#1
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Tips on getting my cat to NOT throw it all up again
So I've had Gibson for just over a year now. When I first got him, he wasn't eating much at this old "home" because he kept throwing it up. They fed him less often to avoid cleaning up after him. I obviously started feeding him every day, and he threw up every day. Sometimes twice a day.
I took him to the vet - he said Gibson is "gobbling" and it makes him throw it up, plus his obvious hairball problem isn't helping either. A year later, after much trial and error, I have him on a diet that seems to be working- he throws up once every 2 weeks, roughly. It's a mixture of hairball control food (can't remember the name of it... pricey pet-store "specialty" brand w/ rice and chicken), supplemented w/ a fish-variety wet food (1 tbsp daily) and hairball control treats - 2, twice a day. I also brush him regularly to cut back on the amount of hair he ingests. I tried getting him onto raw- he won't touch it. He won't eat any 'people' food period, cooked or raw. I tried every meal for three days; he just didn't eat. So I'm thinking I'll put him onto wet food only because the general consensus is that it's much better than dry. But he eats the wet food SO fast that if I give him more than a half-tablespoon at a time he throws it up again. If I fed him wet food only, I'd have to sit by his dish all day and feed it to him in half-spoon increments, or go back to cleaning up after him 1-2 times daily. Any advice? |
#2
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put a ball in the bowl to make him slow down?? keep him locked in a room with no carpeting until he is done ralfing, then keep him in there for an extra half hour so he gets use to be in the room for a set length of time. maybe he will slow down when he doesnt feel so pressured???
-ashley
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Pastafarians Unite! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z1buym2xUM Swift Tribe- Chris- Husband, 04/30/77 Cailyn- Daughter, 07/05/99 Jeffrey- Son, 03/24/06 Alex- Son, 03/25/09 Mister- Black LabX, M, 08/06(?) The Shadow Stalker- Gray Tux DSH, M, 04/04 The Mighty Hunter- Black Tux DSH, M, 04/04 Baby Girl- Tabby DMH, F, 12/03(?) Frances- Tortie, DSH, F, 2007(?) |
#3
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automatic feeder that releases SMALL amounts of food more often throughout the day?
what brands of food are you feeding? perhaps it's an intolerance to an ingredient? I don't think wet food is "better". I think it's needed in addition to dry. it provides more water. I have 2 cats, I feed them both a combo of dry AND wet food daily. |
#4
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I don't remember the brand of the food- I'm one of those who remembers things by colour :P
We've actually made HUGE progress on him keeping foods down. I'm sure it's a food intolerance but I've tried him on- I swear- almost every brand of food that exists. I know a lot of things he can't eat. He's totally healthy, energetic, happy. If health-wise it's okay to feed dry/ wet combination then I'll keep doing what I'm doing. I was just under the assumption that most people feel that raw or wet food is best. |
#5
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You could try putting little bits of wet food all around a large plate.
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#6
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If you have the puking under control, I'd keep doing exactly what you've been doing. any dietary change could send Gibson into another round of "the daily pukes", and you'd be back to square one.
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#7
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Quote:
If you want more specifics, read this: http://www.catinfo.org/
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"To close your eyes will not ease another's pain." ~ Chinese Proverb “We must not refuse to see with our eyes what they must endure with their bodies.” ~ Gretchen Wyler |
#8
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Blargh, now I'm back to the same problem
I currently feed him a half-tablespoon twice daily of wet food spread out in little chunks all over his very wide, flat bowl. If I don't break it up, or if I feed more than that at the time, he throws it up. If I change the type of food, he throws it up. Oddly, though, he keeps eating the foster dogs food and has yet to throw that up Maybe I'm stuck confining him somewhere until he throws it all up. It's just really gross/ annoying/ probably not good for him. Plus, I'm wasting all kinds of food if he just throws it up again almost instantly. I can't see him getting any nutritional benefits or whatever from the wet food if he won't keep it down. Is it worth trying to switch him to wet? If I have this much trouble with it, is it worth it? |
#9
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Can you keep him out of the dogs food ?
