My remaining cat's changed eating behavior and vomiting

[trudilu]

Wasn't sure where to place this post - so I'll start here.  If anyone can recommend where else to post this, please advise.  Thanks.

I’m having some behavior as well as dietary/physical problems with my cat, Montana (9 yo).  First a brief history.  I lost a very special cat 3 months ago. I know I have been grieving so much; and I suspect so has Montana as they got along so well.

I fed them both the same thing for 9 years. A constant supply of Natural Balance dry food, and ½ small can of wet food in the evening (Wellness, Natural Balance).  I never saw any problems with their eating until everything changed and Montana is not the kind of cat that is easy to understand.

First & foremost, I noticed that Montana was vomiting more than he should be (at least once every other day).  Sometimes it was right after he ate; other times is was several hours later.  Simultaneously, he also began to be finicky with what he used to eat.  He suddenly stopped eating what he used to and I went through many cans/flavors to see what he would eat and narrow it down.  I finally narrowed it down to 2 things which he seemed to like.  Then, suddenly, I’d put these foods down and he’d turn away.  What he DOES want is those Purina Treats which I gave him after he ate sometimes.  It was the only thing he would eat and often I’d rather see him eat what’s good for him rather than just treats, but his crying for food, even when he’s hungry makes me give in sometimes and I give him the treats he wants.  I even started putting the treats inside the food and some on top. At first he went for that and I was relieved.  I found something that worked.  But now, that is failing and all he wants are the treats alone.  I did not think a cat could survive on just ‘treats’ until I brought him to my vet.

I brought him in because I was concerned about the vomiting, so he was examined and given a blood test and all came back normal.  I could give him an ultrasound to see if anything wrong with his GI tract, but I have a feeling it’s not that serious and the test is very expensive.  So, the vet is trying to diagnose what is commonly very difficult to diagnose.

When I told the vet about his predilection to just ‘treats’ – it was ironic because one of her cats eats just treats because, like Montana, it’s all her cat want to eat.  I’m thinking now if perhaps I put some vitamins in with the treats to meet his nutritional needs, that maybe it would be OK.

His behavior is another thing, but I won’t get into that here.  Right now, I just want him to eat what he’s used to eating (and he’s refusing) and to stop vomiting every other day.  If I refuse him treats because I want him to eat the regular food that he liked the day before, it becomes a standoff and he is relentless with his crying and looking up at me until I give in out of frustration.

I’m still going through a lot missing my soulcat and this problem is not making it any easier.  I want him to be happy & healthy.

To be honest, the combination of these 2 problems is driving me crazy.  I have wasted so much food and then when I finally do find food that he likes, a few days later, he doesn’t like it anymore.  I promised myself I wouldn’t give him any more treats – EVER – but he wins that battle so I can be left a lone for awhile.

 

[missmimz]

Based on the blood work being normal it sounds like IBD or an allergy to food. I would personally ween him off dry food and put him on something with limited ingredients like Nature's variety limited ingredients. Wet food is much easier to digest and has less additives thus its easier for cats with IBD to tolerate, or make your own food. I would also look into giving him a daily probiotic or possibly trying out slippery elm. In my experience most Vet's have little knowledge about cat food diets or food allergies so they're not really good in this category. Here's some info.

http://www.littlebigcat.com/health/slippery-elm/

http://catinfo.org/#Inflammatory_Bowel_Disease_(IBD)

 

[lisahe]

I second everything that missmimz wrote. We went through very similar issues--vomiting and not wanting to eat--with our previous cat, who turned out to have, most likely, IBD and lymphoma. (She was never properly diagnosed because she was elderly and frail, with multiple health problems. She's obviously very different from Montana in that her blood tests showed horrible white blood cell counts as well as mild kidney disease.)

I couldn't agree more about switching to only wet food, particularly since Natural Balance foods tend to have a lot of peas, which are carby. Cats can be sensitive to all sorts of ingredients--chicken, fish, or grains--so I wonder, too, if it might be possible to switch Montana from the Purina treats, which are probably mostly grains, to something healthier, like Pure Bites, which are just meat. Our cats was horribly obsessed with Temptations, which were probably the absolute worst thing for her, but we did get her eating healthier foods, which eased her symptoms in her last months. It sounds like you're catching this early with Montana, which is great!

