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16 yr. old cat constantly throwing up



 
 
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  #1  
Old March 21st 11, 03:38 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
B
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Posts: 1
Default 16 yr. old cat constantly throwing up

My cat is 16 yrs. old and for the past several months constantly
throws up. The vet did some blood work and his sugar was a little
high, which she attributed to the stress of the visit. His kidney
function is slowing down a bit and now she wants to take a urine
sample. She has changed his food to a type that can only be bought at
the office and is a gastroenteric formula. The food is not cheap, $34
for a case of canned and $28 for a 6# bag of dry food. I don't know
what to do for him; there are times that he doesn't seem to know where
he is or who I am. Is some of this just part of the "aging process"?
He is an indoor cat, up to date on his shots and has never been sick.
I really don't know what more to do for him. Has anyone else faced
this problem or had a similar situation w/their cat?
  #2  
Old March 21st 11, 03:44 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
Matthew[_3_]
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Posts: 2,287
Default 16 yr. old cat constantly throwing up


"B" wrote in message
...
My cat is 16 yrs. old and for the past several months constantly
throws up. The vet did some blood work and his sugar was a little
high, which she attributed to the stress of the visit. His kidney
function is slowing down a bit and now she wants to take a urine
sample. She has changed his food to a type that can only be bought at
the office and is a gastroenteric formula. The food is not cheap, $34
for a case of canned and $28 for a 6# bag of dry food. I don't know
what to do for him; there are times that he doesn't seem to know where
he is or who I am. Is some of this just part of the "aging process"?
He is an indoor cat, up to date on his shots and has never been sick.
I really don't know what more to do for him. Has anyone else faced
this problem or had a similar situation w/their cat?


Did he check for thyroid problems also?. Some vets only do a partial panel
for blood and not a full work up.

Sorry about the furball I lost my beloved Phantom at age 16. He was at
that point that I needed to help him cross the bridge.

Since he is having problems with his kidneys IMO try to stay away from the
dry food Your cat is equal to a 81 year old human. Let us know what the
results of the urine testing is. I might shed so more light on the
situation


  #3  
Old March 21st 11, 09:43 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
jmc[_2_]
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Posts: 113
Default 16 yr. old cat constantly throwing up

Suddenly, without warning, Matthew exclaimed (3/21/2011 10:44 AM):
wrote in message
...
My cat is 16 yrs. old and for the past several months constantly
throws up. The vet did some blood work and his sugar was a little
high, which she attributed to the stress of the visit. His kidney
function is slowing down a bit and now she wants to take a urine
sample. She has changed his food to a type that can only be bought at
the office and is a gastroenteric formula. The food is not cheap, $34
for a case of canned and $28 for a 6# bag of dry food. I don't know
what to do for him; there are times that he doesn't seem to know where
he is or who I am. Is some of this just part of the "aging process"?
He is an indoor cat, up to date on his shots and has never been sick.
I really don't know what more to do for him. Has anyone else faced
this problem or had a similar situation w/their cat?


Did he check for thyroid problems also?. Some vets only do a partial panel
for blood and not a full work up.

Sorry about the furball I lost my beloved Phantom at age 16. He was at
that point that I needed to help him cross the bridge.

Since he is having problems with his kidneys IMO try to stay away from the
dry food Your cat is equal to a 81 year old human. Let us know what the
results of the urine testing is. I might shed so more light on the
situation



I feel your pain. My cat will be 16 in a couple of months. She already
has health issues, so I get anxious every time she has a bad day...

I agree with what is said above - get him on wet food, and suggest a
full thyroid workup.

I'd be a little leery of the vet-recommended food. Sometimes it's not
really the best for them... years ago the vet I had then put Meep on
Royal Canin Urinary (dry) for cystitis problems... she continued to have
problems until I stopped ALL dry food. Now she eats 100% canned/wet
food, and is much healthier. It's a mix of the expensive stuff, and
select varieties of Fancy Feast, to help keep the cost down.


jmc
  #4  
Old March 22nd 11, 11:07 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
Buddy's Mom
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Posts: 243
Default 16 yr. old cat constantly throwing up

Along with checking the thyroid, I would also wonder if she has
hairballs. As they age, they lack the ability to get rid of them. I
would highly suggest using Temptations for Hairballs or Cat Lax for a
couple of weeks to help the hairballs pass and see if this decreases
the vomiting.

Stay on canned food. Fancy Feast is actually very good for cats.
High protein and low or no carbs.
  #5  
Old March 22nd 11, 05:16 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
Rene
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Posts: 117
Default 16 yr. old cat constantly throwing up

It would help if you could describe the vomiting a little more (I
know, it's sort of gross). When does he vomit and what is in the
vomit?

