How can I get my cat to stop barfing everyday?

Question

Her vet says its "just regurgitation" like its no big deal. Its a mess that I have cleaned in different places of the house nearly every day for the year we have had her.

She eats fine, and after a while she starts swallowing- as if it is coming up and she is trying to swallow it back down. Eventually her stomach starts pumping and she is barfing most of it up. It is just wet, digested dry food.

We have tried changing foods, softening the food with water, lifting the bowl up, giving her smaller portions, and kept her out of human food.

I thought it would eventually stop, but it hasn't, and she is still so thin. I want her to gain weight and be healthy, and I want to stop having to clean it up.

My mother suggested that it could be a gluten allergy (a protien in flour)- any ideas on how I could check for that (other than buying gluten-free food and trying it)?

She is the only pet in the house, and the only cat I've ever had that does this.

Answer 1

try purina one for sensitive systems you can get it in walmart and for the spots in the house try resolve in the spray bottle it works great...

Answer 2

Finding out about allergies is a simple thing and costs only as much as hypoallergenic pet food. You don't need expensive veterinary tests, you just need time. Sure, your vet can probably test for gluten allergy -- but it's much cheaper, simpler & less stressful just to buy a food and try it for a couple weeks (allergic reactions can take a long time to subside).

I suggest you use a hairball remedy regularly for a couple weeks (like, a tablespoon of the gel or more, 2-3 times a day) just in case that is the problem. Cats can get large accumulations of hair in their stomach that make it really hard for them to digest as much food as they are hungry for. Hairball remedies usually contain something to help break down the hair and to move it along - but you may need to give it over a long period of time to see results. Feed her smaller amounts more often, too.

I suggest if you do an elimination diet (try hypoallergenic food), you use canned foods, because dry foods can be harder to digest. You can even add a little water to them so she has to lap at it and eat more slowly. Choose the food you use carefully, so you know what protein sources are in it, then if it clears up, you can add back other proteins into her diet until you find the culprit for sure.

By the way, you're not alone. This problem is practically epidemic. That's most likely why your vet blew it off- he knows of tons of people living with it, yet has never heard of a solution.

Answer 3

Aww poor kitty. :(
Found this question cause we too have a cat that is barfing , not every day but still more than we would like. Personally, I think you should get a new vet.
Also, our little guy has been thin since we got him, thinner than his brother, but he also had a crooked jaw so we thought it was that, and at the time, got him some stuff in a tube that is for cats that arent getting enough nutrients from their diet for whatever reason and helps them gain weight supposedly. It was called Nutri-Cal for cats. High Calorie Dietary Supplement. I can't say that he gained any weight though, but also once we realized he was eating just as much as his brother, just smaller for some reason, we stopped with the "tube food" as we call it lol.
However recently he's starting with the puking, and again, his brother never pukes so it's concerning. I'm going to look into your mother's suggestion for our little one, but if I were you, if it's an everyday thing and the vet doesn't seem concerned, I would try another vet.
Also, our cat sometimes has hairballs in the puke, and sometimes not, you said yours was just wet digested food otherwise I would suggest looking into stuff that prevents hairballs. Anyway, sorry my answer was not really an answer but just wanted to say I feel for ya and thanks for your mom's suggestion, lol. Good luck to you guys.

Answer 4

I agree with your mother that it could be a gluten problem, or a corn problem, or one of a million allergies. It's impossible to know what her allergies are unless you have a blood panel done, which is a hell of a lot more expensive than changing her food. I'd suggest some super high quality as some foods just aren't digestible for cats. For example: My cats had an issue with science diet light due to the corn meal, among other things I'm sure. They haven't had a problem with their current food, but I'm getting ready to change them over to Felidae because it has excellent ingredients, great value for kcals per serving, helps reduce shedding, helps avoid urinary issues, and will make their poo less smelly. I know this because I have my dogs on the canine version canidae. It is seriously an excellent food and worth every penny!
Sorry I don't have a better answer for you, but it sounds like your cat has an extremely sensitive stomach, and I would think your vet would have steered you toward a food that will help with that symptom. I'd also consider a hairball formula to help combat excess vomiting.

