My cat is vomiting everyday, what do I do?

Question

I recently took in a new cat. She was oviously lost or abandend. Declawed and I would assume spayed. I am not sure of the exact age but she does not seem that old. She is a great cat but I am very worried. She vomits everyday. It looks like she vomits up all her food and it has a little bit of hair in it. No blood. I have changed her food, and even tried the indoor formula. I have tried to make an appointment with the vet but, none have openings until February or they are not taking new patients. Until I can get to a vet, does anyone have any idea what it might be or have any suggestions as to what I might do in the meantime? She doesnt seem like she is in any pain, Her litterbox habits are normal, I can't figure what the problem could be.

Answer 1

its so awesome of you to take in a kitty! i took in a stray kitty about 6 months ago, and when i brought him home, he did the same thing your cat is doing. he threw up alot, just like your cat. i took him to the vet, and she didnt find anything wrong with him, other than that he was soo hungry, that when he ate, he ate too fast, and that upset his stomach. try giving her just a couple tablespoons of food every couple hours, so it gives her stomach time to digest the food. i could tell with my cat, that it had probally been months since he had a home before i picked him up and took him in. i also had to get a special kind of cat food for sensetive stomachs. the vet said to also try bottled water. tap water has alot of things in it that can upset a cats stomach. he still throws up every now and then, but its just hairballs. dont try a lot of different foods at once, if you have to switch foods, mix the two foods together for a couple weeks, untill you can incorporate more of the new food in. after she throws up, try giving her some water to help settle her stomach. put the food up for a couple hours, then try again. it took my cat about 2 months to stop throwin up every day, so be patient. its probally the reason her previous owners put her out on the street. alot of cats have this problem. but, since she was a stray cat, its always best to take her to the vet and have her checked out. good luck with the new cat! i'll bet she'll get really attatched to you! i'm so glad you took her in! thanks for being a good citizen! pets only need a little space in our home, and a little bit of our time, but they give us thier whole hearts in return!

Answer 2

Trust me when I say, that all the people do their very best to answer most questions as needy as the questions may be, cannot, possibly tell what is wrong with your cat. There is so little information I'd say get her to a vet tomorrow. Walk in and let them know how worried this is and you feel it's an emergency (could well be). Lay off the food and give him plenty of fresh water. Without much info. what else can anyone say? Hope it's a little upset stomach, which kittens get periodically and Good Luck for tomorrow. It is a National holiday. If you have to go- to aspca.

Answer 3

Luckily you recognized that this could probably mean a visit to the vet. In the meantime the one thing that occurred to me is since she was lost, you have no idea how long she went fending for herself and maybe starving. Is it possible she is just eating too much to compensate for lack of regular meals. Why don't you try to give her 1/2 the amount you give her now and see if that makes a difference. It's better to give her a little bit 3 2 or 3 times a day than one big meal once or twice. Make sure also that you have a fresh bowl of water down for her at all times. Good luck. I will be interested in an update if you have time.
Oh, I just thought of one other thing. Why dont' you try to boil some chicken for her and see how she handles it. No spices or salt. Just maybe a boiled drumstick and then take the meat off (no fat) and cut it in small pieces. See if she holds it down. Try about a large tablespoon first.

Answer 4

Hi Molly...first it's important to not switch the food so suddenly because this is the leading cause of bowel distresses which can contribute to the vomiting. Changing food must be done gradually in order for the stomach bacteria to acclimate. See the following information on why and how this is done to minimize bowel disturbances: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?dept_id=0&aid=100

There are many possible causes as to why a cat would be vomiting such as intestinal parasites, hairballs, eating too quickly (gorging), food allergies, diseases/disorders, etc. It's best to consider having a veterinarian evaluate your new cat to rule out any medical problems.

Vomiting in cats:
http://www.petplace.com/cats/vomiting-in-cats/page1.aspx
http://www.peteducation.com:80/article.cfm?cls=1&cat=1314&articleid=264

Answer 5

That's very nice of you to take her in. I bet she really loves you!!!! She is probably eating too fast. If she was a stray, she sure knows what it's like to be hungry. As long as she doesn't seem to be losing any weight, you can, feed her smaller amounts more frequently throughout the day. Also, if you change a cats food without doing it gradually, that can make them throw up. Stick to one food for a while and see what happens. She may also have an alergy to the grain used as the first ingredient in her food. Try to get her a food that has meat meal as the first ingredient. Good luck, you're a sweetie!

Answer 6

See if you can find Innova Evo which is an entirely grainless cat food. I don't know if they have canned or dry or both. Canned is usually better.

Some cats are terribly allergic to ANY grain in their food. So that is the best thing to try to stop the vomiting.

Answer 7

Sounds like maybe hairballs. There's a paste you can get that you put on their paws and they lick it off. She does need to be seen by a vet though, and checked for feline leukemia. Call your local shelter-tell them you took in a stray and will keep it instead of bringing it in and see if they can put you in touch with a vet (or maybe they have one on staff) for a nominal fee since you plan on keeping the kitty instead of giving it to them to take care of. They may swing you a deal and even spay her for you (or make sure it has really been done-she should have a small scar on her tummy) if needed. If you pay an adoption fee, that's a steal to have her completely vetted and fixed instead of taking her to a regular vet and paying full cost. It does not take long to run up a huge bill if tests need to be done! Let me know if you don't understand what I'm telling you, I'm thinking and typing at the same time!

Answer 8

She may have been underfed and now that she has found a home, she gorges herself on the food you give her and its too much for her little body to get used to .
Give her small portions. even a tablespoon or two only but spread the feeding over time. Try a teaspoon on her plate every 2 hrs.
As she gets used to the fact that food will always be there and available, she will relax a little and de- stress herself. The vomting should go away.

As for the hair, she is happily grooming herself in her nice new home but swallowing the hair (hairballs !)
Brush her. See the vet

Answer 9

I would try and take her to an emergency vet. My kitten started vomiting everything she ate, after many vet trips and frustration trying to find a cause she had to have an emergency operation as she had a blocked bowel. I am not trying to alarm you and dont always assume the worst but these things need to be worked out and rectified very quicky.

Answer 10

Two possibilities...hairballs or she's eating too quickly. My cat occasionally has hairballs, but usually when she upchucks, it's immediately after she eats. Typically, it's undigested. She goes right back and eats more. The vet suggested putting a golf ball in the middle of her dry food to slow her down or give her food with smaller kibbles. I stopped feeding her canned food years ago, because of the preservatives.