I have a 17yr old cat, sensitive stomach... diet question?

Question

I have a cat who is about 17, she has always been a thin cat. She throws up nearly everyday, I just can't get her to stop. I feed her canned food, nearly a full can or more just for her each day. I leave out dry food for my other two cats, she eats that sometimes and I think it is too rich for her. She has lot some teeth over the years, so I think is hard for her to chew it a lot but eats her canned food just fine. We give her just a spoonful at a time of canned because she will only lick the gravy off and throw up if we put down most of the can at once, but we give it to her about every couple of hours. At night we pick up the dry and leave out just a small amount of canned for her. But she still throws up nearly everyday. We have tried giving her yogurt for the cultures in it but she doesn't like dairy. My mom suggested getting food grade aloe vera from the health food store and adding it to her food.

My vet tells me to get senior formula canned food, which I find only in pate style. She will only eat chunks of meat, if it pate she will not eat it at all, she is very stubborn. The vet says she is getting old and old cats throw up a lot, I know they do. I just want to make her as healthy as I can because she is still going very strong and is active and responsive. She is not sickly at all, she just throws up and then goes about her day like it didn't happen. Any suggestions on diet or maybe something to settle her stomach?

Answer 1

i had a 20+ yr old cat and what I used to do was buy the baby food that has only meat as the ingredient or meat with broth...it tends to be a little expensive depending on how much your cat will eat, but well worth it knowing that she is actually getting food in the tummy....Gerber has beef, veal, chicken, turkey and ham....Beechnut has beef w/broth, chicken w/broth, turkey w/broth they are all good for her..or you can make your own food like broiled chicken, cooked ground meat, tuna (once in awhile) even canned chicken (similiar to tuna in a can)

Answer 2

The aloe might help.

Another thing you can try is giving her kitten chow: That should be easier on the stomach than most adult foods. Or- and this is expensive- you can take a look in the vet's office. There is a special high-calorie high nutrition food sometimes available there. I got that for one of my kitties who was very sick, and she seemed to keep that down far better than she did the normal food.

Good luck!

Answer 3

If you haven't already, take your cat to see a vet about this problem. At the vet's office, they usually sell special food for pets with sensitive stomach. If you are not up for that cost, IAMS sells a chicken and rice formula cat food that is made specially for cats with sensitive digestive systems. The vet may also be able to prescribe a medicine to help your kitty!

Answer 4

There are many things besides diet issues that could cause vomiting in a geriatric cat such as yours. At that age, kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, certain cancers and GI diseases are quite common and all can cause vomiting. I suggest getting her in to the veterinarian immediately for diagnostics. Once the problem is determined, treatment may begin.