Finally, I am very, very sorry to hear about losing your other cat. It is so difficult to let them go.

 

[trudilu]

Lisa,

I'm going to read the links that MissMiz wrote me.  I haven't gotten to them yet.

I think I might have confused some.  Montana no longer wanted to eat his dry food (natural balance).  So switching him to wet food was my goal. In the interim, I am a catsitter and found a dry food (prescription ) called CD that he actually eats but only when he's hungry in the AM - so if it's there, he will eat just a little which is ok.

I never HAD fed him the Purina treats before, so it's not as if I WANT to feed him that; but it's the ONLY food I can be sure of lately that he will eat - and  he has to eat.  So - what I have been doing over the last 3 months or so is trying out different wet foods to find at least 1 or 2 that he might like.  They both used to eat Wellness Chicken and/or Natural balance (1/2 can each in the evening).  Suddenly Montana walked away from just about everything, except those darned treats!  I guess or I hear that they are very addictive to cats.  I could try to switch to pure bites to see how he likes those if they're healthier.

So, the only reason I continue to give him the treats is so that he'll eat the wet food that I give him (at least the brands that he likes) and all I do is put 4-5 treats on top of the wet food, so he'll eat the wet food  + the treats.  This has been working (sometimes).  He often changes his mind about the wet food he likes.  But so far, he likes Nutre Chicken in Gravy, and the Weruva packets of chicken/coconut (I hear that's good for digestion).

I certainly might be able to find healthier foods, but the big issue is whether he will walk away or like it.  He has to eat so I have to give him what he likes.  If he doesn't like the healthier food, he simply won't eat it no matter how hungry he is.

I'm not sure where the voming is coming from.  It varies.  Sometimes, for example, I tried a different brand to see if he liked it, he ate it but threw it up after 5 minutes (can't say I blame him; it looked awful).  I try and feed him small amounts at time now, when he was used to getting 1/2 can of wet food in the evening.  Presently, I'm feeding him the Weruva packet for breakfast and 1/2 can of the Nutre chicken in the evening (topped with a few treats) so he will eat the wet food (sometimes he changes his mind about whether he likes it or not).

I was going to give him an ultrasound but it's very expensive plus after his blood work came back completely normal, I felt it was probably an allergy or related to nutrition or cat grieving.  Keep in mind that all these changes started happening after his buddy (and the love of my life) Coony died.

I'm keeping a log of what I feed him, when, if he throws up, how long, etc.  If he can stay with the current diet w/o vomiting, it's ok with me as long as it's ok with him.  They are both good brands.

I did try Natural balance fish flavor yesterday and was surprised that he ate it.  Didn't think he liked fish.  He's the only cat I've ever known that doesn't like shrimp or tuna.  I never anticipated this sort of difficulty, but I have to say he's a bit of a difficult cat altho I love him of course.

 

[trudilu]

I'm very worried.

Here's what just happened again.  Last night I gave Montana Wellness (fish flavored) with a few treats on top.  He ate it & was fine for that day.  This evening, I tried to give him the same food (after giving him Weruva this morning) and he smelled it & walked right away obviously looking for something else.  He did not eat it.  So, I tried Max Cat (lamp flavor) with a few treats on top.  This time I was pleased to see he ate it, and I was typing right now, he threw it all up right before my eyes. 

I have a 2-fold problem here, getting him to eat what he is willing to eat and why is he vomiting in the first place like this (my main source of concern).  So he hate tonight, but he lost it

Thanks,

Trudijane

 

[tobilei]

Does the vomiting almost always come shortly after eating or more often than not during the night when he hasn't eaten for hours?

I had a cat that was very similar. He'd been vomiting on and off for about a year, but I always thought it was hairballs. It was only every other month or so. By the time I noticed it was something more he was throwing up about once a fortnight to once every 3 weeks and more often than not turning his nose up at his food. He was diagnosed with IBD which over the year progressed to some kind of cancer (which doesn't always happen).
He mostly threw up in the early hours of the morning on an empty stomach.

With the C/D there's a similar one that smells and looks almost the same called Hills I/D for gastrointestinal. That might be helpful if you can't get him to eat wet food or anything else. They also make a canned stew that both my cats love (they don't like the standard cans, only the stew and the ingredients in it aren't horrendous although it is pricey).