Answer 5

I would actually try another vet at this point. Given all the things you've tried, something is not right.

My cat had this problem only with diet food (too high in fiber I think) so I tried smaller meals with regular food and that solved the problem (and dealt with the weight loss issue). Obviously your problem is different.

Perhaps you should try several small meals a day instead of two big ones. Maybe smaller portions will work better - perhaps she eats too much in one sitting and gets sick. Just a thought.

Answer 6

From the description, and the vet saying it's regurgitation: the food isn't even reaching your cat's stomach.

Try grooming your cat as well, especially if she's a long hair. Brushing a cat at least once a day can really help with regurgitation - because they may have not built up enough fur to hack up a hairball, it still may be irritating her when she tries to eat.

She will eventually regurgitate a hairball, or pass it in her stool.
There are also foods made in "Hairball Formula" that help some cats with this. (Along with grooming.)

You could also take her to another vet for a second opinion. (I would take her back to the vet/to another vet if you try these things and it doesn't clear up in a week or two.)

Answer 7

you may be feeding them some kind of food that contains:
corn( gluten, concentrate, ground whole....etc)
wheat( gluten, concentrate, ground whole....etc)
soy( gluten, concentrate, ground whole....etc)
artificial preservatives
colours and dies
artificial flavours
milk
byproducts
---these are all causes for vomiting, upset stomach, and loose stools
my advice is to switch her food to something that has none of these that also has organic meat in it like duck (mmmmmhmmm) whole grains like quinoa ( research this stuff its amazing) and also naturally occuring digestive enzymes. if your cat is prone to hairballs the enzymes will help with that and also boost immunity, help absorb nutrition, firm up the stools, and so much more. i would suggest you look into eagle pack holistic select duck and oatmeal formula. www.eaglepack.com my cat used to have hairballs all the time and puke up the nasty food i was giving her. and ever since i went to college..i know better and this is the one brand i recomend for cats and so does everyone at the vet clinic i work for.
aslo you might want to get your cat checked for all worms. tis the season to trat if they have it or prevent if they dont.

he only said regurgitation...do you know how bad it is on the esophogus and teeth when cats are puking ( hairballs or not) more than 3 times per week? id also recomend switching vets that gives the pros and cons of everything he is saying.

ps purina has all the "no-no's" of pet food in their first five ingredients. please avoid any grovery store food and also science diet and natural choice ( as much as they say they arfe good) really arent that good. i recomend innova, wellness, or eagle pack...and for kittys with a sensitve stomach id suggest eagle pack because of the digestive enzymes and they have ingredients that lubricate teh esophogus more so the hair gets slid down when the kittys eat...

Answer 8

Poor thing. You definitely need to take her back to the vet, or better still, get a second opinion as it is NOT normal for cats to throw up every day. If it's wet and very soft, it's unlikely to be a furball. The fact that she is underweight speaks volumes about it ... she is not getting the nutrients she needs because of the barfing. I'm surprised the vet didn't spot this.

Hope you get little kitty sorted.

Answer 9

you won't like this, yet I betcha it is going to artwork: shave her. to not the floor, yet bypass away some million/4" of hair. Ie, shave with the fur. See, the hairballs interior her have crammed up her abdomen and top GI tract, so she will purely soak up a undeniable volume of nutrition, which isn't adequate, as she is often hungry. Then provide her a tablespoon of mineral oil in a syringe down the throat each evening for each week to assist do away with the hairballs interior. Then as quickly as each week. Hairball treatment does not consistently artwork regrettably. yet save up with the mineral oil, which you would be able to get at any shop, the human beings mineral oil. She'll poop alot, yet she would have constipation issues besides. poor kitty. save feeding her as you have been, basically maybe extra generally to maintain her from getting too hungry. sturdy success and supply kitty some pets for me. I have been given bored with cleansing up cat puke and that i shaved all my cats. Boy, did they look ridiculous, yet there replaced into not extra puking.

Answer 10

The simplest and easiest thing is to try gluten-free food, as you suggested. I can't think of anything cheaper than that.

Answer 11

Try not feeding the cat for a few days see if that helps if it doesn't try switching vets