Why is my cat throwing up?? / pancreatitis

[Patty Hiller]

My 10 year old tortie throws up about once or twice a week in the early morning hours - usually between 3am and 7am. Her vomit is clear and frothy. Sometimes there is a little hair in it, but very little. I have tried feeding her right before bed thinking that her stomach juices were upsetting her empty stomach, but that did not help. I leave food out for her all night incase she needs to eat to settle her stomach, but that doesn't work. Does anyone have any ideas??

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi
This is too frequently plus you've tried a couple good ideas already.

Is she getting canned food? Would a change of variety or even brand help? She may need a vet check.

 

[Patty Hiller]

She is eating Darwins raw cat food and is generally quite healthy. So I think you are right: a trip to the vet is in our future. Thanks for your reply.

 

[Furballsmom]

Let us know how things go

 

[FeebysOwner]

Seems pretty 'routine' as in the pattern, to me. I know what you said you feed her, but is there anything, however slightly different, on those days? Do you give her anything for hairballs, and/or brush her regularly?

 

[Patty Hiller]

Yes, I have fiddled with the diet and the timing of her food. I do brush her regularly and she gets anti-furball stuff during the shedding season. But her puking pattern is the same whether or not she has fur in her stomach. Sometimes she goes out on the balcony and eats some grass to facilitate her puking, so I think her stomach must feel bad. I did take her to the vet in August for the same problem but the vet was stumped. Maybe this is just my life now??? But I wish she wouldn't vomit on the bed when I am in it. It is so distressing to wake up wet!!

 

[LTS3]

You can ask the vet about the possibility of IBD and other gastrointestinal issues.

What protein is the Darwin's raw food? Cats with gastrointestinal issues often have super sensitive tummies and certain proteins can irritate the tummy.

 

[Meowmee]

My 10 year old tortie throws up about once or twice a week in the early morning hours - usually between 3am and 7am. Her vomit is clear and frothy. Sometimes there is a little hair in it, but very little. I have tried feeding her right before bed thinking that her stomach juices were upsetting her empty stomach, but that did not help. I leave food out for her all night incase she needs to eat to settle her stomach, but that doesn't work. Does anyone have any ideas??

Its hard to say because it could be many issues. I found the freeze dried raw foods made all my cats throw up and any raw food made my beloved wizarduni throw up more. He had gastro lymphoma and first ibd. He was fiv plus but he lived till 21 or so.

 

[Meowmee]

Yes, I have fiddled with the diet and the timing of her food. I do brush her regularly and she gets anti-furball stuff during the shedding season. But her puking pattern is the same whether or not she has fur in her stomach. Sometimes she goes out on the balcony and eats some grass to facilitate her puking, so I think her stomach must feel bad. I did take her to the vet in August for the same problem but the vet was stumped. Maybe this is just my life now??? But I wish she wouldn't vomit on the bed when I am in it. It is so distressing to wake up wet!!

Maybe some furball gel to help if she is longhair. My Quinn is a sh and pb siamese but he gets constipated and needs that sometimes.

 

[lisahe]

I agree with LTS3 that it's worth asking about IBD. You might also ask about parasites -- one of our cats also had a strange vomiting pattern that worsened and may have been caused by parasites. An ultrasound showed lots of inflammation in her stomach but no cause could be determined, even after some of her stomach was removed and biopsied. An ultrasound can be very helpful in at least having a shadowy sense of what is happening. Among other things, it can show signs of IBD.

We, too had fiddled with dietary changes, hairball remediation, and feeding schedules -- Edwina's about your cat's age and we'd previously been through episodes that these measures resolved -- but nothing helped for very long. Unfortunately, we'll never know what, exactly, went wrong in her stomach but we'll be giving her Panacur dewormer treatment several times a year from now on since she loves eating bugs especially, crickets, which can carry parasites that apparently don't always/often come up in tests.

Good luck, I hope your vet is able to help you resolve the problem soon!

 

[Patty Hiller]

Thanks to everyone who is helping me sort out the problem for Cricket Little Paws. I'll try to get a vet appointment tomorrow and keep you posted. I really appreciate your help.

 

[lisahe]

Thanks to everyone who is helping me sort out the problem for Cricket Little Paws. I'll try to get a vet appointment tomorrow and keep you posted. I really appreciate your help.