 

 

[lisahe]

Our cat's illness progressed a lot like @Tobilei's... we, too, thought her problem was hairballs. She had all sorts of other signs--like itching and goopy ears--that were signs of food sensitivities but that her vets missed.

The question about when Montana is vomiting is a good one.

Also, @Trudilu, have you found any patterns in your food diary? Does Montana seem to get sick after eating a certain brand of food or a certain form of meat? Also, how often do you feed him? And do you usually feed him several kinds of food in one day?

What, exactly, are you feeding him now? It would be great to see a list of foods.

Just anecdotally, in our cat's case, switching her to only grain-free (and, later, fish-free) wet foods eased her symptoms significantly in her last months. (She had been sick and misdiagnosed for a long time and also had several illnesses, I just want to repeat that, just as Tobilei made sure to note that not all IBD progresses to cancer!) Every cat is different: sometimes it's fish or chicken or carrageenan or a gum or something else that makes them sick. One of our young cats vomits from eating potato, which is a common ingredient, so it's really important to read labels.

It might be helpful to try Montana on a "novel" protein he's never eaten, maybe something like duck or rabbit. That's a common strategy for cats with IBD. I realize he's not eating much but perhaps the vet could help with an anti-nausea medicine. I have no experience with anti-nausea drugs but other members do. Also, if you have any possibility of bringing Montana to a cat specialist that might be helpful, too. We take our new cats to a cat vet who is far more knowledgeable about cat nutrition than our previous cat's vets were.

 

[trudilu]

Does the vomiting almost always come shortly after eating or more often than not during the night when he hasn't eaten for hours?

***Since I've been keeping a log and watching him, most of the time, his vomiting comes 5-10 minutes after eating it (undigested). But there have been times that I remember, that the vomiting came much later (I think) because there was one time recently where he threw up on part of the bed in the middle of the night. I caught him heaving and I don't usually touch my cats when they are doing that, but if they are on the bed, I gently nudge them off I I have the chance. Big job to clean all the sheets, etc.Since I've been keeping a log and watching him, most of the time, his vomiting comes 5-10 minutes after eating it. But there have been times that I t usually touch my cats when they are doing that, but if they are on the bed, I gently nudge them off.

had a cat that was very similar. He'd been vomiting on and off for about a year, but I always thought it was hairballs. It was only every other month or so.

****I can tell the difference between hairball vomiting and digestion vomiting. Since he is a long-haired cat, even though I brush him, he still grooms like every other cat and occasionally throws up his hairballs. I'm not concerened with that too much.


By the time I noticed it was something more he was throwing up about once a fortnight to once every 3 weeks and more often than not turning his nose up at his food. He was diagnosed with IBD

****What exactly is IBD? I downloaded an article about it, but plan on reading it tonight. How was your cat diagnosed with IBD? Would an ultrasound reveal anyting related to that? I've been refraining from doing that right now because it's very expensive and the vet thinks we should try other things before doing that. His blood test came back normal. But I will if necessary.


which over the year progressed to some kind of cancer (which doesn't always happen).
He mostly threw up in the early hours of the morning on an empty stomach.

****In the wake of Coony's passing, I'm very stressed right now because my 2nd cat is sick and I don't know what to do for him. So of course I would not want this to happen. I want to help me now, but I don't know how or from whom. He was hungry this morning. The night before I just gave him some treats a few hours after he vomited as I knew he was hungry and felt bad. This momrning he just ate a bit of the Weruva Coconut packet, but not much of it. I know he's really prefer the treats. I hope I can tell you his progress or not here as the days go by (beause I'm going crazy)!

With the C/D there's a similar one that smells and looks almost the same called Hills I/D for gastrointestinal. That might be helpful if you can't get him to eat wet food or anything else. They also make a canned stew that both my cats love (they don't like the standard cans, only the stew and the ingredients in it aren't horrendous although it is pricey).

****He eats the dry food C/D or I/D (the prescription dry food) but only after he won't eat the wet food. I've been told that cats don't really need dry food that much, bbut they need their wet food. So, could you give me any suggestions as to what wet food my cat may like? I need to find a wet food that he likes plus doesn't throw up. What and where can I find this stew you mentioned. I don't care if it's pricy; as long as it works. More later.

