our 6yo cat has started regurgitating her food right after she eats, any suggestions?

Question

The food comes back up looking pretty much the same as it did going down.
A friend suggested maybe reflux.??
Liberty (the cat) is a VERY picky eater- she doesn't like treats or most wet food.
She is overweight , but otherwise is given a clean bill of health by vet. She was abandoned so we don't have any early history on her.

Answer 1

The first thing to do is to get her checked by the vet to make sure she's alright.

If the vet gives her a clean bill of health, there are some things you can try:

1) Try raising her food bowl a little bit - get an elevated feeder, or just place her bowl up on a book.

2) Check her food ingredients label - one of my pet peeves with pet food manufacturers is that they will change ingredients without calling attention to the fact on the label. Your cat may be sensitive to corn, wheat, or soy - none of which belong in cat food anyway.

3) Try gradually switching her over to mostly wet food, with just a little dry - it's much healthier for cats, and a well-formulated low-carb wet food will cut down on hairballs, improve her hair coat, and help her lose weight. Try reading this link - it explains the problems associated with an all-dry diet, and explains how how to transition a 'dry food addict' over to wet food: http://www.catinfo.org
Be sure to transition slowly, to avoid an upset stomach, and make sure she doesn't stop eating, as suddenly reducing or stopping food intake can cause serious problems in an overweight cat.

If she still has problems after elevating her bowl and switching to a high-quality canned food, you should talk to your vet about trying a limited ingredient diet for food allergy.

Answer 2

If this is something new, then I would definitely take the kitty to the vet. Cats do not do well when they don't get proper nutrition. If your kitty is a little overweight, it could very well be a diabetic. How has the kitties urine been. When you empty the litter box, has the litter been clumping or does it seem a little "sticky" when you scoop it. With her being 6 years old, I definitly would not take any chances. I would take her as soon as possible. It is "rare" that cats get reflux. Hopefully it is nothing serious and even if it is something like diabetes, cats can go on to live long lives with proper care. Good Luck. Hope your kitty is okay.

Answer 3

Liberty may have a fur ball in her stomach so try some hairball laxative. Also try putting out a smaller amount of food at a time. Sometimes cats will binge eat.

My cat had a huge problem with this for awhile. We had to feed less and more often, and that helped alot. He was also diagnosed with IBS and now has special food to prevent this.

Good luck

Answer 4

How long ago was the cat checked at the vet's? If this has just started to happen, then either she has a blockage or a twisted intestine which is common in obese cats. Take the cat to the vets again and request an X-Ray.

Answer 5

My 1 year old cat was doing that and her Vet put her on a cream version of Reglan that you rub in her ear. Works great she is now 2.5 years old and hasn't needed the med in about 6 months.

Answer 6

I have a 9 year old kitty that sometimes does the same thing form eating too fast, just try to feed her in small quantities more often through the day maybe she won't wolf it down and make it bounce. Best of luck to you : )

Answer 7

Try putting her regular dry food into a mix of dry and wet food.This may or may not work. Also put honey around the rim of her food bowl where the wet food is. Try a trickle of honey leading to her food and put a little on it. cats love honey and she would get the taste of wet food while tasting the honey. Make sure the food is crumbly and easy to eat.Good Luck!

Answer 8

Have you taken her into the vet or called them about the vomiting since she got her "clean bill of health"? It is probably hairballs, which there are over the counter meds for, but she really should be rechecked by her veterinarian.

Answer 9

she may have been picked up wrong when she was a kitten and had her digestive tract injured in one or more spots. my best friend has a cat with that same problem and she was fine for the longest time and then it started. they can do a surgery to fix it if that is the case.

Answer 10

my fat cat just overeats sometimes, and does this. he's 8, and overweight... and he just gets so excited about his food that he eats too much, doesn't chew well, and it all comes back up. i have to feed him small meals, and make sure he doesn't get too hungry in between them.