Sensitive stomach?

Maleke · 01-17-2005, 02:53 PM

My cat Magic (1 year old) sometimes throws up after he eats his dry kibble. It comes back up whole, so I know he isn't chewing it AT ALL. It gets REALLY annoying to have to clean up puke so often. He only throws up dry food, not wet...but I can't afford to feed him only wet. I am feeding him Natural Balance, and I have noticed the kibble is really small. Is there a first grade dry food out there with a larger kibble or a funny shaped kibble that will force him to chew?

coaster · 01-17-2005, 03:48 PM

I don't think the chewing is an aid to the digestive process, like it is in humans. It's just meant to tear up the food into swallowable pieces. And Natural Balance is a high quality food. I don't think that's the cause of the vomiting. Maybe your cat is just eating too fast. Try putting a ping-pong ball (or two) into the food dish which will force eating around the balls and thus eating slower.

All of the super premium dry foods I've tried so far have small kibble. I'd prefer them to chew, also, so to accomplish that I give them a small portion of Hill's Science Diet Oral Health, which has an unusually large kibble size. However, I don't think this food is really all that great nutritionally, so I wouldn't recommend it as the primary food. It's mostly rice.

Puma · 01-17-2005, 08:01 PM

Cats have a difficult time with digestion, especially dry, dry food usually comes up whole.

I recommend both the ping ball suggestion from tim and I also suggest always to raise your kitties food bowls so that they are not bending down to eat, this is why your kitty is having such a hard time digesting.

I had this problem with Pums and I raised her bowls and now I have a happy kitty.

01-17-2005, 02:53 PM	#1 (permalink)
Maleke Cool Cat Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Stoney Creek, ON Posts: 1,097	Sensitive stomach? My cat Magic (1 year old) sometimes throws up after he eats his dry kibble. It comes back up whole, so I know he isn't chewing it AT ALL. It gets REALLY annoying to have to clean up puke so often. He only throws up dry food, not wet...but I can't afford to feed him only wet. I am feeding him Natural Balance, and I have noticed the kibble is really small. Is there a first grade dry food out there with a larger kibble or a funny shaped kibble that will force him to chew? __________________ There really is nothing better than a weekend!

01-17-2005, 03:48 PM	#2 (permalink)
coaster Banned Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Wisconsin, USA Posts: 17,798	I don't think the chewing is an aid to the digestive process, like it is in humans. It's just meant to tear up the food into swallowable pieces. And Natural Balance is a high quality food. I don't think that's the cause of the vomiting. Maybe your cat is just eating too fast. Try putting a ping-pong ball (or two) into the food dish which will force eating around the balls and thus eating slower. All of the super premium dry foods I've tried so far have small kibble. I'd prefer them to chew, also, so to accomplish that I give them a small portion of Hill's Science Diet Oral Health, which has an unusually large kibble size. However, I don't think this food is really all that great nutritionally, so I wouldn't recommend it as the primary food. It's mostly rice.

01-17-2005, 08:01 PM	#3 (permalink)
Puma Tom Cat Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: California Posts: 461	Cats have a difficult time with digestion, especially dry, dry food usually comes up whole. I recommend both the ping ball suggestion from tim and I also suggest always to raise your kitties food bowls so that they are not bending down to eat, this is why your kitty is having such a hard time digesting. I had this problem with Pums and I raised her bowls and now I have a happy kitty.

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