Not your typical daily vomiting story...

[wschuu]

Hi everyone. I came here because I'm having some problems with my @2y/o female cat, Nemo. Just to preface: I have seen a vet about this issue several times. Also, I have an appointment with a new vet, just for a second opinion, scheduled for this Friday morning. I'm not asking for a diagnosis, just trying to see if anyone has experience with this, or any relevant info to share.

Nemo has been throwing up almost the entire time we've had her. The vomit is light brown, looks like it is colored by her food. Occasionally there are small chunks of food in it, it is almost never solid in any way. She usually throws up once or twice a day. Today, four times.

She was adopted from a shelter at about 8 weeks old. She has always been an indoor cat. Current on vaccines, tested for worms, HIV, thyroid, the whole shebang. Changed foods many times.

Outside of the vomiting, she is a perfectly normal, energetic cat. Healthy eating habits, normal stool/urine. She is unusual only in that she LOVES attention the point of being clingy. Also, she was traumatized as a kitten - her lower mandible was broken in half, she could barely walk when she was out in an open space, had major separation anxiety, and most notably, licked ALL THE HAIR off her sides. We had to give her Prozac to curb that issue, and it worked. She did throw up the entire time she was on Prozac, so the calmed nerves did not cure the vomiting.

I am at a loss. Furniture, leather purses, coats, sheets, towels, laptop, books, etc have been damaged or ruined. The floor is like walking through post-war Vietnam. We wear shoes in the house. She seems perfectly fine outside of the vomiting. And we do watch, very closely.

Aside from Prozac, we've been given laxatives. We've been told, "cats just vomit!" and "change her food!" and countless other things. Our normal vet has run out of answers, she pretty much just doesn't address this issue anymore with us. But she is vomiting every single day, often multiple times a day!!

Any insights? She is in a safe home, we will not be getting rid of her over this. She is our girl for life. But this vomiting issue is truly putting a strain on our home lives and relationship, no joke. It is a SERIOUS problem. I could go on and on...

Hopefully the vet on Friday will have some answers. In the mean time, do any of you?

[Muzby]

What food are you feeding her? Kibble? Are there grains/carbs in it?

Our cat did the exact same thing. He's now 16, this was back when he was 10-11. Vomit atleast 4-6 times a day.

We switched him from kibble (of which ANY brand made him vomit) to high quality, grain free canned food only (and later to raw), and only when he was on 100% canned did he stop vomiting so much. Infact, he went from 4-6/day to MAYBE once a week!

[Auntie Crazy]

What type (canned / kibble), brand and flavor of food are you feeding her, how often, and how much?

And, NO, it is not normal for cats to throw up on a regular basis. They only do so because something's interfering with their digestive system.

AC

[wschuu]

All three get Orijin kibble. We actually switched to Orijen from Natural Balance because Mimi, the 7y/o, was vomiting a lot (a very different kind, I'm like a barf expert now). The Orijen completely stopped Mimi's vomiting.

Any recommendations on canned food? I've had trouble getting the cats to eat it in the past, when it was offered, but that won't stop me from trying again.

Also, thanks for the replies.

[Dave_ph]

Get another vet. Cat's don't 'just throw up'.

Even if it's only eating too fast (spread the food out on the plate) it'll do damage over time.

[wschuu]

I forgot to add: How much/how often... I don't have an exact measurement, I'm sorry. I'd say... about 1/2 a cup, twice a day... Nemo rarely finishes her portions, but she is at a healthy weight. Just had her at the vet a couple months ago, they said the same. We have to watch the obesity issue, Mimi is... how do I say this... an emotional overeater.

[wschuu]

Originally Posted by Dave_ph

Get another vet. Cat's don't 'just throw up'.

Even if it's only eating too fast (spread the food out on the plate) it'll do damage over time.

I worry about that, all the vomiting can not be good for her little esophagus. We are going to the best vet I know of, about 40 minutes from home. My parents take their pets to him, I've heard the best things from everyone about him. If we get this figured out with him, he'll be my vet from now on.

I do know she isn't eating too fast. We watched for that very early on, it was my first thought because it was a problem with Mimi. She seems to eat normally, never seen her over-eat, not food motivated at all. Doesn't seem interested in people food or treats either.

[catloverami]

Do they gobble their food down fast? Do as Dave suggested, spread canned food on a plate so they're forced to lick it up. Another suggestion is to put the plate on a fat phone book or something so it's raised chest level. Sometimes that helps. Hope something works as it's certainly unpleasant having to clean up so many messes and I can understand how frustrating that is.

[wschuu]

Originally Posted by catloverami

Do they gobble their food down fast? Do as Dave suggested, spread canned food on a plate so they're forced to lick it up. Another suggestion is to put the plate on a fat phone book or something so it's raised chest level. Sometimes that helps. Hope something works as it's certainly unpleasant having to clean up so many messes and I can understand how frustrating that is.

No, she doesn't eat fast at all. Also, what she's vomiting up doesn't look like food - it's liquid. Not foamy, not yellow really either. It's a brown liquid, very watery. My other cat, Mimi, does eat too fast, and when she vomits, it looks like (I'm sorry, gross, I know) a log of 1/2 digested food. This is very different.

Another difference: when Nemo vomits, she hacks and heaves for quite a while before anything comes out. She looks like she's having a lot of trouble, every time. It's heartbreaking... I do want my floors to be clean, but most of all I hope she is ok.

Thank you for the advice. Regardless, I'll be trying the spread-out-the-food technique, I'd like to see if it helps.

[swimkris]

Originally Posted by wschuu

No, she doesn't eat fast at all. Also, what she's vomiting up doesn't look like food - it's liquid. Not foamy, not yellow really either. It's a brown liquid, very watery. My other cat, Mimi, does eat too fast, and when she vomits, it looks like (I'm sorry, gross, I know) a log of 1/2 digested food. This is very different.

Another difference: when Nemo vomits, she hacks and heaves for quite a while before anything comes out. She looks like she's having a lot of trouble, every time. It's heartbreaking... I do want my floors to be clean, but most of all I hope she is ok.

Thank you for the advice. Regardless, I'll be trying the spread-out-the-food technique, I'd like to see if it helps.

A vet should definitely be the one to diagnose your cat, but I will say that the vomit you described sounds more like bile. Ask your vet to check for pancreatitis and maybe some other food aggravated illnesses. Either way, it wouldn't hurt to switch your cat from kibble to canned food. If it is something like pancreatitis, the problem usually stems from the pancreas not being able to handle all the carbs in kibble, and it may lead to diabetes. Best of luck to finding a solution to Nemo's vomiting!