Male cat vomits regularly?

Question

I have a male cat that we rescued about five months ago. When we first got him, he vomited frequently, so we changed his food. That helped, and reduced the vomiting quite a bit. However, we have recently switched a less expensive, sensitive stomach formula, and he seems to be falling back into the same pattern. He's not losing any weight, his fur is soft, shiny, and healthy, his eyes are bright and clear, and he as playful as ever. I don't think he is sick, but is there something else that could be causing the vomiting? Could it be a food allergry? We are on a very limited budget and cannot afford expensive specialty foods. Any suggestions?

We rescued the cat from a family who was going to give him away. He is about three years old and eats dry food. The vomit is usually only liquid, but occaisionally it's shaped like his intestine with partially digested food.

Answer 1

I have a few questions; where did you rescue him from? The street or a shelter. If it was the street, then unfortunately I would have to recommend a trip to the vet. Secondly, is he eating wet or dry food. Two of my cats cannot tolerate wet food and eat only dry (with a few small nibbles of wet food for a treat now and then). A lot of things can cause vomiting, but the fact that he looks good, is not losing weight, is playful and has bright eyes, leads me to think he just has a sensitive stomach. One more thing to think about; what is he throwing up? Food or fur. Is he long haired? If he is long haired and is tossing a lot of hair balls, petroleum jelly is a good inexpensive hair ball medication. Just take a small glob and rub it on the top of a front paw. He will lick it off. Do this about once a month. Good Luck!

Answer 2

It could be that he's eating too fast or too much at once in which case you need to slow him down, there are several things that can do this. If you changed the food over suddenly that could do it, it needs to be phased in slowly, over weeks so that it doesn't cause a shock to the intestines.

Another good food for this sort of thing is Royal Canin Siamese, they have a tendency to woof it down without chewing and vomit it back. This food is shaped so that it sticks on a tooth and they have to chew it to get it off. It is also designed for the Siamese's sensitive stomachs. I switched to this last year when it became available and my previously vomiting at least once a day cat has only vomited once in 8 months. It is expensive, but in my experience, the 2.5kg bag lasted me 6 weeks (and that was with one other cat stealing a few here and there). So work out what that would cost you, it is better for them and they don't eat as much usually so it is more cost effective.

All of my cats eat this, Siamese and non Siamese alike. I have a ragdoll and Brit that were rescued, they had coccidia and other intestinal problems at the time so they get Iam's hairball, it controls Diarrhea for some reason, it's not my preference in food, in fact I hate the stuff but it works for them when others don't, but they eat the Siamese food without any issues.

Nutrience by Hagen make some good foods for sensitive stomachs too, you could contact the companies and ask for a sample and see which works and how much you use of it. At first they may still woof it down because the other foods have fillers and they have to eat a lot of those to get the nutrients they need so their stomachs have to adjust when their body recognises that they are getting the nutrients they need and to cut back.

With any new food, you won't notice a difference until they have been having that exclusively for around 6 weeks (that's what the vet recommends) I say you will know if there's improvement in 4 weeks. It takes time for the allergen or whatever is causing the sensitivity to leave their bodies. So give it a fair try.

Answer 3

I wish people would mention what food they are feeding. If it is Science Diet it's an expensive and crappy food. So you can do better for less money.

Constant vomiting is not a healthy situation. The acid from the cat's stomach coming back up can do damage to his esophagus. If you must feed him dry food (not a good idea) CA Natural is the same price as the SD and a much better food. Felidae, Natural Balnce, Solid Gold are high quality foods and not as expensive as the SD or CA Natural.

If you "economize" on what your cat eats you are going to have expensive veterinary treatment down the road and believe me if you spend 50 cents more for a bag of food it will be a lot less than a bill to resolve a medical problem.

Cats do not have "sensitive" stomachs. If they are fed a high quality food that is 60% meat and doesn't contain corn their stomachs are perfectly capable of handling it.

Answer 4

I think you have answered youre question youreself, you have changed Foods and the new stuff does not agree with him and so the reaction. You can buy Complete Foods for youre Cat the same as Dogs these are usually cheaper than the Canned Foods and are sold in bigger sizes. But you have to get youre Cat used to a different Food gradually bit by bit by mixing the old stuff with the new until the new stuff is eventually replaced.

Answer 5

It could be a fur ball problem. My cats seem to get that right about now-the shedding season. It helps to brush them everyday to removed loose hair. Hair will build up in their stomachs from normal grooming. Ask your vet about it, too. They may be able to suggest something for him to take to help with fur balls.

Answer 6

Try another kind of food, and look up feline inflammatory bowel disease. Also deworm him and try hairball medicine.