Could you also tell me where to get this stew that you referred to? Name? Brand? Thanks

 

[trudilu]

Our cat's illness progressed a lot like @Tobilei
's... we, too, thought her problem was hairballs. She had all sorts of other signs--like itching and goopy ears--that were signs of food sensitivities but that her vets missed.

The question about when Montana is vomiting is a good one.

Also, @Trudilu
, have you found any patterns in your food diary? Does Montana seem to get sick after eating a certain brand of food or a certain form of meat?

*****There is only 2 things that he is willing to eat right now (other than treats). I've tried different meats (lamb, duck, chicken, turkey, etc. +fish flavors, and one that he will eat (other times he'll walk away which drives me crazy) is a brand called Nutre which contains minced chicken with gravy. I usually put about 5 treats within & on top of the food so ensure that he will eat it and not walk away. Sometimes he doesn't throw it up, other times he does so it's hard to analyze.

Also, how often do you feed him? And do you usually feed him several kinds of food in one day?

****When his buddy was alive, they ate side by side (a little bit of dry food all day long; they never overate) + 1/2 small can wet foor (Wellness usually or Natural Balance Ultra). There WERE no problems. Now, not only is there a problem with what he wants to eat but if he'll throw it up or not. I also just fed them both in the evening (wet food). Now, Montana seems to want food in the AM (about 10AM-12) AND evening so I give him one kind of food in the AM (Weruva Packet of chicken pumpkin). He eats it, but not much of it and I've never seen him throw that up (I don't think.). At night, he won't eat the same thing, so I try the Nutre with the treats on top for variety. Whether he throw it up or not or even wants to eat it depends on (I don't know what).

Now last night, I had an extra can of MaxCat (Chicken) since I ran out of nutre and gave him 1/2 small can. He gobbled that up very quickly and threw it all up 5 minutes later. I'm not going back to Max Cat which he once seemed to enjoy.

What, exactly, are you feeding him now? It would be great to see a list of foods.

****What was I feeding him would be more like it - you name it - lots of healthy brands, different types of flavors - more digestable wet foods...many that I had to throw away because he'd walk away.

Just anecdotally, in our cat's case, switching her to only grain-free (and, later, fish-free) wet foods eased her symptoms significantly in her last months. (She had been sick and misdiagnosed for a long time and also had several illnesses, I just want to repeat that, just as Tobilei made sure to note that not all IBD progresses to cancer!) Every cat is different: sometimes it's fish or chicken or carrageenan or a gum or something else that makes them sick. One of our young cats vomits from eating potato, which is a common ingredient, so it's really important to read labels.

Could you give me some examples of foods that are grain-free? How do I get an adequate diagnosis in the first place ???

It might be helpful to try Montana on a "novel" protein he's never eaten, maybe something like duck or rabbit. That's a common strategy for cats with IBD.

***I did that. It doesn't seem to make that much difference. I'm not sure what will.

I realize he's not eating much but perhaps the vet could help with an anti-nausea medicine. I have no experience with anti-nausea drugs but other members do. Also, if you have any possibility of bringing Montana to a cat specialist that might be helpful, too. We take our new cats to a cat vet who is far more knowledgeable about cat nutrition than our previous cat's vets were.

****I could try experimenting with anti-nausea drugs (the vet said we could try that); before that he was just on Pepsid AC 1/4 tab in his food. Didn't seem to do any good. I liked the vet, but what kind of vet feeds her own cat just 'treats' because he won't eat anything else!!?? I was astonished when I heard this because, that's what I'm trying to avoid doing. But that's what he likes and he's not throwing up (either). I was thinking that perhaps he could be fed that along with special vitamins in pill pockets so he's sound nutritionally.

I'm going to ask her to refer me to a specialist but she said that often vomiting in cats is hard to diagnose. Again, how does one diagnose IBD ??? How do I know if my cat has this? Would anyone give their cat an ultrasound at this point?

 

[lisahe]

Could you give me some examples of foods that are grain-free? How do I get an adequate diagnosis in the first place ???

I'm going to just focus on these two questions for now since it's been a very long day! 

Grain-free foods don't have any wheat, corn, rice, barley, oat, or other grain ingredients. So no wheat or corn gluten and no other forms of the grains I mentioned. Weruva's foods are all grain-free, Nutro Natural Choice is grain-free, Merrick's limited ingredient diet foods are grain free, and Fancy Feast Classics are grain-free. Those are just a few examples. Dealing with digestive issues is a real lesson in reading cat food labels!

