My bf's cat won't stop vomiting. Help!

[tilltill]

My boyfriend recently moved in with me. I have a kitten and he has a 9 year old cat. 

His cat throws up at least twice a week, usually more. She's done this for as long as he's had her, which is several years. He took her to a vet recently who said it was normal but maybe try changing her food. She was eating Meow Mix so we switched her to a higher quality food. She still threw that up so now we're giving her Taste of the Wild. She ate that for a little while but still threw up regularly. Now she won't touch it.

She's gone a few days without eating, but she still throws up almost every day (just liquid). My bf says she has sometimes just stopped eating for a few days in the past. We gave her canned food (meow mix) just to get her to eat and she ate it, but again still threw up! She throws up everything we give her! We've also tried getting her to eat slower (put her food on a plate, smaller portions, etc) but it didn't help.

I think it's also worth mentioning that her poop smells significantly worse than my cat's. It is very strong smelling, and I'm not sure if that's related to the vomiting. She also had diarrhea for a while recently, the vet tested it and it came out normal.

Are these issues normal? Is there anything we can do to stop her from throwing up? 

 

[pinkdagger]

Welcome.

Does she have any other abnormal symptoms? Vomiting regularly is not normal, and I imagine it's not very convenient for you or the cat.

I wonder if it would be worth getting a second opinion from another vet. There may be tests that look for underlying issues that would cause vomiting that would not be evident in a physical examination. I know @FhiCat has some extensive puke experience with his kitty if he wants to chime in too.

If she throws up food with it, I would suggest exploring limited ingredient foods to see if maybe there's something you can isolate out of her diet if it exacerbates the vomiting. If it's always only clear liquid, there might be something internal going on where I would request a blood test if one hasn't already been done. In the past, I did read about someone's experience with their cat constantly vomiting clear liquid, and it wound up either being their pancreas or their thyroid.

 

[tilltill]

Hi!
The other issues she has are smelly poop, which I mentioned, and she can also be gassy.

She usually throws up whole kibbles plus liquid, but on the days she doesn't eat it's just liquid.

She's never had any blood testing as far as I know.

 

[catpack]

I'd start with a vet visit. Possibly with a different vet. With her age, bloodwork should be done too.

I'd be highly suspicious of IBD, a food intolerance or both.

If bloodwork and everything checks out fine, I might suggest putting kitty on a canned only, limited ingredient diet.

 

[denice]

I would get a second opinion possibly  more than that.  My IBD kitty would do this and it took 6 1/2 of vet hopping to get resolved.  Kitties often won't eat a food after it makes them sick.  I also got the, he's sensitive, from many vets even after he had been hospitalized for several days on an IV.  Many kitties with IBD also end up being thought of as picky because of all the foods they won't eat because the food made them feel bad at one point.

I took my kitty to a clinic with a board certified specialist for a diagnosis.  He had fatty liver by the time I finally found a vet that could get him on the right track.

The only blood test that is a strong indicator of IBD is a B12/Folate test which checks levels of both vitamins in the blood.  It has to be sent to Texas A&M and it isn't cheap.  A good vet can also see signs of the inflammation on an ultrasound which also isn't cheap.  A trial with a steroid can also be diagnostic.  If there is improvement with a steroid then it is probably IBD.

I never did find a food that triggered his flares other than beef which produced an immediate negative reaction and I never fed again.  He would flare again after several months on the same diet.  He would sometimes only get a few weeks without a flare, no rhyme or reason to his flares.

 

[pinkdagger]

Ah, I see!

In some cases, cats may vomit because they can't tolerate specific ingredients. A lot of people are quick to blame grains, but there are also some protein sources cats can be sensitive too. I would be inclined to ask my vet if a food trial might be necessary, in addition to blood testing just in case. She's also at the age where having a geriatric blood panel is important to ensure her organ functions are good. It's not uncommon for older cats, especially if they have always had a dry food diet to have some kidney problems, so even if it's not severe, it's good to stay on top of (keeping her well hydrated, especially if she's vomiting frequently).

If you do want to go with a food trial, there are a bunch of novel proteins available (not the typical chicken, beef, and fish flavours) and they can come in limited ingredient formulas.

 

[white shadow]

 
.......She's gone a few days without eating.....

...but she still throws up almost every day (just liquid) Ithink

Welcome to the forum, Tilltill !

There's a huge problem brewing here that you guys need to address immediately..............