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Kashi & Hubby Boo (6), Bug (4), Bear (2) Pugsley Bo Butterscotch Burbel Grey |
#10
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You could try smaller feedings - I feed my guys 4 small portions 4 times a day - it doesn't take any extra work, and even though they eat fast, they don't throw up ..
Also, I know you said you tried a bunch of different foods - have you tried isolating proteins? It could be that he is allergic/has a stomach upset with a certain kind of meat? If you try a food with just one source of protein (i.e. Wellness Turkey, which also happens to be grain free), maybe that would work .. ?
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Taken over by: Jake - grey DSH (Aug '98) Alley - spazzy grey tabby (Aug '07) |
#11
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When my Rocky was gulping down the wet food,only to throw it up later,I would sit by him,feed him a teaspoon at a time,wait a little until I gave him more and it worked.
Are you feeding Gibbons chunks or pate-type food? My cats won't eat anything other than pate-type,I think they are more likely to throw up chunks or slices
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"The cruelest animal is the Human animal" 3 kitties,Rocky(r.i.p my boy),Chico,Vinnie |
#12
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We're using the pate (chopped into little bits to make him eat it more slowly). He definitely throws up anything manufactured in chunks or shredded. I know he throws up beef, dairy, and anything with corn or wheat. With wet food, he throws up chicken but does OK on a chicken-based dry food. He does really well with fish-based wet foods so far. Not 100%, but pretty good.
The turkey or lamb or some other protein may be the way to go, though. I'll try that. I was trying to avoid having to feed him 4-6 times a day, but if it's the only way to go I'll do that. I freeze the kong I give to my foster dogs... any ideas on if freezing the wet food before feeding it to Gibson would be bad? It might prevent him from gulping it down. |
#13
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You can freeze the food - but some cats won't eat it cold.. I don't know how they'd like it frozen!
When I feed 4 times a day, I just separate the can into fours when I open it (well, 5 in my case, cuz my big guy is on a diet) and then just give that section at each feeding. You might be able to coordinate it with your hubby - in my case, the BF feeds them once at 6 AM, I feed them again at 9 AM when I get up (aren't I lucky! ), and then once when I get home and once again before bed.
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Taken over by: Jake - grey DSH (Aug '98) Alley - spazzy grey tabby (Aug '07) |
#14
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Since cats go by smell,I don't think frozen or really cold food will go over well,
on the contrary,adding a little warm water and stirring it up,will bring out the smell and maybe entice him to eat. I only know by my cats,but most of the time,they lap up the food and my Rocky especially,will eat a little and come back a minute later to eat more and eventually licks his dish clean. I have to watch though,because chubby Vinnie has an eye on all 3 dishes
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"The cruelest animal is the Human animal" 3 kitties,Rocky(r.i.p my boy),Chico,Vinnie |
#15
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I'll try making hubby start helping with the feedings (sometimes, his memory is somewhat sieve-like). Each of us feeding a small section would probably work really well, as we work mostly opposite shifts right now and can split it up pretty evenly.
I tried giving him a little frozen bit for breakfast today... he looked at me like I was crazy and walked away. So much for that idea! Maybe the more used to it he gets the less he'll throw it up. I've been looking at him pretty closely after reading the link on dry food and obesity and have decided he could probably loose a few pounds anyway... Thanks for the all the suggestions! |
#16
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did you get a second opinion on the lack of diagnosis for hids throwing up
also try elevateing the dish so he is standing woth his head up a bit he may be getting stomach juices coming up while his head is lowered |
#17
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I agree - if you add some warm water to it and raise the dishes, you might be able to help out with his nausea.
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Taken over by: Jake - grey DSH (Aug '98) Alley - spazzy grey tabby (Aug '07) |
#18
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One of mine used to do this all the time, it was really gross because she wouldn't just throw up once, she kept at it, usually throwing up about 30 times in an episode (it was only spit after awhile). I had to keep switching food out of desperation to find something she wouldnt' throw up. Eventually I did find a couple brands that worked for her (Felidae and Wellness Core). When I talked to a couple different vets about it, one of them offered me special Science Diet food for sensitive stomachs and the other one said she eats too fast and to feed her in a large tray. I'm not sure, although she did and does still eat fast, it seemed that the type of food was the biggest factor. However, I was feeding her for awhile in a large cookie sheet with her food spread all over it (kibble) and that might have helped some. Eventually I was able to find some wet food to incorporate into her diet, so she gets that for dinner now. It has been probably over a year since she's had her serial puking problem, thankfully! So, although I know you've switched foods a lot, you may still be able to find something that works, especially if you try the isolating proteins as suggested. Or, have you tried adding anything to the food, like probiotics or enzymes? I never did, but seems like those could possibly help.
