Abnormal Vomiting in Older Cat

Murphy is a 12.5 year old shorthaired brown tabby. As he has become a
true senior cat, he has produced a hairball on the average of one a
week, despite brushing. His health has always been very good. He had
a benign fatty tumor removed from behind one of his front legs almost
two years ago. So much for history!

Beginning Oct 2, he began voimiting twice daily, on average. At first
it appeared to be constant hairballs in excessive stomach liquid. The
hair has mostly disappeared from his discharge over the last two weeks.
Invariably, he vomits between 2 AM and 4 AM, plenty of liquid with
little or no food. This is often followed about an hour later by
vomiting a little foam. He then immediately hounds me to feed him.
Around 7 AM I do feed him a small portion of dry food. He then drinks
a moderate amount of water, and about half the time it all comes up. I
have found if I give him a small amount of wet, it will stay down. He
gets his evening meal of wet food, and all is fine until the cycle
repeats itself in the middle of the night.

He made his first trip to the vet after two days of the onset of
symptoms. He was given a shot that was due (upper respiratory), and I
was told to call if there was no improvement in a few days. With no
improvement within the alloted period of time, he returned to the vet
for a complete blood work-up and a radiograph. The blood results were
PERFECT, and the xray indicated no problem. Another week passed with
no improvement, and I stopped by for next steps. Was sold Science Diet
ID, which he is not too keen on eating. I have to admit that I have
slipped here and there, feeding him a more palatable, but quality food,
such as Innova. The last 24 hours have been the worst yet, with 4
episodes of vomiting.

Murphy looks good, his eyes are bright, and has never lost his appetite
through the entire episode. His energy level is also perfectly normal.
One other note: The vet prescribed Reglan (antacid). The Reglan does
not seem to reduce the frequency of vomiting, but it does seem to
relieve the burping and hiccups (yes, he gets the hiccups) that either
precede or follow the said episodes.

I am very worried, and at my wits end. Frankly, my vet probably does a
better job of treating my tabby than he does releiving my anxiety. Can
anyone shed any insight as to what might be going on?

Thank you.

Robert

Robert - did the vet test his thyroid level?

Murph wrote:
Murphy is a 12.5 year old shorthaired brown tabby. As he has become a
true senior cat, he has produced a hairball on the average of one a
week, despite brushing. His health has always been very good. He had
a benign fatty tumor removed from behind one of his front legs almost
two years ago. So much for history!

Beginning Oct 2, he began voimiting twice daily, on average. At first
it appeared to be constant hairballs in excessive stomach liquid. The
hair has mostly disappeared from his discharge over the last two weeks.
Invariably, he vomits between 2 AM and 4 AM, plenty of liquid with
little or no food. This is often followed about an hour later by
vomiting a little foam. He then immediately hounds me to feed him.
Around 7 AM I do feed him a small portion of dry food. He then drinks
a moderate amount of water, and about half the time it all comes up. I
have found if I give him a small amount of wet, it will stay down. He
gets his evening meal of wet food, and all is fine until the cycle
repeats itself in the middle of the night.

He made his first trip to the vet after two days of the onset of
symptoms. He was given a shot that was due (upper respiratory), and I
was told to call if there was no improvement in a few days. With no
improvement within the alloted period of time, he returned to the vet
for a complete blood work-up and a radiograph. The blood results were
PERFECT, and the xray indicated no problem. Another week passed with
no improvement, and I stopped by for next steps. Was sold Science Diet
ID, which he is not too keen on eating. I have to admit that I have
slipped here and there, feeding him a more palatable, but quality food,
such as Innova. The last 24 hours have been the worst yet, with 4
episodes of vomiting.

Murphy looks good, his eyes are bright, and has never lost his appetite
through the entire episode. His energy level is also perfectly normal.
One other note: The vet prescribed Reglan (antacid). The Reglan does
not seem to reduce the frequency of vomiting, but it does seem to
relieve the burping and hiccups (yes, he gets the hiccups) that either
precede or follow the said episodes.

I am very worried, and at my wits end. Frankly, my vet probably does a
better job of treating my tabby than he does releiving my anxiety. Can
anyone shed any insight as to what might be going on?

Thank you.

Robert

The receipt shows that a "thyroid blood test" was performed.
Thanks- Robert

Buddy's Mom wrote:
Robert - did the vet test his thyroid level?

Murph wrote:
Murphy is a 12.5 year old shorthaired brown tabby. As he has become a
true senior cat, he has produced a hairball on the average of one a
week, despite brushing. His health has always been very good. He had
a benign fatty tumor removed from behind one of his front legs almost
two years ago. So much for history!

Beginning Oct 2, he began voimiting twice daily, on average. At first
it appeared to be constant hairballs in excessive stomach liquid. The
hair has mostly disappeared from his discharge over the last two weeks.
Invariably, he vomits between 2 AM and 4 AM, plenty of liquid with
little or no food. This is often followed about an hour later by
vomiting a little foam. He then immediately hounds me to feed him.
Around 7 AM I do feed him a small portion of dry food. He then drinks
a moderate amount of water, and about half the time it all comes up. I
have found if I give him a small amount of wet, it will stay down. He
gets his evening meal of wet food, and all is fine until the cycle
repeats itself in the middle of the night.

