cat vomiting

I have a 5 year old Tomcat. He has just returned from the vet and
I am anxious about the advice and treatment received. The vet is a
very experienced one, but not (I am afraid to say) very
compassionate (having supported actively, the movement to continue
fox and deer hunting in the UK) The cat is if anything a tiny bit
overweight but nothing like Obese. he is active and shows no signs of
ill health generally. He shares my home with another cat.

Both my cats have access to the outdoors. Both stay in at night from
dusk to early morning.

the feeding routine is

Dry food always available, as well as water

1/4 tin per cat of tinned cat food in the evening. The food always
brings both cats scuttling indoors at quite a pace and they relish
feeding time

Neither cat appear to drink excessively. If anything I would say the
Tomcat does not drink enough (or at least I do not often see him
drink. He certainly is not grabbing a chance often to drink. But
then I keep water inside and on the doorstep.

A week ago, he was sick after eating. The next night he was sick
about 3 hours afterwards.

For almost the whole week he was fine again. He gets stuck into his
food and several times a day wanders into the hiuse for some dried
food. But this morning he was sick. Stomach contents looked
undigested from last night.

I took him to a vet. It was not a nice experience. He immediately
dressed me down for feeing my cats dried food. He looked first in
his mouth and then suggested to me that the cats breath smelled as if
he had a kidney problem and asked me to smell. But I could not
honestly say there was anything strong.

I had kept the cats vomit from this morning, in my fridge sealed up in
a bag . But the vet was not interested to see it.


He did not take any temperature nor consider blood tests. Instead,
with the cat screaming in terror and with me holding him and he
injected him with Betamax. When I said what is that for, he said
"to make him better" Hardly a reply which answers my queries. As
the cat struggled the needle (still stuck in the cat) became
disengaged from the syringe and so he had to pull it out and inject
him again. He also did a lot of palpating, and told me the cat had
got hard kidneys.

He also gave me some tablets for a few days starting on saturday, I
presume some antibiotics

I asked him for a specific diagnosis but he was a bit vague and
talked about a possible infection. But this cat is behaving
essentially the same as always.

I am not sure about this advice concerning the dried food. As the
animal appears better able to tolerate dried food, but not tinned
food, I am very sceptical

He has certainly not lost any weight

I am anxious that I have been put to a lot of worry about what probably
is not sufficient exploration to diagnose anything. Perhaps the vet
just wants to scare me into changing to a total wet food diet and
issued treatment to make me feel (a) he is doing something and (b)
that I am irresponsible feeding dried food.

Here is the cat
http://members.lycos.co.uk/waweldrag...LA01/page1.htm

and a few weeks ago with his pal, my other cat, the beautiful Kim

http://members.lycos.co.uk/waweldragon5/BELLSANDKIM.jpg

Thanks very much Andrew

wrote:

1/4 tin per cat of tinned cat food in the evening. The food always
brings both cats scuttling indoors at quite a pace and they relish
feeding time

While I would not return to that vet (would you use a contractor
to fix your house who you found this unpleasant?) he was right
about dry food. Canned is better for your cats for a number
of reasons I will let you Google up from this group. (We have
had endless discussions on food.)


Neither cat appear to drink excessively. If anything I would say the
Tomcat does not drink enough (or at least I do not often see him
drink. He certainly is not grabbing a chance often to drink. But
then I keep water inside and on the doorstep.

A week ago, he was sick after eating. The next night he was sick
about 3 hours afterwards.

For almost the whole week he was fine again. He gets stuck into his
food and several times a day wanders into the hiuse for some dried
food. But this morning he was sick. Stomach contents looked
undigested from last night.

Do you mean the canned food? Because you free-feed him
dry food, so how can you tell when he ate it? One bad thing
about dry (this I know from feeding one of my cats on it
her whole life before I knew any better) is that it expands in
the stomach so that if they eat fast, they will hurl it. I think
some cats eat dry food fast for the same reasons some
people wolf "diet" this and "lowfat" that--they are trying
to obtain a satisfaction they are just NOT going to get from
what they are eating. Your cats need meat, not grain. Note
the relish you talk about above, when you feed them the
canned food at night.

Regarding throwing up: cats just do that. If it is a couple
of times every few days, I don't worry about it.

Regardiing your vet: get another.

wrote in message
oups.com...


Both my cats have access to the outdoors. Both stay in at night from
dusk to early morning.

One last thought: while I realize that you live in the UK and so the mere
thought of keeping your cats indoors where they are safe is probably
repugnant to you, the fact is, you cannot have any idea what your cats are
ingesting when you allow them to roam unsupervised. Neighbors poisoning
voles, mice, or rats? Using insecticides on their gardens or grass?

Hi Cybercat. Thanks for that. Yep, he threw up the tinned food
only. He copes fine with dried food when I first had him, and
initially I was anxious about canned food because hisprevious
owner said he (and his brother cat) did not tolerate it well.
But I tentatively introduced it and generally successfully. He
did used sometimes to chuck up the dried food too, Maybe every
couple of months or so.

That vet scared the hell out of me talking about kidneys. I had
gone thinking he might like to see the vomit, to help in a diagnosis.
And perhaps he might run a blood test if he was thinking of something
systemic.

