Cat heaving often

I have a 5 year old B & W tabby that has been having problems with
throwing up several times a week. It's as if it is bulimic. She is a
house cat and never goes outside. She was spayed at 1 year old or
thereabouts with no problems. Otherwise she exhibits good health.

It is not loosing any weight by any means and input/output appears to
be OK.

We have one self-filling feeding station for 3 cats, a mother and two
siblings. To date this has not been an issue. They all eat when
hungry so there is no issue with sharing or so it seems.

This one cat eats the dry kibble, possibly in excess, and a short time
later hacks up a long trail of moist and formed food. It appears as
if its the contents of the esophagus in a long trail about th elength
of the middle finger, and as if its not getting passed the stomach
sphincter into the stomach.

Oddly, I sometimes see this happen with one of the other cats but not
with the same frequency as this one. There is usually plenty of water
available. We've been using the same brand of kibble for many years
with no problems.

As noted this one cat has us worried, but at the same time she is not
exhibiting any other problems. Weigh is OK, in fact a little on the
heavy side. She poops and urinates fine. No lethargy or other
obvious symptoms.

We're on a fixed income so a vet is a luxury. I'm hoping there may be
other answers to be considered.

"D. Kirkpatrick" wrote:


I have a 5 year old B & W tabby that has been having problems with
throwing up several times a week. It's as if it is bulimic. She
is a house cat and never goes outside. She was spayed at 1 year
old or thereabouts with no problems. Otherwise she exhibits good
health.

I am getting the impression that anxiety can cause excess vomiting
(the solution would be changing their living environment). But there
are other probably better known possible reasons, maybe others will
tell. Good luck.

I would start by using a hairball formula. After you have the cat on
the hairball stuff and the cat seems to be keeping food down, add a few
drops of "calming" homeopathic drops to the water bowl. Use VERY
sparingly. You can get it at most Pet Plus and Pet Smart stores.

If the cat doesn't improve, you will have to go to the vet, even if it
is a luxury. Your cat's life may depend on it. There could be an
impaction or other problem that is easily corrected.

Morgen

Try switching her to a high quality canned cat food. Sometimes dry food
causes vomiting. If this does not work, take her to the vet.
Gail
"D. Kirkpatrick" wrote in message
...
I have a 5 year old B & W tabby that has been having problems with
throwing up several times a week. It's as if it is bulimic. She is a
house cat and never goes outside. She was spayed at 1 year old or
thereabouts with no problems. Otherwise she exhibits good health.

It is not loosing any weight by any means and input/output appears to
be OK.

We have one self-filling feeding station for 3 cats, a mother and two
siblings. To date this has not been an issue. They all eat when
hungry so there is no issue with sharing or so it seems.

This one cat eats the dry kibble, possibly in excess, and a short time
later hacks up a long trail of moist and formed food. It appears as
if its the contents of the esophagus in a long trail about th elength
of the middle finger, and as if its not getting passed the stomach
sphincter into the stomach.

Oddly, I sometimes see this happen with one of the other cats but not
with the same frequency as this one. There is usually plenty of water
available. We've been using the same brand of kibble for many years
with no problems.

As noted this one cat has us worried, but at the same time she is not
exhibiting any other problems. Weigh is OK, in fact a little on the
heavy side. She poops and urinates fine. No lethargy or other
obvious symptoms.

We're on a fixed income so a vet is a luxury. I'm hoping there may be
other answers to be considered.

Yep - hairballs are the most common cause of vomiting. (If the cat is well
otherwise.) Try the hairball remedy food. There is also something called
petromelt which helps with swallowed hair - its like flavored edible
petroleum jelly - lubricates the cats digestive system so they can pass
(umm...poop) the hairballs.

Anxiety can also produce vomiting. Cats are weird - they can vomit on
demand (don't have to stick fingers down their throats).

Try letting your cat eat separately. Many cats don't like sharing the same
bowl - they get very stressed about who's getting the most, or getting
there's first.

If the hairball remedy doesn't work, or separate feeding doesn't help you
really need your vets advice.

-- maryjane

PS. Both my cats have hairballs!!! Bleuuuch!!!


"Morgen" wrote in message
oups.com...
I would start by using a hairball formula. After you have the cat on
the hairball stuff and the cat seems to be keeping food down, add a few
drops of "calming" homeopathic drops to the water bowl. Use VERY
sparingly. You can get it at most Pet Plus and Pet Smart stores.