As for diagnoses: I think it takes a biopsy but I don't know since our cat was not in any shape to have anything substantive done. I know there are lots of people on the site who have their cats diagnosed, though. So, let's try paging two of them who are advisors: @mrsgreenjeens @Denice do you have any ideas? Thank you!

 

[missmimz]

It could just be scarf and barf if he ate the food he liked really quickly and them vomited it right back up. 

 

[trudilu]

 
I'm going to just focus on these two questions for now since it's been a very long day! 

Grain-free foods don't have any wheat, corn, rice, barley, oat, or other grain ingredients. So no wheat or corn gluten and no other forms of the grains I mentioned. Weruva's foods are all grain-free, Nutro Natural Choice is grain-free, Merrick's limited ingredient diet foods are grain free, and Fancy Feast Classics are grain-free. Those are just a few examples. Dealing with digestive issues is a real lesson in reading cat food labels!

As for diagnoses: I think it takes a biopsy but I don't know since our cat was not in any shape to have anything substantive done. I know there are lots of people on the site who have their cats diagnosed, though. So, let's try paging two of them who are advisors: @mrsgreenjeens @Denice do you have any ideas? Thank you!

Lisa,

I understand. I have been feeding at least one Weruve packet (the yellow one) chicken pumpkin ... sort of yellowish & stringy.  He seems to be OK with that but eats very little of it (about 1/4 can in AM).  I've tried a few other Weruva brands, but for most of them he walks away (meaning he just doesn't want to eat it).  Are you referring to Nutro or Nutre?  I've been told that Fancy Feast foods are not good for cats, in general.  Don't know if I mentioned I was a cat-sitter.  Well, tonight, I brought home and tried out: Tiki Cat (Chicken with Duck) Grain Free.  He ate mostly all of it after he turned away from what normally likes (which is Nutre Chicken with Gravy).  Not sure if that's grain free of not.  But, from now on, I'll experiment with strictly grain free wet food, hope he eats it & doesn't throw up.  So far so good.  He hasn't thrown the Tiki food.

As for diagnosis, the first thing the vet did was blood work.  I was happy to see that it was normal...no kidney problems, and other problems derived from this test.  I 'could' give him an ultrasound to rule out any gastrointestinal upsets, but I've been putting it off since it's a very expensive test and since he throwing up before digesting it, my gut tells me he doesn't have a gastrointestinal problem...but if it persists over the next month, i probably will have him get one.  A biopsy is way to invasive to any cat.

I think our recent history should be kept in mind.  For 9 years, I fed Coony (my beloved cat) & Montana both dry food and wet food in the evening.  Never a problem; of course they both threw up here & there, but they were both long-haired and threw up many hairballs.  Very rarely their food.  So - could the loss of Coony be a factor?  What about an anti-emetic?  I hope you all work with me in keeping Montana healthy.  It hurt enough to lose my favorite can of all time; it's just very stressful to have the other one being sick at all.  What Coony had and very suddenly was too serious to even consider treating yet he showed no signs of illness until it was too late.

 

[tobilei]

Hairball vomiting generally produces hairballs. If he's hacking all the time and never bringing anything up, it's probably not a hairball. Foamy white vomit is often stomach bile. If he's regurgitating instantly that's often eating too quickly (but not always).

You probably don't NEED an ultrasound at this point. There's a wonderful website called IBDKitties (if you google it it will show up in the first few results). I think it's a .net address. The girl who runs it is amazing. She's nursed many IBD kitties of her own and dedicates her time to helping others (there is also a facebook group). She has a list of suitable foods on her website as well as anti nausea medications etc. Does he get diarrhea as well or just the vomiting?

The stew I mentioned it made by Hills. It's called Hills I/D chicken and vegetable stew. The company if you contact them in your country will be able to tell you where to buy it (I'm in Australia) or your vet can usually order it in for you if you ask.

If he's fussy the fancy feast is okay but make sure you buy the classic one's (although even in Australia most of those have cereals so read the labels before you buy). And yes, fish can be rather irritating so try and stick to chicken flavours.