I heard of cases whereby vets ( and sometimes human doctors) give
antibiotic injections just to reassure the humans . I HOPE thats
all it was here. And I am not sure I want to immediately withdraw
dried food when he has chucked up the wet 3 times in the week.
But Yes, I would consider a transition to the tinned and do that
incrementally starting now.




cybercat wrote:
wrote:

1/4 tin per cat of tinned cat food in the evening. The food always
brings both cats scuttling indoors at quite a pace and they relish
feeding time

While I would not return to that vet (would you use a contractor
to fix your house who you found this unpleasant?) he was right
about dry food. Canned is better for your cats for a number
of reasons I will let you Google up from this group. (We have
had endless discussions on food.)


Neither cat appear to drink excessively. If anything I would say the
Tomcat does not drink enough (or at least I do not often see him
drink. He certainly is not grabbing a chance often to drink. But
then I keep water inside and on the doorstep.

A week ago, he was sick after eating. The next night he was sick
about 3 hours afterwards.

For almost the whole week he was fine again. He gets stuck into his
food and several times a day wanders into the hiuse for some dried
food. But this morning he was sick. Stomach contents looked
undigested from last night.

Do you mean the canned food? Because you free-feed him
dry food, so how can you tell when he ate it? One bad thing
about dry (this I know from feeding one of my cats on it
her whole life before I knew any better) is that it expands in
the stomach so that if they eat fast, they will hurl it. I think
some cats eat dry food fast for the same reasons some
people wolf "diet" this and "lowfat" that--they are trying
to obtain a satisfaction they are just NOT going to get from
what they are eating. Your cats need meat, not grain. Note
the relish you talk about above, when you feed them the
canned food at night.

Regarding throwing up: cats just do that. If it is a couple
of times every few days, I don't worry about it.

Regardiing your vet: get another.

wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi Cybercat. Thanks for that. Yep, he threw up the tinned food
only. He copes fine with dried food when I first had him, and
initially I was anxious about canned food because hisprevious
owner said he (and his brother cat) did not tolerate it well.
But I tentatively introduced it and generally successfully. He
did used sometimes to chuck up the dried food too, Maybe every
couple of months or so.

You cat (assuming you can know how often he throws up, though how
can you when he goes out?) upchucks a lot less than mine, and they
are healthy. My first cat did it three times a week every week and lived
to be twenty with no health problems until her final illness.


That vet scared the hell out of me talking about kidneys. I had
gone thinking he might like to see the vomit, to help in a diagnosis.
And perhaps he might run a blood test if he was thinking of something
systemic.

I heard of cases whereby vets ( and sometimes human doctors) give
antibiotic injections just to reassure the humans . I HOPE thats
all it was here. And I am not sure I want to immediately withdraw
dried food when he has chucked up the wet 3 times in the week.
But Yes, I would consider a transition to the tinned and do that
incrementally starting now.


You know, you sound like a very good and concerned pet guardian.
This vet sounds like an ass. You paid him, right? Well then, you have
a right to know why he gave the cat what he gave him. I would call
him today and keep calling until I got the answers I wanted. You can
certainly be polite but persistant. I cannot believe how roughly he
treated your cat. Since he is pro-fox hunting, maybe he is one of
those idiots who sneer at "small animal" treatment? In any case,
I hope you will:

A. Get your questions answered (and lodge a complaint with the
vet board if he won't) and
B. Take your boy to another vet, one recommended by a friend.

You love this animal and need to put your mind at ease that you
know what is going on and are giving him the care he needs, from
a vet who cares what happens to him, you know?

For sure, if all that is wrong with him is the upchucking, I would
not worry too much.

Sorry you have had to go through this, that vet really is an ass.

cybercat wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...


Both my cats have access to the outdoors. Both stay in at night from
dusk to early morning.

One last thought: while I realize that you live in the UK and so the mere
thought of keeping your cats indoors where they are safe is probably
repugnant to you, the fact is, you cannot have any idea what your cats are
ingesting when you allow them to roam unsupervised. Neighbors poisoning
voles, mice, or rats? Using insecticides on their gardens or grass?


It isnt repugnant to me. But these cats were both raised as outdoor
cats by their previous owners. It isnt on a main road. Both are
neutered and never bring back prey. I realise there is a risk
involved in having an outdoor cat. Thankfully, my neighbors dont
bother with their gardens

Hi Cybercat. Thanks very much for the replies. I really appreciate
it. I think you are right about that vets approach to small
animals. I won;t subject my animals to him again , BTW, opne
other almost unbeleivable detail. In his consulting room, he had
the window open (it is on the ground floor) Imagine my panicking
cat in that room. I asked the vet to close the window, because if
either of us lost a grip on the cat out he would have shot.


cybercat wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi Cybercat. Thanks for that. Yep, he threw up the tinned food
only. He copes fine with dried food when I first had him, and
initially I was anxious about canned food because hisprevious
owner said he (and his brother cat) did not tolerate it well.
But I tentatively introduced it and generally successfully. He
did used sometimes to chuck up the dried food too, Maybe every
couple of months or so.