Cats are unique in that they cannot use their body fat to sustain themselves in the absence of food..............if you or I were stranded on a desert island with nothing but water available, we could survive for a long period of time without eating because our bodies would begin to metabolize our supply of body fat to sustain us.......yes, we'd be considerably skinnier when we were rescued, but we'd have survived. Now, if a cat had been with us, the cat would have died. Here's why and what happens:

Like us, the cat's body system would turn to the body's fat for energy. However, a cat's liver does NOT have the ability to metabolize body fat efficiently....but, it keeps drawing in the body fat anyway and the liver becomes fatty itself and unable to function....and the cat will die. This unique-to-cats condition is commonly known as Fatty Liver Disease - more properly as Hepatic Lipidosis.

This condition begins to develop very quickly in cats - usually after just a few days...and, it can develop after a prolonged period of "simply" getting an insufficient amount of food.

I'd urge you to get this cat to a competent feline Vet as soon as possible....a blood test for liver values will tell whether/not this condition has begun.

The treatment is basically simple: provide adequate and the correct amount of food.....there will be other treatments as well (likely hydration, possibly a liver recovery supplement).

I would not be returning to the Vet who saw this cat previously.....obviously there was an inadequacy there - I wouldn't be trusting them again.

Is there a cat-only clinic nearby ?

If you're unsure, here's the American Association of Feline Practitioners' site where you can find a cat-only Vet: AAFP - Find Vets and Practices   ...DON'T check the red bar "Show me cat-friendly"

Don't wait on this...run, don't walk to a competent Vet !

- and, you really need to give serious thought to ditching the dry foods and using wet/canned....here's why: Feeding your Cat...the Basics of Feline Nutrition - Lisa A. Pierson DVM    (she's a reknowned Holistic Vet, btw)

 

[tilltill]

Thank you all! 

We have a vet appointment set up (with my vet, not his) so hopefully they can do some blood tests on her to figure out what's wrong. Until then, I'll feed her canned food because at least she eats it, even though she throws up later regardless. 

I'll update this thread after her appointment.

 

[katiekins]

I'm glad you have an appointment. I echo what White Shadow said. If you rule out anything physical (hyperthyroidism, IBD, pancreatitis, etc.) then it may very well be an allergy or something environmental. She definitely needs a full blood panel (a senior panel, since she's 9) to rule out any physical causes. My cat would vomit a lot too, before she was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism.

Good luck!

 

[stewball]

I'd start with a vet visit. Possibly with a different vet. With her age, bloodwork should be done too.

I'd be highly suspicious of IBD, a food intolerance or both.

If bloodwork and everything checks out fine, I might suggest putting kitty on a canned only, limited ingredient diet.

You took the words right out of my mouth.
Please see another vet. It definitely is not normal to vomit a few times a week.

 

[puck]

Specifically a blood chemistry, thyroid profile with at least T4 and free T4, and an abdominal ultrasound would be good initial work up for a chronically persistently vomiting cat. A regular small animal vet should be able to start there. A specialist isn't needed to order these diagnostics, but a different regular vet is needed, capable of considering a list of symptoms, perform a thorough exam, and thinking of a plan of diagnostics and treating the symptoms while the diagnostics are pending. Not all doctors are good diagnosticians.

Hyperthyroid disease, pancreatic insufficiency, partial GI obstruction (foreign body or mass) and irritable bowel are primary concerns with chronic vomiting. But, if it's been daily vomiting for just the last 2 weeks, and before that was closer to twice weekly, the increased acute vomiting would cause concern for neoplasia as an additional rule out.

Great that your bf is open to letting you help him with his cat, and she is going to benefit greatly from having a new set of eyes and hands caring for her, already apparent. Let us know about the diagnostic results! Good luck!

 

[tilltill]

Hi all,

Sorry it's taken me a while to update. My bf took the cat to the vet and they gave us FortiFlora to put on her food, an antibiotic and a dewormer. They took some blood tests that we are waiting to get the results from. The vet isn't sure what is causing her to vomit so much, but thought a food allergy could be a reason. She gave us the supplements to help if she has an infection or worms. She also thought it might be the stress of moving to a new place and living with another cat that is causing his cat to vomit more. 

Since she got back from the vet, we've separated the two cats while we're at work during the day so his cat can get some time alone without my kitten bothering her. As of today, she is still eating very little and yesterday she threw up. Before that she had gone three days (I think!) without throwing up after we gave her the supplements.  

So I guess nothing has changed yet, but I'm happy that we have a vet that's working with us to find out what's wrong. 

Have a good weekend!