He made his first trip to the vet after two days of the onset of
symptoms. He was given a shot that was due (upper respiratory), and I
was told to call if there was no improvement in a few days. With no
improvement within the alloted period of time, he returned to the vet
for a complete blood work-up and a radiograph. The blood results were
PERFECT, and the xray indicated no problem. Another week passed with
no improvement, and I stopped by for next steps. Was sold Science Diet
ID, which he is not too keen on eating. I have to admit that I have
slipped here and there, feeding him a more palatable, but quality food,
such as Innova. The last 24 hours have been the worst yet, with 4
episodes of vomiting.

Murphy looks good, his eyes are bright, and has never lost his appetite
through the entire episode. His energy level is also perfectly normal.
One other note: The vet prescribed Reglan (antacid). The Reglan does
not seem to reduce the frequency of vomiting, but it does seem to
relieve the burping and hiccups (yes, he gets the hiccups) that either
precede or follow the said episodes.

I am very worried, and at my wits end. Frankly, my vet probably does a
better job of treating my tabby than he does releiving my anxiety. Can
anyone shed any insight as to what might be going on?

Thank you.

Robert

Murph wrote:

Murphy looks good, his eyes are bright, and has never lost his appetite
through the entire episode. His energy level is also perfectly normal.
One other note: The vet prescribed Reglan (antacid). The Reglan does
not seem to reduce the frequency of vomiting, but it does seem to
relieve the burping and hiccups (yes, he gets the hiccups) that either
precede or follow the said episodes.


Did he suggest a laxative? I had a similar problem earlier this year. I
was told that older cats have a harder time passing hairballs, so they
need a little help. Hairball remedy. He recommended a tube of laxatone.
I had to use it every day for awhile, and then only a couple times a
week. Worked great.

This is similar to what was happening with my cat Ana. It turned out to be
that part of her inetestine was not functioning properly. Sorry can't
write more right now, but Google my posts.

KElly

wMurph" wrote in message
oups.com...
Murphy is a 12.5 year old shorthaired brown tabby. As he has become a
true senior cat, he has produced a hairball on the average of one a
week, despite brushing. His health has always been very good. He had
a benign fatty tumor removed from behind one of his front legs almost
two years ago. So much for history!

Beginning Oct 2, he began voimiting twice daily, on average. At first
it appeared to be constant hairballs in excessive stomach liquid. The
hair has mostly disappeared from his discharge over the last two weeks.
Invariably, he vomits between 2 AM and 4 AM, plenty of liquid with
little or no food. This is often followed about an hour later by
vomiting a little foam. He then immediately hounds me to feed him.
Around 7 AM I do feed him a small portion of dry food. He then drinks
a moderate amount of water, and about half the time it all comes up. I
have found if I give him a small amount of wet, it will stay down. He
gets his evening meal of wet food, and all is fine until the cycle
repeats itself in the middle of the night.

He made his first trip to the vet after two days of the onset of
symptoms. He was given a shot that was due (upper respiratory), and I
was told to call if there was no improvement in a few days. With no
improvement within the alloted period of time, he returned to the vet
for a complete blood work-up and a radiograph. The blood results were
PERFECT, and the xray indicated no problem. Another week passed with
no improvement, and I stopped by for next steps. Was sold Science Diet
ID, which he is not too keen on eating. I have to admit that I have
slipped here and there, feeding him a more palatable, but quality food,
such as Innova. The last 24 hours have been the worst yet, with 4
episodes of vomiting.

Murphy looks good, his eyes are bright, and has never lost his appetite
through the entire episode. His energy level is also perfectly normal.
One other note: The vet prescribed Reglan (antacid). The Reglan does
not seem to reduce the frequency of vomiting, but it does seem to
relieve the burping and hiccups (yes, he gets the hiccups) that either
precede or follow the said episodes.

I am very worried, and at my wits end. Frankly, my vet probably does a
better job of treating my tabby than he does releiving my anxiety. Can
anyone shed any insight as to what might be going on?

Thank you.

Robert

Hi Robert,

Kelly told you about her cat's diagnosis -- is your cat constipated at
all? Our cat also threw up and her problem turned out to be a colon
issue, she was very constipated. Did you say your vet took x-rays?

If it is possibly a stomach sensitivity problem, you can try the allergy
foods that do not contain wheat, corn, and some of the other possible
allergens. We used IVD brand for one of our cats -- it is one novel
protein and one starch source (like duck and peas.) You might talk to
your vet about it, it could be an avenue to try.

If that doesn't help or if your cat is worse right now, I'd ask for a
referral to an internist vet. They are usually good at trouble-shooting
and have more tests and equipment at their disposal. We used one for our
diabetic/pancreatitus cat and was very happy with her. She asked lots of
different questions, like does our cat throw up on an empty or full
stomach (I forget the reason why now...)

Good luck. Sounds like you're determined get to the bottom of this. Let
us know what happens.

Rhonda

Murph wrote:
Murphy looks good, his eyes are bright, and has never lost his appetite
through the entire episode. His energy level is also perfectly normal.
One other note: The vet prescribed Reglan (antacid). The Reglan does
not seem to reduce the frequency of vomiting, but it does seem to
relieve the burping and hiccups (yes, he gets the hiccups) that either
precede or follow the said episodes.

I am very worried, and at my wits end. Frankly, my vet probably does a
better job of treating my tabby than he does releiving my anxiety. Can
anyone shed any insight as to what might be going on?

Thank you.

Robert