My boy doesn't like Weruva/Cats in the Kitchen either for some reason. He refuses to eat any of the expensive healthy brands (sigh).

Hope some of this at least is helpful.

 

[bonepicker]

Lisa,
I understand. I have been feeding at least one Weruve packet (the yellow one) chicken pumpkin ... sort of yellowish & stringy.  He seems to be OK with that but eats very little of it (about 1/4 can in AM).  I've tried a few other Weruva brands, but for most of them he walks away (meaning he just doesn't want to eat it).  Are you referring to Nutro or Nutre?  I've been told that Fancy Feast foods are not good for cats, in general.  Don't know if I mentioned I was a cat-sitter.  Well, tonight, I brought home and tried out: Tiki Cat (Chicken with Duck) Grain Free.  He ate mostly all of it after he turned away from what normally likes (which is Nutre Chicken with Gravy).  Not sure if that's grain free of not.  But, from now on, I'll experiment with strictly grain free wet food, hope he eats it & doesn't throw up.  So far so good.  He hasn't thrown the Tiki food.

As for diagnosis, the first thing the vet did was blood work.  I was happy to see that it was normal...no kidney problems, and other problems derived from this test.  I 'could' give him an ultrasound to rule out any gastrointestinal upsets, but I've been putting it off since it's a very expensive test and since he throwing up before digesting it, my gut tells me he doesn't have a gastrointestinal problem...but if it persists over the next month, i probably will have him get one.  A biopsy is way to invasive to any cat.

I think our recent history should be kept in mind.  For 9 years, I fed Coony (my beloved cat) & Montana both dry food and wet food in the evening.  Never a problem; of course they both threw up here & there, but they were both long-haired and threw up many hairballs.  Very rarely their food.  So - could the loss of Coony be a factor?  What about an anti-emetic?  I hope you all work with me in keeping Montana healthy.  It hurt enough to lose my favorite can of all time; it's just very stressful to have the other one being sick at all.  What Coony had and very suddenly was too serious to even consider treating yet he showed no signs of illness until it was too late.

The treats add to the grain (vomiting) switch to Purebites freeze dried chicken (get large dog size) online. Tiki, Nutro natural choice chunky chicken, Merrick pate chicken or duck, pride rockstar rabbit. Vomiting should slow down.

 

[lisahe]

You probably don't NEED an ultrasound at this point. There's a wonderful website called IBDKitties (if you google it it will show up in the first few results). I think it's a .net address. The girl who runs it is amazing. She's nursed many IBD kitties of her own and dedicates her time to helping others (there is also a facebook group). She has a list of suitable foods on her website as well as anti nausea medications etc. Does he get diarrhea as well or just the vomiting?
 

Thank you, Tobilei, for mentioning IBDKitties, I totally forgot about that site, which is incredibly helpful!

 
Hairball vomiting generally produces hairballs. If he's hacking all the time and never bringing anything up, it's probably not a hairball. Foamy white vomit is often stomach bile. If he's regurgitating instantly that's often eating too quickly (but not always).

Exactly. And I couldn't agree with you more about the use of "but not always" and "probably".

@Trudilu: Tiki food is great so fingers crossed that maybe Montana will eat that without problem. And I'm referring to Nutro food... I've never heard of Nutre food!

 

[trudilu]

The treats add to the grain (vomiting) switch to Purebites freeze dried chicken (get large dog size) online. Tiki, Nutro natural choice chunky chicken, Merrick pate chicken or duck, pride rockstar rabbit. Vomiting should slow down.

First, I've never witnesses Montana vomiting after he eats those treats. He likes them and he doesn't vomit ??? Re: Purebites freeze dried chicken, is it only available online? Is this the brand name? Where are the other items you mentioned available? Thank you..
Trudi

 

[trudilu]

You probably don't NEED an ultrasound at this point.

***Why do you say he probably doesn't need one at this point? I feel like I haven't covered all my bases.

There's a wonderful website called IBDKitties (if you google it it will show up in the first few results). I think it's a .net address. The girl who runs it is amazing. She's nursed many IBD kitties of her own and dedicates her time to helping others (there is also a facebook group). She has a list of suitable foods on her website as well as anti nausea medications etc. Does he get diarrhea as well or just the vomiting?

******Sounds great. I'll google IBDKitties. Also, again, how is IBD diagnosed? How do I know that this is what's wrong? Montana does not get diarhhea - just vomiting.