If the cat doesn't improve, you will have to go to the vet, even if it
is a luxury. Your cat's life may depend on it. There could be an
impaction or other problem that is easily corrected.

Morgen

"D. Kirkpatrick" wrote in message
...
I have a 5 year old B & W tabby that has been having problems with
throwing up several times a week. It's as if it is bulimic. She is a
house cat and never goes outside. She was spayed at 1 year old or
thereabouts with no problems. Otherwise she exhibits good health.

It is not loosing any weight by any means and input/output appears to
be OK.

We have one self-filling feeding station for 3 cats, a mother and two
siblings. To date this has not been an issue. They all eat when
hungry so there is no issue with sharing or so it seems.

This one cat eats the dry kibble, possibly in excess, and a short time
later hacks up a long trail of moist and formed food. It appears as
if its the contents of the esophagus in a long trail about th elength
of the middle finger, and as if its not getting passed the stomach
sphincter into the stomach.

Oddly, I sometimes see this happen with one of the other cats but not
with the same frequency as this one. There is usually plenty of water
available. We've been using the same brand of kibble for many years
with no problems.

As noted this one cat has us worried, but at the same time she is not
exhibiting any other problems. Weigh is OK, in fact a little on the
heavy side. She poops and urinates fine. No lethargy or other
obvious symptoms.

We're on a fixed income so a vet is a luxury. I'm hoping there may be
other answers to be considered.

I've always been curious to know why people take on responsibilities in life
when they can't afford to do so.

D. Kirkpatrick wrote:
I have a 5 year old B & W tabby that has been having problems with
throwing up several times a week. It's as if it is bulimic. She is a
house cat and never goes outside. She was spayed at 1 year old or
thereabouts with no problems. Otherwise she exhibits good health.

It is not loosing any weight by any means and input/output appears to
be OK.

We have one self-filling feeding station for 3 cats, a mother and two
siblings. To date this has not been an issue. They all eat when
hungry so there is no issue with sharing or so it seems.

This one cat eats the dry kibble, possibly in excess, and a short time
later hacks up a long trail of moist and formed food. It appears as
if its the contents of the esophagus in a long trail about th elength
of the middle finger, and as if its not getting passed the stomach
sphincter into the stomach.

Oddly, I sometimes see this happen with one of the other cats but not
with the same frequency as this one. There is usually plenty of water
available. We've been using the same brand of kibble for many years
with no problems.

As noted this one cat has us worried, but at the same time she is not
exhibiting any other problems. Weigh is OK, in fact a little on the
heavy side. She poops and urinates fine. No lethargy or other
obvious symptoms.

We're on a fixed income so a vet is a luxury. I'm hoping there may be
other answers to be considered.

Medical help isn't a luxury, it is a necessity.

It could be hairballs, eating too fast, hard food, stress, everything.
Some cats just barf. I had a cat who ate too fast and vomited several
times a week - even with canned food. It was simply because she ate
too fast.

In article ,
"Judy" wrote:

I've always been curious to know why people take on responsibilities in life
when they can't afford to do so.



Fair question.

For much of my life I was allergic to cats and dogs but we discovered
when these cats showed up that I was not effected, possibly due to new
medications I was taking. This allowed me to let my children have a
pet(s) after many years of sorrowful refusals.

The other option would have been the animal control place, which after
10 days does the deed. The cat rescue lady we saw was only able to
take 2. Of the 2 remaining from the litter one was to stay and one
promised to a neighbor who later reneged on taking one in.

We had them on canned foods of a reasonable quality but that didn't
seem to work well with them. In fact they seemed to hack that up more
than anything. The kibble was always there as a spare or back up and
available on demand from an automated dispenser.

I opted to ask questions here as a stop-gap to see what remedies might
be considered from other owners.

We can well afford cat food for the 3 of them but we depended on
various low-income programs for their shots and to have them spayed.

A helpful response as opposed to personal criticism would be most
welcome.

In article .com,
"Buddy" wrote:

It could be hairballs, eating too fast, hard food, stress, everything.
Some cats just barf. I had a cat who ate too fast and vomited several
times a week - even with canned food. It was simply because she ate
too fast.



This may fit the bill. When this one does eat it seems to be fast
with everything coming back up.

She does not do this often, only once and a while. At other times she
eats normally and there are no problems.

As noted intake and output are OK and there is no other evidence of
illness. She is quite active with her sibling and they romp and play
quite well with each other. They are also very affactionate to their
respective 'owner' and others in the house.

---

My thanks to those who have offered suggestions thus far.