial and error to figure out what to give him.

My current food situation is working very well. He readily eats the current Sheba wet food, and 3:1 wet:dry ratio is perfect for his pooping issues (any less dry food, he gets constipated). But I'm not sure this current solution will last, as I've had to change his diet multiple times before.

I believe his ongoing health issues are a result of his outdoor abandonment, starvation, and illnesses before age 1. Aside from respiratory complications, I'm sure it's plausible he developed gastro issues as well.

Anyway, he's still happy and healthy otherwise. And for now, he is enjoying and tolerating his diet.