new cat throws up every day. help!?

Question

I just recently adopted an 8 year old male from a woman who could no longer take care of him. He is very well-behaved. Uses the litterbox every time & isn't scratching anything. The only issue I have with him is that he keeps throwing up. Pretty much on a daily basis. I woke up this morning to him "heaving" and BAM, all over the beige carpet. His owner had him on Purina Sensitive Systems. However, when he first came, our store did not have that brand so I just got him something cheap. I just bought the Purina Sensitive Systems yesterday and fed him, but he was still throwing up this morning. So I'm not sure if that was the issue or not. Pardon the details, but his puke looks like watery brown mush. It does have some hair in it also, but I'm not sure if that is his problem or not. Does anyone have any suggestions that could help him feel a little better? I feel so bad for the little guy, probably both homesick AND sick-sick.
Btw, I have had him for almost a week now.

Answer 1

Sounds like there are two things going on with your cat

1. Stress from being in a new environment
2. Change in diet - you didn't gradually introduce the new food and it threw his digestive system off and just 1 day back on Purina won't fit it that quickly.

Whenever my cat has diarrhea or vomiting my vet recommends fasting them for 24 hours. That means no food for 1 day - only water. This lets the system cleanse itself. After 24 hours, offer food slowly again. Mix Purina with the cheap stuff and then every day slowly eliminate the cheap stuff until it's only Purina.

Also make sure he's in a quiet place while he gets adjusted to his new home - no children, other animals, strange adults bothering him, loud noises, etc.

If it seems like he also has a hairball problem (i.e. he is constantly licking himself) you can SLOWLY switch from the Purina Sensitive to Purina One Hairball Formula.

Answer 2

it might be a hairball problem:

Cats prize themselves as being clean. There are few animals that clean themselves as much and completely as cat do. Always licking their coat, assuming positions that are almost painful to watch. Every time kitty awakens, and just before sleep, the ritual begins again. Even the paws fall prey to the cats precise cleaning. Well, it's not just a cleaning going on. Kitty is trying to remove loose hair. The tongue of a cat has tiny barbs that pull loose hair from it's coat. This hair is ingested by the cat and in small quantities it will pass through the cats digestive system with no problems. Sometimes, too much is ingested making kitty sick. The end result is a cat heaving and making strange noises through its nose and throat, almost like a muted cough or sneeze. Within a few minutes, a hairball is born. This is very discomforting to the cat, so much that kitty has to begin cleaning itself again, usually with the same results. There are over the counter remedies for this, or you can use a simple "old way" to deal with it. Vaseline. A little bit smeared on top of the front paws will do the trick. Of course, your cat will look at you like you have violated all cat honor, but will just as quickly get it off, first by trying to shake it off, then by licking it off. The Vaseline helps keep the hairball confined to a small ball and lubricates it so it will pass easily.
This treatment is for the occasional hairball and not recommended for daily use.
If the condition persists, and over the counter remedies don't work, or it appears to be hurting the cat, a vet trip may be highly recommended. These severe "attacks" can be very painful and may even cause the digestive track to stop working. To help prevent hairballs, brush your cat often. Cats really enjoy this. If your cat has long hair, it may be recommended to give kitty
a cat cut, especially in the spring when shedding occurs most.
Some vets are recommending feeding cats a small amount of grass or cat nip every other day.
Grass and cat nip are a rich source of fiber and can help in minimizing formations of hairballs.
Wheat, barley, oats or rye type grasses work well. All can be grown indoors for your cat.
A few pinches every other day should be enough.

There are lots of medicines that can help that. Ask your vet. If he keeps doing that, then you should call your vet again. There are other reasons, but if it has hair in it, it might very well be a hairball thing. hope he feels better real soon

Answer 3

Fur in the stomach doesn't have to be much for cats with touchy stomachs to heave up. Usually it comes up looking like a tootsie roll, but for these guys, any fur will make him nauseous enough to upchuck.

There's several types of food for sensitive stomachs, and Purina may not be the best. Royal Canin has a good line of foods, including the sensitive stomach one. I think it runs $11 for a bag that'll last about 5 weeks.

Baked chicken (no skin, no bones) can help calm the stomach but it's not for long term, as it's not balanced with what he'd need. But it may help right now.

If he was barfing up compacted dry cat food, I'd recommend the Royal Canin Siamese 38, which is designed to keep that from happening (Siamese binge and barf quite often), but yours sounds like his stomach is easy to upset so I'd check for the other type first.

Your vet may have a suggestion for what works best out of the different varieties for this problem. It's not your cat's fault, no cat likes throwing up.

Answer 4

By the sounds of it your cat either has a sensitive stomach and the cheap food you bought was too strong for him to cope with. Even after changing the food it will take a couple of days for it to go through his system. Or the other problem could be hairballs. You can by the cat treats to help break down the hair in the cats stomach to make it easier for him to cough up the hairballs. Every now and again my cat throws up this thick brown stuff and I gave him some hairball treats and it cleared up again. You also have to take into consideration the change in lifestyle for the cat he has now got a new home and everything to get used to again. If it continues for a couple of more days now you have changed food I would ring up a vet and ask for their advice.

Answer 5

keep him on the sencitive stomach food. the cat has been under a lot of stress with a new environment and new food, he will get use to the new environment and his stomach will adjust. I would get some laxaton or hairball remedy and give that to your cat every day for about a week and then you can go to just a few times a week or once a week depending on how the hairball situation is.

if the throwing up continues after this please take him to the vet.

Answer 6

Try feeding him boiled chicken breast for a few days. This is quite stable food for his stomach. Then gradually introduce any other food he is eating.
Also ask the previous owner if he used to do that.

Answer 7

more than likely it is stress from leaving his 8 year owner and keep him on the same food that the person you got the kitty from..if it continues take it to the vet...don't give it any milk and is it's eating habbits and drinking water doing well ??

Answer 8

are there any worms or anything wormlike in his puke? because if there is than you have to take him to a vet immediately because it could be that he has intestinal worms that make him throw up whenever they move around in his intestines. or he might not be able to digest his food properly so either way, you should take him to the vet.