my cat keeps throwing up?

Question

I dont know why but hes thrown up like 3 times in the past 4 weeks or so. Hes a male, like 15 or 16 pounds i think. (i know.. iknow..) everytime i give him wet food (usally friskies) he throws up, so i stopped feeding him wet food and now he just eats dry food. which is...meow mix.

but now hes throwing up and hes not even eating wet food....what should i do?

Answer 1

Hi there...there are several possibilities as to why a cat would expel more often than on occasion: Hairballs, switching foods too suddenly, gorging, food allergies, feline diseases/disorders, etc. After considering the following it may be in the best interest to ring a veterinarian to discuss if an evaluation may be merited. Cats who are unable to eat after a few days develop a life-threatening condition called hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver syndrome) and require URGENT medical attention. http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=1&cat=1327&articleid=217

With hairballs if shedding is higher than usual this may the first thing to consider, which can be resolved by frequent brushing and administering hairball remedies such as Petromalt, Laxatone, etc.

Another possibility is there's been a sudden change in food it can result in changes to the number and type of bacteria and their ability to help digest food. These changes can lead to intestinal upset. Therefore, a pet needs to be switched to a new food slowly. By 'slowly' we mean gradually over the course of 7-10 days. For example, make a mixture that contains 25% of the new food and 75% of the old food and feed that for several days. Then make it 50-50 for several days, then 75% new food to 25% old food for several days. Then you can start feeding 100% new food. If at any time your cat starts vomiting, has loose stools, or appears constipated, slow the rate at which you are switching the food. Here's instructions on how to gradually switch foods to minimize bowel disturbances: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?articleid=99

Other cats who eat too quickly may be gorging their food and this will also cause intestinal upset and expelling so food portions may need to be decreased to prevent over eating or speed eating habits.

Food allergies can also cause vomiting. Many cats develop allergies to the ingredients such as corn, corn meal, byproducts found in most commercial food brands. Whiskas, Friskies, Meow Mix, IAMs, Science Diet, Royal Canin (not their entire product line) Purina, Friskies (most commercial grade cat food) all contain byproducts and corn, corn meal as their primary ingredients. Corn products are actually fillers that are used to bind the dry food together as well as help preserve the shelf life of the food.

Consider premium quality foods devoid of fillers and byproducts to maintain optimal health for cats which are found in specialty pet stores such as:
Innova http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=product-detail&pxsl=%2F%2Fproduct%5B%40id%3D%272%27%5D
Nature's Variety Prairie http://www.naturesvariety.com/content.lasso?page=1352
Wellness http://www.omhpet.com/wellness/cat_index.html
California Natural http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=product-detail&pxsl=%2F%2Fproduct%5B%40id%3D%2772%27%5D
Felidae http://www.canidae.com/
Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/products/cats/

Here's more on commercial grade cat food and nutrition:http://www.consumersearch.com/www/family/cat-food/review.html

Answer 2

My cat does this too, except it's usually a lot more often than just 3 times in 4 weeks. I think the problem with him is that I just filled his bowl every day and he eats too much too fast, and yaks it up.

It's subsided a bit because I try to only feed him about a handful of food a couple times a day. (He does not like wet food so all he gets is dry food all the time)

Smaller meals was the key in my case...your cat does not sound like anything is wrong with him. He may have problems with hairballs or something but beyond that I doubt it's a serious healt issue. Cats puke.

Do you feed him a lot of table scraps though? That could be the problem too. People food is for people (and some if it just barely!) not pets. You could also talk to your vet to see if he/she can recommend a good food for you to try for him. The pet store kinds like Science Diet are more expensive but really good for your pets.

Answer 3

call the vet.

sounds weird. I've been told meow mix is not that good for cats.
(although my brother seemed to like it when I mixed some in with his cereal)

Seriously, you should watch his habits, is he urinating? Is he drinking?

When a cat only eats dry food (maybe he doesn't like the wet food brand or has an adverse reaction to it) it may not be getting enough water as there is no liquid in the food (as opposed to wet food or a fresh kill of a worthless rodent like a mouse or a metrosexual).

I would take him to the vet to be sure. Part of a vet visit though is bieng able to relate the cat's behavior properly and properly monitoring his behavior so you can convey that to the vet, as when you go to the doctor, you can say what is wrong with you.

Obviously your cat can't (and if he could you would be making lots of money with the circus).

Answer 4

If it's a male cat, he may have urinary tract stones. You state that you are feeding him Friskies, which I know contains a lot of magnesium and causes stones in cats. Take your cat immediately to the vet, as this condition can get worst and lead to kidney failure and death in the cat. Your vet will most likely put your cat on a Science Diet meal plan, which contains no magnesium and prescribe medication that will dissolve the stones.

Stop feeding him supermarket cat food, because that's what is causing the problem.

Answer 5

My cats were going through the same thing. My vet told me not to feed them anything with Red 40. It tears up their stomach and digestive tracks. I was feeding my cats Meow Mix also, when I was told this I went to Purina Naturals brand food. Mo and Jo love it. Friskies also has red 40 in it.

Answer 6

If it looks like undigested food that means he is not chewing properly if it is more like a hair ball then there are hairball formula cat foods you should try that also try a smaller pellet food so it is easier to chew if the problem continues your best bet is to call a local vet they answer questions for free and can give you better advice on what else to do for your cat. Mine has the same problem she eats too fast and doesn't chew.

Answer 7

Ive had two cats who threw up fairly frequently after eating, but they were fine. Id probably attribute it to eating too fast in most cases. Keep an eye out for blood in the vomit, or changes in attitude, eating, or bowel habits. It seems that your cat may have had a change in eating habbits, which might be a sign of a stomach disorder, or a serious mental condition. Id say you might want to take him to a vet.

Answer 8

You didn't say how old your cat is, but age is not really a factor as much as his envioronment and his overweight problem. His vomiting could be a symptom of any number of problems too numerous to list here, the most serious being stomach or other gastric cancer. Your best course of action would be to haul your oversize kitty to the vet for professional help, as soon as possible!

Answer 9

Feed him food that helps prevent hairballs. Some cats have hairball problems more than others. If that doesn't help I would take him on to the vet.

Answer 10

It might be hairballs. Try an over the counter hairball remedy. I would have him checked out by a vet just in case though.