You cat (assuming you can know how often he throws up, though how
can you when he goes out?) upchucks a lot less than mine, and they
are healthy. My first cat did it three times a week every week and lived
to be twenty with no health problems until her final illness.


That vet scared the hell out of me talking about kidneys. I had
gone thinking he might like to see the vomit, to help in a diagnosis.
And perhaps he might run a blood test if he was thinking of something
systemic.

I heard of cases whereby vets ( and sometimes human doctors) give
antibiotic injections just to reassure the humans . I HOPE thats
all it was here. And I am not sure I want to immediately withdraw
dried food when he has chucked up the wet 3 times in the week.
But Yes, I would consider a transition to the tinned and do that
incrementally starting now.


You know, you sound like a very good and concerned pet guardian.
This vet sounds like an ass. You paid him, right? Well then, you have
a right to know why he gave the cat what he gave him. I would call
him today and keep calling until I got the answers I wanted. You can
certainly be polite but persistant. I cannot believe how roughly he
treated your cat. Since he is pro-fox hunting, maybe he is one of
those idiots who sneer at "small animal" treatment? In any case,
I hope you will:

A. Get your questions answered (and lodge a complaint with the
vet board if he won't) and
B. Take your boy to another vet, one recommended by a friend.

You love this animal and need to put your mind at ease that you
know what is going on and are giving him the care he needs, from
a vet who cares what happens to him, you know?

For sure, if all that is wrong with him is the upchucking, I would
not worry too much.

Sorry you have had to go through this, that vet really is an ass.

wrote in message
oups.com...
I took him to a vet. It was not a nice experience.


He did not take any temperature nor consider blood tests. Instead,
with the cat screaming in terror and with me holding him and he
injected him with Betamax. When I said what is that for, he said
"to make him better" Hardly a reply which answers my queries. As
the cat struggled the needle (still stuck in the cat) became
disengaged from the syringe and so he had to pull it out and inject
him again.

It sounds like shopping around for a new vet would be in order here. Such a
lack of compassion may just cause him to overlook something essential in a
more critical care situation.

I'll echo cc -- I would find a different vet. I wouldn't trust a vet who
"smells" for a problem but does not do any tests. He was far too vague.

Cats can develop food allergies, although many times it is to a grain
like wheat or corn in the food. When our cat had suspected food
allergies we had to use a prescription allergy food that had very few
ingredients -- and one odd protein (like duck or venison) and one odd
starch (like peas.)

I would start off with another vet though, and make sure there is
nothing poisonous in the garden. Maybe you know this but lilies are a
killer of cats, even a little bit of the pollen.

Good luck,

Rhonda

wrote:


I have a 5 year old Tomcat. He has just returned from the vet and
I am anxious about the advice and treatment received.

Cats' breath smells different when they have furballs too. Have you
thought of that?

Some cats eat too quickly and barf.

I agree with the others, you need a new vet.


wrote:
Hi Cybercat. Thanks very much for the replies. I really appreciate
it. I think you are right about that vets approach to small
animals. I won;t subject my animals to him again , BTW, opne
other almost unbeleivable detail. In his consulting room, he had
the window open (it is on the ground floor) Imagine my panicking
cat in that room. I asked the vet to close the window, because if
either of us lost a grip on the cat out he would have shot.


cybercat wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi Cybercat. Thanks for that. Yep, he threw up the tinned food
only. He copes fine with dried food when I first had him, and
initially I was anxious about canned food because hisprevious
owner said he (and his brother cat) did not tolerate it well.
But I tentatively introduced it and generally successfully. He
did used sometimes to chuck up the dried food too, Maybe every
couple of months or so.

You cat (assuming you can know how often he throws up, though how
can you when he goes out?) upchucks a lot less than mine, and they
are healthy. My first cat did it three times a week every week and lived
to be twenty with no health problems until her final illness.


That vet scared the hell out of me talking about kidneys. I had
gone thinking he might like to see the vomit, to help in a diagnosis.
And perhaps he might run a blood test if he was thinking of something
systemic.

I heard of cases whereby vets ( and sometimes human doctors) give
antibiotic injections just to reassure the humans . I HOPE thats
all it was here. And I am not sure I want to immediately withdraw
dried food when he has chucked up the wet 3 times in the week.
But Yes, I would consider a transition to the tinned and do that
incrementally starting now.


You know, you sound like a very good and concerned pet guardian.
This vet sounds like an ass. You paid him, right? Well then, you have
a right to know why he gave the cat what he gave him. I would call
him today and keep calling until I got the answers I wanted. You can
certainly be polite but persistant. I cannot believe how roughly he
treated your cat. Since he is pro-fox hunting, maybe he is one of
those idiots who sneer at "small animal" treatment? In any case,
I hope you will:

A. Get your questions answered (and lodge a complaint with the
vet board if he won't) and
B. Take your boy to another vet, one recommended by a friend.

You love this animal and need to put your mind at ease that you
know what is going on and are giving him the care he needs, from
a vet who cares what happens to him, you know?

For sure, if all that is wrong with him is the upchucking, I would
not worry too much.

Sorry you have had to go through this, that vet really is an ass.