I agree with jmc in saying that I don't trust vet-recommended food. If
you look at the ingredients, they are downright scary. There are
probably grains in that food too, which can sometimes be an allergen
for cats. IMO you should feed a high-quality, grain free wet food. It
won't cost any more than the prescription food. Try a novel protein
like duck, venison, or quail to see if it helps. No fish, as that can
be an allergen too.

Warm the food a bit. Sometimes cold food can cause a cat to vomit, and
at age 16, it will make the food more appealing to his diminished
sense of smell.

I know how frustrating this is. Vomiting is one of those catch-all
things that can be difficult to diagnose.
  #6  
Old March 22nd 11, 07:51 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
dberrycat
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Posts: 63
Default 16 yr. old cat constantly throwing up

On Mar 21, 10:38*am, B wrote:
My cat is 16 yrs. old and for the past several months constantly
throws up. *The vet did some blood work and his sugar was a little
high, which she attributed to the stress of the visit. *His kidney
function is slowing down a bit and now she wants to take a urine
sample. *She has changed his food to a type that can only be bought at
the office and is a gastroenteric formula. *The food is not cheap, $34
for a case of canned and $28 for a 6# bag of dry food. *I don't know
what to do for him; there are times that he doesn't seem to know where
he is or who I am. *Is some of this just part of the "aging process"?
He is an indoor cat, up to date on his shots and has never been sick.
I really don't know what more to do for him. *Has anyone else faced
this problem or had a similar situation w/their cat?


Sorry to hear that your cat is having problems. I have a cat with
kidney
disease and, as per the vet, started giving her 1/4 of a pepcid 10mg
tablet
daily. I hide it in a pill pocket, which she loves. That really
helped with
her throwing up. I know you want to have less protein for cats with
kidney
disease, but I haven't had much luck with her wanting to eat the
kidney
diet food. She will eat it for a while then just turn up her nose. I
gave up and mostly feed her Proplan wet and a little Nutro dry. So
far her kidney numbers are staying pretty stable. She is older and
thinner than she should be so it is more important for her to eat
something healthy that she likes than to eat the kidney food, IMHO.

I don't know about the disorientation. I haven't had a cat that
experienced
that so far. As long as he seems happy, wants to cuddle, eats and
enjoys most of his life (like napping, sitting in the sun, etc) then I
guess you just try to treat the kidney disease and love him. If he
starts to get very fearful then you should talk with you vet about
his quality of life.

Wishing you luck,

Debbie
  #7  
Old March 22nd 11, 08:27 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
Bill Graham
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Posts: 1,065
Default 16 yr. old cat constantly throwing up

Rene wrote:
It would help if you could describe the vomiting a little more (I
know, it's sort of gross). When does he vomit and what is in the
vomit?

I agree with jmc in saying that I don't trust vet-recommended food. If
you look at the ingredients, they are downright scary. There are
probably grains in that food too, which can sometimes be an allergen
for cats. IMO you should feed a high-quality, grain free wet food. It
won't cost any more than the prescription food. Try a novel protein
like duck, venison, or quail to see if it helps. No fish, as that can
be an allergen too.

Warm the food a bit. Sometimes cold food can cause a cat to vomit, and
at age 16, it will make the food more appealing to his diminished
sense of smell.

I know how frustrating this is. Vomiting is one of those catch-all
things that can be difficult to diagnose.


Not only that, but all vet recommended food is horribly expensive. We have
five cats, and we not only feed them, but also a bunch of wild raccoons and
a couple of possums and unknown number of squirrels and birds. We spend a
significent percentage of our household income on critter food, and we can't
afford to buy specialty cat food that costs several dollars a pound. Our
cats get an unending supply of cheap kibbles, and lots of roasted chicken,
which is a great buy in today's inflated market. If I were doing it all over
again, I would have bought a chicken farm when I retired, and have 50 cats
instead of five.

  #8  
Old March 23rd 11, 01:23 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
cshenk
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Posts: 2,427
Default 16 yr. old cat constantly throwing up

"B" wrote

My cat is 16 yrs. old and for the past several months constantly
throws up. The vet did some blood work and his sugar was a little
high, which she attributed to the stress of the visit. His kidney
function is slowing down a bit and now she wants to take a urine
sample. She has changed his food to a type that can only be bought at
the office and is a gastroenteric formula. The food is not cheap, $34
for a case of canned and $28 for a 6# bag of dry food. I don't know
what to do for him; there are times that he doesn't seem to know where
he is or who I am. Is some of this just part of the "aging process"?


It can be several things but the 'don't know who he is or you who are' sends
a signal of kidney problems to me.

