My cats barf all the time. What can I do?

Question

I have three cats that throw up all the time. We got special sensitive stomache food from the vet and they still threw that up. We just started feeding them wet food instead of dry food because they tend to swallow the dry food whole but now they are throwing that up too. They do not have any health problems. I don't know what else to try.

Answer 1

Is it a Siamese? or a Persian? Some breeds of cats have difficulty with certain shapes of food because they swallow it whole. Visit a website for Royal Canin food...they have special formulas for this very problem that are breed specific. Go back to the vet or give him a call....maybe your cats are eating too much, or too fast.

Answer 2

First, is the food coming up whole or does it look as though it has at least been partially digested. If it's coming up whole, there is a good chance your kids have hairballs, and that has caused a blockage, so food is not passing into the tummy. You can sprinkle some mineral oil in their food, and that should help loosen up any fur balls and get them to pass. Also, do you feed them together and do they choak down their food. That could also be a reason the food is coming up - they are simply eating too much too fast. Try separate feeding places, where they can eat at their leisure - I know, it's a pain. If they are allowed outside, and are bug killers - like one of mine - you will find they will throw up the parts of the bug they can not digest - grasshoppres are especially bad on their tummies. Make sure they are not getting into a bad water source - fish tank, toilet, or some old rainwater. If you have taken them to the vet, and he says they are healthy and they keep this up for long - I'd get a second opinion.

Answer 3

Are you sure they don't have any health problems? If all three cats are throwing up, there might be something poisonous in your house that you aren't aware of. Plants? Cleaner? Etc? Take them to the vet immediately....this sounds serious if all three are vomiting!
PS: Wet cat food is richer than dry cat food, and is not recommended for feeding to a cat daily. Try to keep that down to a once-a-week treat, because the wet cat food if overused can be hard on their teeth and stomachs!

Answer 4

We had the same problem with our cats. Try giving them some Science Diet sensitive stomach with a can of Fancy Feast once a day. If they are swallowing the food whole, make sure that you don't put a lot of food in the bowl, so they won't eat enough to throw up. Make sure they get enough to eat, though. Make sure they slow down, and whatch them while they eat so that you can lift the food when necessary. Hope this helps, good luck!

Answer 5

Did you tell your vet again that even with the special cat food they still vomit? It could be a more serious thing than just a sensitive stomach. If you have the financial means, definitely get them checked out by the vet, rather than waiting to see what happens or just guessing on what's bothering them.

More often though, cats throw up because of a blocked digestive system by cat-hair. My cat used to throw up these hairballs every now and then, and if there wasn't any hairball, it would be just his food or even clear/white foam. Have you seen these in his vomit? (by the way, a hairball isn't round like the name suggests, but rather looks like a long tube of clumped hair). I put my can on cat food that was was "hairball" formula (he was on Iams Hairball Formula) and that significantly reduced his hairball throwing up.

There are also other hairball remedies in forms of gels or liquids, or more commonly you can buy some "grass" plants from the petstore, and it acts as a trigger to throwup the hairballs so that they can digest properly. If your cats won't instinctively eat the grass, you can cut up some pieces and mix it in with their food.

I highly recommend this website:-
http://www.felinecrf.org/symptoms_treatments_index.htm
Althought it's a website primarily with information for cats with a condition called CRF, it has a page of index of all kinds of cat symptoms and what they could mean. Please bear in mind that these are just suggestions only, and proper medical diagnosis is required to determine what your cats' condition is.

Answer 6

Is it hair they are pukin? If so I recommend you groom them. If that is not the problem, you need to go to a vet to get diet food (Special Food) since the food you give them isn't working. They may have a sort of reaction to the ingredients in it. They are like people... they may need organic food. I have 4 cats and some of them do this... thus they need organic food (if your cats are doing this all the time). I also know a dog that can't drink cold water.... go figure that one out.

Answer 7

Long hair cats? Maybe they are throwing up hairballs. Try a hairball medicine you can get it at any pet store. My cat upchucks the hairballs too and the stuff really works. I also still use the sensitive stomach food to go with it. Hope that helps.

Answer 8

It's possible that they just inhale their food. My cats vomit from time to time because they eat so fast, but aside from their weight (I just convinced my father to stop feeding them Friskies) they're perfectly healthy. Actually I was told the other day to try putting something heavy in the middle of the cat's food dish. Apparently if they have to eat around it they tend to eat slower and then don't vomit so much. You could try calling you vet and asking if they have any suggestions, too. Good luck!

Answer 9

it could be stress or maybe some sort of allergy if all of them are puking. longer haired kitties will have hairballs if not brushed regularly. meanwhile keep them on that good food (it will take time to work). and sometimes cats will just go through a hairball phase one out of 8 cats of mine had hairballs a lot. it threw up a lot for a year until it got calmed down.

Answer 10

First i would consider staying on the dry food.The wet food tends to give them diarrhea.As for the "throwing up" what I do with mine is they get a tablespoon of Pepto every week.This is a chore to make them take it.I use a syringe and put it near the back of their mouths.Good luck.Hope this helps.♥