Vomiting cat - at my wit's end...?

Question

My middle child of 5 (common stripy house-cat) is a chronic vomiter. She's been to the Vet at least twice a year for it - to no avail. The vet gives her a bunch of injections & sends her home. As soon as the jabs wear off - she's spraypainting the place again. She IS on a special diet (Hill's Sensitive Stomach formula) - also to no avail. I don't know what to do with this cat anymore. I steadfastly believe that animals are for life, so I can't bring myself to put her down - I'd rather try and find a solution. Any suggestions?

She doesn't get ANY treats, and she gets brushed regularly. Also, she's not an only child, so changing her eating habits (like controlled feeding times) will affect my two healthy kids. Not too keen on "punishing" the other two because of their bulimic sister...

Answer 1

We have a problem vomiting cat like yours (but maybe not quite so bad). We have found we need to avoid some foods with her (fish, extra calcium) and that she can't tolerate food cold from the fridge. It needs to be warmed up to room temperature.
Have you tried an elimination diet? Just test her with simple foods with no additives and see if you can find the food that she seems to tolerate or, just as useful, foods she can't. I would start her on plain boiled chicken and add a little rice into it. There are recipes for homemade cat foods that you could try. Just "create" the recipe gradually and you might find things she can eat.
Also, does she eat quickly? If so you could work out ways to stop her, like doling out her meals one spoonful every 15 mins or I think I've read you can put large clean rocks in her bowl so that it takes her a while to eat around them.

**Taking note of your further information - I would suggest you do try to feed her separately from the other cats. In another room or in a holding cage. She is probably bolting her food as she is scared the others will get it. We had a folding cage from when this cat was hit by a car and damaged her hip, as she wasn't allowed to jump for 6 months. They are very useful in situations like this. There is no harm in feeding them apart. It would turn out cheaper as you could have this cat on the special diet and the hardier animals can have what they usually have. It's worth considering. Better that than vomit!

Answer 2

Is kitty on any medications? Perhaps an acid reducer like Pepcid (Famotidine) would work well. My vet prescribed it for my kitty and he hasn't had any stomach problems since. I give him 2.5 mg (a quarter of a 10 mg tablet) twice a day. It's in pill form, which can be a hassle if you're not familiar with giving cats pills. Another idea would be to try switching foods (although I'm sure you've already tried this). Not to be gross...but is the vomit mostly bile, or is it more like big food chunks? Sometimes one of my kitties just eats too quickly, and then throws up undigested food. If this is the problem, perhaps monitoring the amount of food kitty gets to eat at a single sitting could help. One more thing-- make sure kitty is staying hydrated. Vomiting and diarrhea can lead to electrolyte imbalances and dehydration, so try to encourage kitty to drink (provide lots of fresh water throughout the house, keep a faucet dripping, try a kitty water fountain, add water to kitty's food - you get the idea!). Good luck with everything. I know it's hard to watch your furry loved ones suffer though illness. I hope your little guy improves.

Answer 3

I just gave little ozbookgirl a thumbs up. Her rice and plain chicken w/broth is an excellent idea. Vaseline is also a good idea - but if you just take your finger and run it down her forepaw she can get to it better than the face. She won't need but a very small amount. You can also find specific hairball paste for cats at any pet supply department. They are flavored to make them more attractive to the cat.

Feeding her smaller amounts away from stress may also help. Does she compete with the others for food? Another good idea.

Answer 4

Hi there

You've got some really good answers already but hope I can add something to help.

We have a cat who was like this, the vet diagnosed IBD and initially she just had to be on a special diet - not the one yours is on but the Royal Canin Sensitivity Diet.

The diet alone only worked for a year, though, and now she has to be on corticosteroids. Was it shots of corticosteroids the vet gave your cat? As you say, only effective till it wears off. I would strongly recommend asking him/her to try your cat on regular corticosteroids - it has truly been the saving of our Lottie.

Two years on from starting to take them, we have found that we can maintain her with a pill every two days instead of daily. And she can cope with occasional treats of plainly cooked white meat or fish, which she never could before.

Good luck with this, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

Answer 5

You might want to try something that will help her pass hairballs better; my own vet recommended plain old petroleum jelly (like Vaseline). Spread it on her whiskers; she won't like it, and will clean it off and thus swallow it. It has been a big help with my two cats.

Answer 6

If its hairballs try brushing her more often. That way when she cleans herself she won't eat so much fur and won't vomit as much.

Answer 7

dance is right. that helped with my cat as well