Kidney problems are far more common in Cats fed mostly dry food over years
of time. It doesnt matter that many of the web sites about this are wacky
'new age', it's a fact shown by stats but even those fed always wet, can
develop problems by age 16.

The only answer having dealt with this many times (I rescue elderly cats) is
to get more water into them then have a vet who actually knows geriatric
cats and how to read bloodwork. Most of the cats I have rescued have been
14-18 and fed crap like 'purina' until suddenly they 'developed problems the
owner could not deal with'. Basic alzheimers sort of thing.

At this point, I dump a vet who first takes me to the KD dry (or wet) stuff.
My experience is that they know far less than I do (and i am always into
follow vet advice normally but this is the exception if they do that).

Commmon sense, kidney problems in cats are usually related to not drinking
enough. Over years, this can make it worse and damage the kidneys. Cats
don't really like 'water' that much but an effective way to get them to
drink is by adding a bowl of salt-free broth (2-3 TB) about 3 times a day if
possible. Feeding wet food also helps a good bit.

I agree with one of the posters, that once you learn to read *labels* much
of the 'Fancy Feast' is workable. About 40% of the versions are grainfree.

Please do NOT take to hairball remedy laxitives. Sure, cats hurl hairballs
at times, but that is a laxitive which makes dehydration worse if your kitty
has kidney issues.

  #9  
Old March 23rd 11, 02:36 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
jmc[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 113
Default 16 yr. old cat constantly throwing up

Suddenly, without warning, Buddy's Mom exclaimed (3/22/2011 6:07 AM):
Along with checking the thyroid, I would also wonder if she has
hairballs. As they age, they lack the ability to get rid of them. I
would highly suggest using Temptations for Hairballs or Cat Lax for a
couple of weeks to help the hairballs pass and see if this decreases
the vomiting.

Stay on canned food. Fancy Feast is actually very good for cats.
High protein and low or no carbs.


Well... some varieties. My understanding is that the quality of Fancy
Feast varies between varieties.

For instance, I remember reading that the grilled versions are not a
good choice, though I can't cite my reference. Meep mostly gets the
classics, usually something with liver or giblets.

jmc

  #10  
Old March 23rd 11, 02:40 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
jmc[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 113
Default 16 yr. old cat constantly throwing up

Suddenly, without warning, cshenk exclaimed (3/22/2011 8:23 PM):
"B" wrote

My cat is 16 yrs. old and for the past several months constantly
throws up. The vet did some blood work and his sugar was a little
high, which she attributed to the stress of the visit. His kidney
function is slowing down a bit and now she wants to take a urine
sample. She has changed his food to a type that can only be bought at
the office and is a gastroenteric formula. The food is not cheap, $34
for a case of canned and $28 for a 6# bag of dry food. I don't know
what to do for him; there are times that he doesn't seem to know where
he is or who I am. Is some of this just part of the "aging process"?


It can be several things but the 'don't know who he is or you who are'
sends a signal of kidney problems to me.

Kidney problems are far more common in Cats fed mostly dry food over
years of time. It doesnt matter that many of the web sites about this
are wacky 'new age', it's a fact shown by stats but even those fed
always wet, can develop problems by age 16.

The only answer having dealt with this many times (I rescue elderly
cats) is to get more water into them then have a vet who actually knows
geriatric cats and how to read bloodwork. Most of the cats I have
rescued have been 14-18 and fed crap like 'purina' until suddenly they
'developed problems the owner could not deal with'. Basic alzheimers
sort of thing.

At this point, I dump a vet who first takes me to the KD dry (or wet)
stuff. My experience is that they know far less than I do (and i am
always into follow vet advice normally but this is the exception if they
do that).

Commmon sense, kidney problems in cats are usually related to not
drinking enough. Over years, this can make it worse and damage the
kidneys. Cats don't really like 'water' that much but an effective way
to get them to drink is by adding a bowl of salt-free broth (2-3 TB)
about 3 times a day if possible. Feeding wet food also helps a good bit.

I agree with one of the posters, that once you learn to read *labels*
much of the 'Fancy Feast' is workable. About 40% of the versions are
grainfree.

Please do NOT take to hairball remedy laxitives. Sure, cats hurl
hairballs at times, but that is a laxitive which makes dehydration worse
if your kitty has kidney issues.


To add to the water bit - I add a tablespoon or two of warm water to
each of Meep's feedings, plus she has a Petco brand water fountain that
she drinks from a lot more than the Drinkwell she had before.

Between those two, she's remained hydrated enough to have almost no
cystitis attacks in the last few years, and despite being geriatric, she
looks great and her kidneys are fine. Still, we do a workup every 6
months to ensure if they start to fail, we'll know about it early.

jmc
 




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