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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
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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
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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 |
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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. |
#5
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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. |
#6
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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. |
#7
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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 |
#8
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16 yr. old cat constantly throwing up
"jmc" wrote
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. Correct. About 40% of them are grain-free and perfectly fine. 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. I read the cans and get the grain free ones (she has had ear and coat issues on grain versions, pretty sure it's wheat gluten in her case). Daisy-chan can handle a few treats with grain (say, 1-2 pounce a day) with no harm, but not her regular food. I vary the brands about though as I learned a long time ago, a cat fed the same thing too long gets turned into a picky eater and i don't mean just the normal 'I don't like (insert type of meat)' but refuses to eat anything else even when obviously hungry. Oddly most of my cats have refused 'tuna' but they generally like anything else though they may have a second item they didn't like much. (Vamp didn't like shrimp, Roscoe wasn't fond of chicken, Face wasn't fond of beef and so on). I vary types of food and brands as well. I don't get wellness. They don';t have any grain free versions here. |
#9
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16 yr. old cat constantly throwing up
"cshenk" wrote in message ... "jmc" wrote 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. Correct. About 40% of them are grain-free and perfectly fine. Do you have a list of which ones these are? |
#10
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16 yr. old cat constantly throwing up
"Nitesbane" wrote
"cshenk" wrote "jmc" wrote 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. Correct. About 40% of them are grain-free and perfectly fine. Do you have a list of which ones these are? No sorry, I just read the labels. I know if I randomly select 10 versions out of their 30 or so, 4 will be grain-free. It may be higher because Daisy-chan will not touch tuna so I don't bother to check ones with tuna obvious on the label. What I have now (not all is fancy feast but this is the fancy feast onhand list) is "Cod, Sole, and Shrimp Feast classic", "Tender Beef and Liver Feast, Classic", "Tender Liver and Chicken Feast classic'. Don't let the 'classic' on all 3 lead you astray, that's just what was on sale for 55cents a can that day. I got a box of each (24 per box) with a bunch of 1$ off per box coupons inside them. I just grab a can, take my glasses off (the print is pretty small) and look for: Wheat gluten, vital wheat gluten, gluten, soy or soy by-products, corn or corn by-products, corn starch and skip those cans. With cats, you see mostly the wheat gluten (especially on beef ones with 'gravy' made to look tastey to us '2foots' but cats don't care about that). Dry food, I use a little kibble because she likes it as a treat. There, you have really GOT to check labels. Some of the most expensive 'promises to be perfect' foods are worse than alley cat. I allow only 'Blue Wilderness' and a local brand that is of same level grain free quality. I have the wonderful luck to have a cat and 2 dogs, all with grain allergies so my idea of a good food is a grain-free one. With dog food cans you have to check for all 3 (wheat, corn and soy). I've not seen soy in a canned cat food that I can recall but i probably put it back so fast I never looked at the brand again. In general, it is *much* more problematic to get quality dry items at a decent price that are grain free for cats and dogs. The only 'dry treats' Daisy-chan can get, are from the doggie isle. Dried duck, chicken, or beef and sometimes you see salmon. These are sold as pet jerky and we snap off little bits as treats for them all. The last time they had a friskies canned sale, I didn't find any that suited us but i seem to recall they have a few that are decently grain free. Wellness also per the web site has some that are grain free but are not sold in my area. Common grain allergy symptoms in cats: Ear infections, over grooming especially of the belly (may lick bare patches). Advanced cases, raw patches and severe skin issues. Scratches self alot. Common grain allergy symptoms in dogs: Ear Infections, chewing on toes and belly or legs, bare patches. Advanced cases, may knaw holes in skin creating lesions and other severe skin issues. Lots of self scratching. Both tend to be mis-diagnosed as ear mites and flea allergies (even when they have no fleas or ear mites). You can spend a bundle at the vets or you can just test grain free only foods for a few weeks and watch it go away (but you'll still have to treat the ear infection caused by the grains untikl it goes away). |
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