I hope you can get a quick appointment for her!

 

[Patty Hiller]

Thank you. We did get an appointment for this afternoon. I'll keep you posted.

 

[Astragal14]

This sounds like Bilious Vomiting Syndrome. It's a good idea to have your cat seen by a vet because it often accompanies other GI issues. My cat with IBD also has BVS. I've also read that raw food is digested faster than canned wet or dry foods but I can't find the source for that now (will update if I find the info). That's definitely not a reason to stop feeding raw food! It's just something to be aware of when dealing with BVS.

Stomaching the Problem: Could Your Pet Have Bilious Vomiting Syndrome?

Bilious vomiting syndrome (BVS) is a term sometimes used to describe a condition where dogs vomit yellow fluid (called bile) or froth but not food after not eating for a long period of time (which for most dogs is typically early in the morning after not eating overnight)...

For some dogs, it is thought that the fasting period between dinner and breakfast the following morning can result in some of the fluid from their intestines flowing backward into their stomach, which can lead to irritation, nausea, and vomiting.

My Cat is Vomiting - What Do I Do?
We manage our cat's BVS through timed meals and slippery elm. Slippery Elm is a supplement that helps manage stomach acid, we use Animal Essentials single ingredient slippery elm but there are many other options to choose from.

Do you use a timed feeder for her overnight food? If she's anything like my cat then the food is gone within minutes from a regular bowl. We started giving our cat a very early snack and haven't had a single episode of BVS, and are currently trying a new timed feeder that is working so far.

Cat Mate Automatic Feeder

 

[Patty Hiller]

That is such helpful information. Thank you very much. I love the part about slippery elm. My vet has had her on famotadine, but that has not helped and I would prefer something natural.

 

[Patty Hiller]

It seems my puking cat Cricket Little Paws has pancreatitis. Does anyone know anything about that?

 

[FeebysOwner]

How did they determine pancreatitis? And didn't they give you a protocol to follow?

Normally, it is treated with anti-nausea meds, appetite stimulants, and sub-Q fluids. Eating is absolutely essential, as is hydration. With vomiting, Cerenia is usually prescribed, but sometimes ondansetron can work better.

Baby food meat (Gerber Stage 2 or Beechnut) might be something to try to see if your cat can keep that down. A lot of sick cats will eat it and sometimes it can jumpstart them to eating other foods.

 

[Patty Hiller]

How did they determine pancreatitis? And didn't they give you a protocol to follow?

Normally, it is treated with anti-nausea meds, appetite stimulants, and sub-Q fluids. Eating is absolutely essential, as is hydration. With vomiting, Cerenia is usually prescribed, but sometimes ondansetron can work better.

Baby food meat (Gerber Stage 2 or Beechnut) might be something to try to see if your cat can keep that down. A lot of sick cats will eat it and sometimes it can jumpstart them to eating other foods.

They did a blood test and her pancreatic levels were off. That's what the hospital says. Our vet won't be in until tomorrow when they will probably give a protocol.

Cricket has a healthy appetite and eats whatever she is given. And she always keeps her food down. The problem is that en the early morning hours when her stomach is empty, she throws up clear frothy stuff.

Thanks for your help!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Tbh, that doesn't sound like 'normal' pancreatitis. But, hey, my cat has some illnesses, and she doesn't fit the normal signs either. Nonetheless, when my cat had a tendency to throw up frothy stuff in the early morning, it seemed to be because she could not tolerate going too many hours without food. We ended up adding baby food meat to her regimen very late at night, and that stopped her from throwing in the early AM. She just needed something in her stomach so that the acids did not build up.

 

[lisahe]

It seems my puking cat Cricket Little Paws has pancreatitis. Does anyone know anything about that?

I don't know much about pancreatitis, though I did read up on it a bit when Edwina was sick, wondering if she might have it... what always sticks in my mind is that it is sometimes accompanied by IBD.

This PDF from Idexx sums up a lot about pancreatitis, including treatments. https://www.idexx.com/files/spec-fpl-treatment-for-feline-pancreatitis.pdf

Our cats, too, both occasionally throw up frothy stomach acid if they get too hungry. Like FeebysOwner 's cat, they're generally fine as long as they don't go too long without food.

I hope you're able to get some helpful advice from your vet tomorrow, P Patty Hiller .