My cat has been throwing up almost everyday since we got a kitten. What could be the problem?

Question

Okay, here's everything i know so i can help figure out the problem. We have a 4 year old female cat. We have had her for her entire life, and she lives indoors only. She is always up to date with vet appointments, etc, has no medical problems. She has been eating the same brand cat food (Meow Mix) since she was able to eat solid foods, so pretty much for the last 4 years.

We got a male kitten about 1 year ago. He was 8 weeks when we got him, and we got him fixed/declawed when he was 6 months. He is also up to date with the vet appointments, healthy, and indoors only.

But ever since we got him, our female cat will throw up her food, sometimes everyday, sometimes a couple times a day, and sometimes only once a week. Its not a hairball or anything, its just partially digested food. She usually throws up about 30 minutes after she eats. She has also started to go pee on the rugs on the floors at the same time as her throwing up started. What could this be?

Answer 1

It is treating the kitten like the cat is it's own kitten. And then coughing up hairballs bcuz it is always licking the kitten.

Answer 2

When I first started to read this I thought hairballs, but that is not your problem. Maybe this will help...

I had a cat once, Tudders he was the oldest cat of four and sometimes would gorge food to the point of vomiting. A cats stomach is only the size of half an average walnut, the next time she hurls look at the volume if it is larger than a large walnut gorging might be the problem. Your older kitty is worried she will not get enough food with the new arrival. It's a dominance thing. It's another idea to work with the vet on, hope it helps.

Answer 3

there's only one hope for depression. That is an effective anti depressant medication. Depression comes from a checmical imbalance in the neurotransmitters and the brain and nothing in the world will alleviate unless you compensate for it. The right medication will do it. When you're depressed, you're unable to interact with a therapist by talking or be with or around anyone so talk therapy won't work. Being around people is a waste because the loss of interest makes it difficult to tolerate company and again, verbal interaction. You will have no desire for pets or taking care of animals as it's too labor intensive, too complex and your mind can't handle it. Excercise requires motivation which you have none. Until you can compensate for the chemical imbalance that's causing the depression and anxiety, none of these suggestions are useful.. Once you regain your sense of motivation and desire to do things, only then can any interaction or activity possibly help feel good.. There are ssri's, snri's mao inhibitors and trycyclic anti depressants. Some work better than others depending on the individdual. It is frustrating until you find one that works well with tolerable side effects. If none of these are ever an option, try ect (shock therapy)l

Answer 4

A #1-Has she been checked for a urinary tract infection &/ or crystals in her urine? If not, there is no sense exploring this any further. Get her to your vet. Always check for physical problems 1st.
Assuming she has been checked: If she & the male cat get along well I seriously doubt that's the issue.
You may have 1 issue that's causing both problems- stress ...or 2 separate issues.
1 thing I would definitely do no matter what is change foods. You are feeding your cat the equivilant of feeding a child McDonalds every day.I know she probably loves it but..... Change VERY slowly adding a few pieces of the new & increasing by a few pieces each day. There are lots of good food choices out there. A good 1 for you to try is Science Diet for sensitive stomachs. It won't hurt for your other cat to eat it, too. You have to go to the pet store to get it.
As far as your other stuff goes- I don't have enough info. How many litter boxes do you have? What kind of litter? Where are the boxes? How often are they changed?
If you would like to e-mail me I'll help as much as I can :-)

Answer 5

I assume since you've had the male kitten for a year and both cats have been checked by the vet since then, that the vet hasn't found any specific physical reason for your female cat throwing up.

Your own description of the problem seems to connect the vomiting incidents to the addition of the male kitten to your household. However, you didn't say how the two cats get along. I wouldn't expect the older female cat to play with the younger kitten but does she let him approach her? Do they sleep together? Do they eat at the same time, in the same area?

As I'm sure you suspect, your female cat may be upset at the presence of the male kitten. Some cats prefer to be the only cat in a home.

Or she may be upset because your relationship with her has changed since the new kitten has arrived. Your routine with your female cat very likely changed when the new kitten was introduced in the home. What are you doing differently? Have you changed your play time with your female cat? Do you give her the first attention when you come home? Which cat do you feed first? Even if it's unintentional, you may be signaling her with your actions that she's being displaced.

Animals can have strong feelings, attachments and preferences. I don't know if you view your cats as members of the family or as "just pets," but they can have very similar reactions to the introduction of a new member of the family as a child may have when his/her parents bring home a new baby. And they are territorial, as well.

One day a kitten followed my husband home from a walk around the neighborhood. He let the kitten follow him into the house. Our cat literally had a hissy fit and was extremely disturbed at the presence of this sweet little kitty. Fortunately, it turned out that the kitten belonged to a neighbor. But it was then that we realized we wouldn't be bringing a new kitten into our home as long as we wanted peace of mind for our own cat.

If you suspect that the presence of the male kitten is causing your female cat to periodically vomit her food, then I would try the following:

1. Make sure the cats have separate food and water bowls. Feed the cats separately -- either in separate locations or, if you don't have space, at different times. If you feed them at different times, feed your female cat first. DO NOT LET THE MALE KITTEN EAT FROM YOUR FEMALE CAT'S DISH.

2. When you come home, always acknowledge your female cat first. Even if she ignores you, make sure she knows she's the primary.

3. If you're playing with the male kitten and the female cat comes to you for attention, put the male kitten down and give her some attention before resuming playtime with the kitten.

4. Kittens can be very active and a four-year old cat will generally be more sedate. If your female cat isn't generally interested in active play, play with the male kitten away from her so he doesn't run over her or violate her space while you're playing together.

5. Don't force them to be together. As humans, we all want the beings that live with us to be one big happy family, but that isn't always what the creatures living with us want. The best you may get from the cats is a peaceful tolerance of each other's existence, but if your female cat stops vomiting, that may be a workable solution. My sister and I each had a cat when growing up. They lived in the same house but didn't cross each other's paths much. When they did, we sometimes narrowly averted a fight. Over time, they would periodically sniff noses in a friendly way, but they never became best buddies.

None of the solutions I suggest may work. If the female cat is simply unable to tolerate the male kitten, one of them may have to go. It's a drastic solution but, as I mentioned earlier, there are some cats who just don't do well with other cats in the house.

Aside from territoriality, jealousy and hurt feelings, there may be a physical cause for the vomiting. From your original question, it appeared to me that you would have already addressed this issue with your vet. It can't hurt to have your female cat checked periodically to make sure that something physical isn't responsible for the problem.

I wish you, and your cats, the best and hope you find a solution, for your peace of mind and for the health of your cats.

Answer 6

first of all she needs to be on meow mix indoor formula that will help her throwing up she wont throw up that often and as far as her going potty on the rugs she is marking her territory even though you have the male fixed she still thinks that he is trying to take over i hope that helps youi have cats and my oldest one did that to but i dont have a male anymoreso she stop going potty on the floors

Answer 7

Your adult cat could be getting greedier with her food, and eating too much, which causes her stomach to get upset. I've had that problem with my cat too....and I've only put enough food in his food bowl that he'll eat in a day, then he quit throwing up all over the place. Best of luck to you.

Answer 8

Well maybe she isn't liking the food. Meow Mix might have something in there that is very nasty or she might be allergic to something in it. I would suggest you check the ingredients of the food and take her to the vet. Hopefully she will get heathly!

Answer 9

Try giving it a tablespoon of PeptoBismol for a week.She may have the stomach aliment called H.Pylori.I think your vet can do a test to see.Humans can also catch this from their cats so be careful.♥

Answer 10

Let someone borrow the Male cat for a wile and see how the female does. If its doing fine, give the male cat away.