Cat has been throwing up fairly often and not sure why...

[dracoe19]

I have 2 indoor cats at college at the moment and one of them has been throwing up often enough to make my roommate and I worry. When he throws up it usually a little while after he eats but there are occasions when he pukes in the middle of the day (or at least that's when we find it). The throw up is obviously food and you can even still see the individual kibbles. It's just a tan mass of food. He has his appetite (sometimes even trying to go back for more food after throwing up), he is a plump cat, completely normal except for the puking. I have cut back on their food a bit because Chooch (the cat throwing up) can be a gluten. They are fed only once a day at night the amount of maybe 1 cup give or take a little bit. I have cut it back to around 1/2 cup and going to try twice a day feeding. The food we use does not have corm meal as the first ingredient too. We give them good food but not the super high end food. We tried cheap food once and it gave our cats horrible diarrhea and they smelled horrid. I really don't think it is their food. They have had the same food for about 2 months and this just started. Any ideas? Speak of the devil he LITERALLY just threw up next to me after eating.... I wanted to ask others before I rush them to the vet for something silly or easily treated at home. I'm going to ask my mom but it's to late in the night so I'll ask he in the morning. I know some may say "Just go to the vet" but my roommate and I are a tad pressed for money this month and don't want to spend $200+ at the vet if we don't absolutely have to. If he needs to go to the vet we will scrap the money up and take him we just don't want to jump the gun. Any ideas on why he is throwing up? Could it be he is eating way to much way to fast? Thanks ahead for the advise!

 

[chickentooth]

Cats throw up for multiple reasons. Usually a digestive problem of some sort. I would ask what kind of food you are feeding? Wet or dry, dry is much better on a cats stomach, canned food can be to rich for somes stomach. From there I would think about blockages like fur balls ect, is it a long haired cat they are more prone to fur balls, you can buy cat lax at any pet store and it wouldn't hurt to giv it even if that is not the problem, you could try it. Also how is the cats stool, worms usually will be visible in vomit but sometimes only visible in the poop. They can be de-wormed also from a pet supply for most worms, but look for worms first. finally over eating can make them puke especially on canned food, I think twice a day is better than once a day on food.

So i would check the stool
give dry food twice daily
plenty of water
no milk or dairy
get some cat lax and give for a few days if it works great
you can also check the intestines for blockages by feeling around with your hand looking for tender spots and or hard spots.
if the stool is hard the cat lax will also help
if the stool is soft probably a worm of some sort or food related digestion problem
Also think if there is anyhing the cat might be getting into to make it sick.

hope your kitty is better soon, the vet is obviously a great option also but you can do a lot with simple treatments as long as it's not an emergency.

 

[dracoe19]

>We feed dry food. Can't think of brand at the moment... No wet food. I know to much wet food is bad for them.
>ill try the 2 times daily feeding rather than the once a day
>No dairy for cats in this household lol
>Ill get some of that to give him
>ill check his stomach too (if I can feel through his fat lol)
>So far his poop looks okay. A little soft but I don't see worms.

He's actually a short hair. Our long haired boy is totally fine! I think he has a really sensitive stomach. I may try switching his food to the "sensitive stomach" diet as well. Thank you for all the help! Hopefully mr. Chooch the fatty won't need to go to the vet. Ill keep everyone updated about him.

 

[RoostersCrow HensDeliver!]

I went through this with my indoor cat about a month after I got him. I had him a good but not great cat food. My barn cat never had problems with it. Well Toby took about a month to develop problems with this food. At first I thought it was hairballs (I've never had an indoor cat). So he got a bath and I got him a furminator and spent 15 minutes a day grooming him. That didn't help. Then I got him a hairball gel for topping his food, that didnt do anything. So finally I switched his food 4Health dry food to Chicken Soup for the Cat Lovers Soul ( a mouthful I know ) dry cat food. He completely stopped throwing up a couple days after the switch, it was AMAZING! And a plus is that that brand of food is way better quality for almost the same price.

 

[dracoe19]

I had him on that last time then couldn't find that food when I went out again. I'm going to search for that kind again and see of it is food along with doing the other stuff . Wish me luck!

