[Julz]

Hey everybody,
I almost want to kick myself for posting this because i know what everyone's answers will be but I thought I'd try anyway. So I've been noticing a couple vomit spots lately it's been about three spots in as many weeks and wasn't sure who the culprit was until this morning. Alex stood in the doorway of my bedroom and vomited. It was not a hairball and was not liquid - had some consistency to it. I am making the assumption that it has been him that's done the past spots. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions as to what it could be. I know 90% of the answers will be take him to the vet but he has literally no other symptoms. He's acting totally normal, toilet visits are fine that I've seen, normal appetite, normal activity level. So I hesitate to spend the $50 when nothing else seems to be wrong. The vet I spoke to earlier said it could be even from eating too fast which is a possibility. I've been working from 7:30 to 9 or ten so their dinners have been significantly later. I've been giving them more breakfast when I know I'm going to be late but if this was the case I feel like it would manifest right away, not at 6 am the next morning. I am going to be home this weekend so I can keep a closer eye on his eating and bathroom visits and will take him to the vet on Monday if necessary. Does anyone have any advice they could weigh in with? it would be MUCH appreciated!
Thanks,
Julz
rcat

 

[doodlebug]

Vomiting from eating too fast happens within a few minutes of eating.

Had he eaten breakfast before he vomited? Cats will often vomit when their stomach has been empty for too long (and what is "too long" is cat specific). So if you notice spots when you've been gone for a long day, that could be the issue.

The other question is how old is he? For older cats, vomiting can be indicative of a lot of senior ailments that may not have any other outward symptoms initially.

 

[Julz]

No, my alarm had just gone off, I wasn't up yet. Plus some of the chunks weren't digested and he was fed around 7pm the night before. Could he have an intestinal blockage of some kind? Would it help to give him a hairball remedy like pumpkin? Or would adding new things be more detrimental at this point?
He is not quite two years old.
Thanks for the prompt response!

 

[doodlebug]

If he had a blockage it would have likely escalated over the course of the few weeks you're talking about. It's likely either because 12 hours is too long for him to go between meals (I'm a fan of the bedtime snack) or a hairball. I'd give him some pumpkin or hairball remedy and if that doesn't do it, then start with a small snack before bed and find a way to leave something out when you're going to be gone a long time (timer feeder maybe?)

 

[Julz]

On a normal schedule, I feed them breakfast and dinner when I get home from work and then a snack right before I go to bed. The last week or so, I've been feeding them a larger than normal breakfast so their hard food lasts them longer and then they get dinner when I get home. If there's still food in their bowl when I go to bed, I don't usually give them the snack but there was food left last night
I'm going to the store tonight, I'll get some pumpkin while I'm there.
Hopefully my hours will start getting better as I get caught up and I can get their mealtimes back on a schedule. Spring is the busy season for landscaping.
I'd like to get an auto feeder but it's not in the budget right now.
Thanks for the help and for saving me $50 on a vet appointment!

Julz

 

[flyfilly]

My one kitty, Mini sometimes will vomit even if she's eaten at a normal pace when it's been more than about 12 hours since her breakfast.

My other kitty, Oreo had a problem like this a while back. He vomitted about like you'd expect for a hairball, sometimes with some texture and sometimes just liquid for a few days. He loses his appetite really easily, and after a few days of this I couldn't get him to eat. Same deal--no other symptoms, nothing weird in the litterbox, no fever. Our vet concluded that he wasn't blocked, but maybe just had accumulated a hairball large enough that he couldn't pass it through or get it up--and then, since it had been several days, his stomach lining got a little irritated, causing a bit of a catch-22. He gave him a steroid and a round of an antibiotic (I can't remember which one) that he said would head off an infection on the off chance there was one, and should also balance out the gut flora to get everything rolling. Oreo turned a corner and got back to eating w/minimal vommitting since then.

We switched his food to Authority hairball control since meat was the primary ingredient, and we use CatLax once a week...he still throws up occasionally but nothing like that one incident.

 

[flyfilly]

Oh yeah and canned pumpkin ROCKS when it comes to hairballs/occasional soft stool/most things!

 

[Cat'sHouse]

We do use a vet when necessary but an occassional upchuck happens, I think. I have found that some cans of 9lives seem to cause this to happen. We refrigerate leftovers and since our cats are all indoor, I figure they don't need as much or as often as I see posted on here. I split one can (6oz?) in thirds and feed the 10 yr old and 2 yr old each a third. They eat downstairs and are fed in two areas...(no one likes to eat with Kermit and he steals). Eliza 18yrs, eats upstairs but gets fed about three times a day. the younger ones only get fed canned once a day, in the morning, but all have dry food available 24/7/365.

Wife gives fish oil pills by opening them and adding to food. Plus I want to pick up a hairball tube and give all a treatment. Most of the time any upchuck is not hairball but who knows...I think it is the food...also we add a little water to the canned pate....the gravies caused more upchucks so I quit buying them.

I do avoid the cheap dry food..usually go with Purina Senior or Purina Hairball dry food.

 

[Julz]

Thanks for the comments, guys.
I'll keep an eye on him for any more symptoms of blockage. I didn't have time to get pumpkin this weekend but both seem to be acting fine still.
Occasional vomits due happen but there have been several in the last couple weeks and I know when cats get sick, they tend to go down fast so I was making an attempt to be preemptive.
I prefer grain free for my cats but I'll look into the fish oil, thanks for the suggestion.

 

[SallyGracie]

Could be an allergy to his food. Are you feeding him a natural cat food? Some of those grocery store brands are really filled with bad stuff. My boyfriend’s allergic cat eats Natural Balance L.I.D. Green Pea & Salmon and hasn’t had any recent upsets. The food is so good I put my cats on it too. Maybe try the elimination diet and see if you can pinpoint if something in his food is making him sick.

 

[Julz]

They've been on Merrick BG hard and soft for almost a year with no problems. About three months ago we added Nature's Variety Instinct for some different flavors so that could be the issue, I suppose. Myabe I'm wrong but I feel like the vomit episodes would be more consistent if it was an allergy to the soft food as they get it twice a day.

 

[doodlebug]

I feel like the vomit episodes would be more consistent if it was an allergy to the soft food as they get it twice a day.

Agreed...unless you rotate flavors and there is only one that is an issue...

 

[Julz]

Well, I think it may be time to take him to the vet... Someone is getting dehydrated (his poos are light colored and really small and compact) though I see them both drinking a lot and Alex threw up again this morning. I hate to take him in as I'm not sure what they would test for but something isn't right.