My cat vomits frequently

[nala and snow]

hi everyone,

My 4 year old cat vomits/regurgitates about twice to 3 times a month. I picked her up from the street when she was just a kitten (around 3months old) and she has always done that. I have seen countless vets and none of them seem to take this seriously enough to investigate.
She makes this retching sound when she vomits that would give anyone nightmares. She lays about 3 to 5 vomits in a row, 1st one being solid food and the rest usually liquid. Sw always had

 

[nala and snow]

this site is not mobile friendly sorry... she always had unlimited food supply and I give her the best diet I can find here where I live. She doesn't eat fast but she doesn't seem to crunch on the food, instead she would swallow the pellets. She is on dry food since she refuses to eat quality wet food. Any idea how to resolve this, what I can ask the vet to do in terms of diagnosis?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi! Could she be eating too fast on those occasions when she throws up? Some cats will scarf down their food and then almost immediately vomit. You can try a DIY approach and place a golf ball in her food bowl so that she has to slow down as she eats around the ball. You can also use a muffin pan and place a bit in each cup, also slowing her down. There are slow feeder bowls designed for this as well.
Amazon.com: Slow Feeder Cat Dog Bowl Ceramic Cat Bowl Fun Interactive Feeder Bowl Preventing Pet Feeder Anti-Gulping Healthy Eating Diet Cat Bowls: Pet Supplies

The other possibility is that she has gone too long between meals and has stomach acids that have built up in her stomach.

 

[solomonar]

Plan a vet visit as a matter of urgency!

Although a gastritis is not lethal and easy treatable , in time can seriously damage the stomach.

And this is only one of many possible diseases.

A feline specialist vet is an option, I think.

===
Fe tips to the visit to the vet:
- Replace whole the dry food totally every 24 hours (throw away the old one and clean the bowl). Dry food can stale rapidly, it is meat after all.
- make sure there is no permanent cause of stress around (noise, etc)
- cease cleaning floors (to the time you will identify a cat-safe cleaning agent- in my place I can only find these ones only at the petshop)
- remove flowers from his/her place

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

When she does this, is it usually within 15 minutes or so of eating? If so, this is normally regurgitating rather than vomiting, and it is usually because they either ate too fast or too much. I have one guy who if he eats just one teeny bit too much will do this, so I have learned exactly how much I can put in his bowl at any one time. Plus I raise his bowl, which helps, along with the golf ball or slow feeder bowl.

I know you said she has unlimited food at all times, but does she tend to eat "meals" or does she graze? If she grazes, then I wouldn't think she is eating too fast OR too much at any one time, nor would I think she is going too long between meals, so then it becomes a mystery, particularly since it's only happening 2 - 3 times per month. Could it be related to hairballs? Cats with hairballs needing to be expelled will vomit if they can't get them out. Have you ever actually checked that first bit that comes out to see if there is a hairball in it? Or around the same time are you finding a hairball around the house? This is the only thing Ican really think of, and if that's the case, perhaps you can give her some hairball treatments regularly, plus brush her regularly.

 

[nala and snow]

When she does this, is it usually within 15 minutes or so of eating? If so, this is normally regurgitating rather than vomiting, and it is usually because they either ate too fast or too much. I have one guy who if he eats just one teeny bit too much will do this, so I have learned exactly how much I can put in his bowl at any one time. Plus I raise his bowl, which helps, along with the golf ball or slow feeder bowl.

I know you said she has unlimited food at all times, but does she tend to eat "meals" or does she graze? If she grazes, then I wouldn't think she is eating too fast OR too much at any one time, nor would I think she is going too long between meals, so then it becomes a mystery, particularly since it's only happening 2 - 3 times per month. Could it be related to hairballs? Cats with hairballs needing to be expelled will vomit if they can't get them out. Have you ever actually checked that first bit that comes out to see if there is a hairball in it? Or around the same time are you finding a hairball around the house? This is the only thing Ican really think of, and if that's the case, perhaps you can give her some hairball treatments regularly, plus brush her regularly.

Sometimes it is directly after eating and sometimes it is hours after... i haven't seen a pattern that would make me think she is eating too fast. I have tried to raise the bowl for the past 6 months and no dice. I will try to put something like a ball to slow down her eating but she is already a slow eater. I wonder if this could be some kind of allergy? I've tried changing her food 4 times in 4 years but it doesn't change the pattern. There is no hair ball at all when she regurgitates, it is purely food. And she usually goes straight to her food after the incident. The vet gave me some pills for acid stomach but it didn't help either :/

 

[FeebysOwner]

Allergies aren't going to come and go - unless they would coincide with the food changes. I am wondering if this just isn't a case of hairballs that she dislodges when she regurgitates/throws up. Feeby (16+ yo) mostly doesn't throw up, except maybe some liquid. But, she hacks as if she has a hairball, and 95% of the time, no hair is expelled. But, it only happens a couple of times a month. Gone on for years and years. So, I have resolved myself to think she is - as I said - dislodging the hairball, which then proceeds its way through her digestive tract.

 

[stephanietx]

Is she eating dry or canned? Is it fish or chicken flavored?