IIf he's hacking all the time and never bringing anything up, it's probably not a hairball. Foamy white vomit is often stomach bile. If he's regurgitating instantly that's often eating too quickly (but not always).

*******If he hacks or he reveals he trying to throw something up or about to, he usually does. I have never seen him hacking w/o anything coming up. Occasionally he vomits a hairball, but that's not my concern right now. I usually feed him a little at a time, and I don't think he eats too quickly - but I suppose if he gets hungry enough, he might which could also cause vomiting.

@Trudilu: Tiki food is great so fingers crossed that maybe Montana will eat that without problem. And I'm referring to Nutro food... I've never heard of Nutre food!

The Tiki brand I served him last night worked. Although he hate about 1/4 can, he ate it and did not throw up. I'll try it again tonight. Let me check the labels I have on the Nutro/Nutre food. I mentioned that one of the foods that he liked (but often changes his mind) is Nutre Chicken with Gravy.

*******If I can find just one healthy wet food that he eats daily w/o throwing up, the problem will be solved. One of the reasons it's so difficult is because I think I have and then the next time he may walk away (drives me crazy). He will ALWAY eat those treat though!

 

[trudilu]

Hairball vomiting generally produces hairballs. If he's hacking all the time and never bringing anything up, it's probably not a hairball. Foamy white vomit is often stomach bile. If he's regurgitating instantly that's often eating too quickly (but not always).

He doesn't eat quickly, but does throw up quickly after eating something (most of thhe time, not all of the time though)


You probably don't NEED an ultrasound at this point.
There's a wonderful website called IBDKitties (if you google it it will show up in the first few results). I think it's a .net address. The girl who runs it is amazing. She's nursed many IBD kitties of her own and dedicates her time to helping others (there is also a facebook group). She has a list of suitable foods on her website as well as anti nausea medications etc. Does he get diarrhea as well or just the vomiting?

How is IBD diagnoses? No diarrhea....

The stew I mentioned it made by Hills. It's called Hills I/D chicken and vegetable stew. The company if you contact them in your country will be able to tell you where to buy it (I'm in Australia) or your vet can usually order it in for you if you ask.

The person that I cat-sit for has I/d food. Perhaps I'll borrow a can or 2 and see how Montana reacts to it.

If he's fussy the fancy feast is okay but make sure you buy the classic one's (although even in Australia most of those have cereals so read the labels before you buy). And yes, fish can be rather irritating so try and stick to chicken flavours.


My boy doesn't like Weruva/Cats in the Kitchen either for some reason. He refuses to eat any of the expensive healthy brands (sigh).

One day Montana like it; the next day he passes. Some days lately, I wish cats could talk. I wish I knew what he wanted/needed.

Thanks

Hope some of this at least is helpful.

 

[bonepicker]

First, I've never witnesses Montana vomiting after he eats those treats. He likes them and he doesn't vomit ??? Re: Purebites freeze dried chicken, is it only available online? Is this the brand name? Where are the other items you mentioned available? Thank you..
Trudi

In my a
Area Cleveland the large size (dogs) is only available online at chewy.com Amazon. Com etc all the food mentioned is available online also. Nutro natural choice available at pet smart, petco, pet supply plus, Merrick at petco and pet supply plus, tiki at pet supply plus, red barn online, pride petco, pet supply plus

 

[trudilu]

In my a
Area Cleveland the large size (dogs) is only available online at chewy.com Amazon. Com etc all the food mentioned is available online also. Nutro natural choice available at pet smart, petco, pet supply plus, Merrick at petco and pet supply plus, tiki at pet supply plus, red barn online, pride petco, pet supply plus

You mentioned Nutro Natural choice....This is one of the foods I have been feeding him which he liked (It's Nutro Chicken Cuisine in Tasty).  He likes this sometimes; other times, he doesn't (I don't know what to make of his finickiness).  I also think he threw up shortly after eating it one time (but I could be wrong).  This was one of the foods that I narrowed it down to along with Weruva Chicken Packet (in a yellow packet).  Altho, I gave him the Weruva this morning, and he just didn't eat it.  I don't know why.  I get Nutro at Petco and the Weruva at a specialty pet store.

I'll also check out the other foods you mentioned.  Thanks.