 

[RoostersCrow HensDeliver!]

Good luck! Not many stores carry it, but it's worth it to go to a specialty pet store. ( I know Pet Supplies Plus carries it.)

 

[bock]

Wet food is actually MUCH better for cats btw. Casper, however, refuses it outright, so we have to feed him try TOTW, or he would just starve himself. Luckily, he is naturally thin, but I really worry about urinary tract stones since he is a male and does not consume near enough liquid (dry food is about 10% moisture, wet food is 78%-80%). When Tigger and Bella get to the dry food is when we have puke, almost always with whole kibble chunks inside.

 

[chickentooth]

Dry food is better and healthier. Simply because it keeps their teeth in better shape as they age. Wet food cakes in the back of the mouth and slowly rots the teeth. Also most canned food is rich and can lead to more stomach problems. When your cat gets old or is old and having trouble eating dry food then wet food makes sense. A lot of cats gulp dry food without chewing it and that is when you get the full pieces and vomit.

 

[Stacykins]

Dry food is better and healthier. Simply because it keeps their teeth in better shape as they age. Wet food cakes in the back of the mouth and slowly rots the teeth. Also most canned food is rich and can lead to more stomach problems. When your cat gets old or is old and having trouble eating dry food then wet food makes sense. A lot of cats gulp dry food without chewing it and that is when you get the full pieces and vomit.

Sorry, this is absolute nonsense. Plaque buildup happens in cats regardless of what food is fed. Saying that a cat will have cleaner teeth by eating dry food is the same as saying eating crunchy potato chips gives us cleaner teeth. The food does not stay caked on the teeth, it is quickly swallowed like all other food with little residue. In fact, dry food leaves a lot of residue between their teeth as the granules are crunched up.

So whatever food a cat is fed, they still need proper oral care such as routine teeth brushing. Yes, I brush my cat's teeth.

In reality, wet food is healthier for a cat for an incredibly important reason. HYDRATION. Yes, hydration. Cats were domesticated from a desert cat, whose physiology was designed to get most of its water from the flesh of its prey. Domestic cats have not changed in that regard. So if cats are fed a diet of only dry food, they become chronically dehydrated. They have such a low thirst drive (from said desert adapted physiology) that a cat just will not drink enough water to make up for the difference. By feeding them a diet of either wet food or raw (whole prey, frakenprey, whatever) they will get the moisture they need.

A cat who is chronically dehydrated will die young because of renal problems. Renal crystals and stones are more likely to form. Renal failure can happen due to chronic dehydration. So even if wet food caused more plaque buildup than dry, I'd rather have a cat live longer because they are well hydrated and on wet food.

Also, wet food isn't more 'rich'. It is meat! All meat, in the very best brands. This is MUCH better for a cat. Why? Cats are obligate carnivores. They are designed to eat 100% meat as their diet. Dry food, because of the nature of it, has a lot of plant based carbohydrates to make it 'stick' together. They need something to glue the dried and powdered foods together, so a grain source is used for that. So guess what? Dry food can lead to a diabetic cat, because they aren't designed to ingest plant based sugars!

I know of a great article that explains this. So I will be searching for it. Actually, I know of several. I'll go searching for them now, so I can backup what I say with sources.

 

[wyoDreamer]

My vet told me to switch to wet food for my cats since they are getting older. However, unless it is in the dogs food dish, they will not eat wet food. I had them refuse to eat for two days before I broke down and gave them their dry food back. We feed twice a day - one cat is a piggy and will eat till she pops. I may try a scoop of moist food on the dry in evening and see if they will eat it that way. They do drink plenty of water. They have water by the food and
My male cat has started to vomit - sometimes after eating, sometimes in the middle of the day - just like your cat. Last time he started this, we switched to a hairball formula dry food and he stopped vomitting but he is somewhat long haired and it was hairballs the first time - we could see hair in the vomit. He hasn't lost any weight and seems to be just as energetic as usual. We have been monitoring his water intake because I am worried that it may be something serious but so far, he drinks alot, but not more than he always has.

If your cat is drinking excessily, then definately take to the vet as soon as you can.