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#19
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My Lucky was quite the glutten, was the fastest out of all 6 cat's and would usually have his plus 2 others dinner finished if I didn't sit with him at dinner time, and would then throw up.
I found petsmarts "authority" brand cat food as the best for vomitting kitties (trust me I have tried most) Also adding lots of warm water to canned food also helps, easier to digest, plus they can't "drink" as much, as they would eat, besides the extra water is good for them.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ What is man without beasts? If all the beasts were gone, men would die from great loneliness of spirit. For whatever happens to the beasts, soon happens to man. All things are connected. ~~Chief Seattle (Duwamish tribe)~~ |
#20
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Haha- I love this forum! I've spent the last year combing the web on "feline vomiting" and most said it's a common problem, learn to live with it. Now I have actual useful advice! It's great!
I'll try elevating the dish and add water to his wet food. I'm slowly adding more wet into his diet (starting today!) and am looking at trying a few different wet foods- I've made up a list of which ones to try that use better ingredients and different protein sources. I'm pretty sure it's all diet related- the number of things he can't eat just keeps growing- and of course speed related. If I give him something he loves he inhales it and it comes right back up. Small amounts, spread out through the day and mixed with water in an elevated food dish using different protein sources. And to think I just bought a big ol' bag of his dry food- I guess it goes to the humane society. |
#21
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have you thought about going raw?? Shadow and Hunter use to puke ALL THE TIME, it took a while but about a month or so of feeding raw, Hunter doesnt at all... and i mean AT ALL and Shadow only does when i switch to a protein his tummy doesnt like. he almost exclusively eats chicken and chicken products and fish. we have been working on getting ungutted fish to see if that can be another organ source for him but other proteins are just not tolerated. we tried for months with pencil eraser sized bits of ground turkey but he never got use to it in quantities larger than that.
-ashley edit- also when going homemade raw they have to really work to eat their food. i dont know if that was the difference. i dont recall if Shadow or Hunter were hoarkers or not but i know now it takes minimum 30 minutes to eat.
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Pastafarians Unite! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z1buym2xUM Swift Tribe- Chris- Husband, 04/30/77 Cailyn- Daughter, 07/05/99 Jeffrey- Son, 03/24/06 Alex- Son, 03/25/09 Mister- Black LabX, M, 08/06(?) The Shadow Stalker- Gray Tux DSH, M, 04/04 The Mighty Hunter- Black Tux DSH, M, 04/04 Baby Girl- Tabby DMH, F, 12/03(?) Frances- Tortie, DSH, F, 2007(?) Last edited by want4rain; February 8th, 2008 at 01:42 PM. Reason: addition |
#22
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I've tried a bit to get Gibson on to raw- he just refuses to eat, period. I'm hoping once he's made a transition to the still-weird wet food, I can start transitioning him slowly onto raw from there. He's 6 years old and kibble fed his whole life so it will take some time. Raw is definitely my end goal, though.
I've convinced hubby that when we adopt a dog, we're getting him on a raw diet - so shouldn't be THAT big a leap to convince him that Gibson should be on raw as well. One step at a time, though! |
#23
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yeah we have a cat who will boycott eating if he even so much as sniffs kibbble within a hundred miles of our house. he was a really hard transition but now, several months later... he is eating it. we had to start out cooking it and making a homemade mushy yuck. it helped us that he likes weird veggies and fruits so enticing him with those to get him use to WET food helped tons.
good luck with it! we had just accepted that barfing was going to be a regular part of our day until we realized a few weeks ago that we were hardly ever cleaning it up anymore. one pf those pleasant surprises. -ashley
__________________
Pastafarians Unite! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z1buym2xUM Swift Tribe- Chris- Husband, 04/30/77 Cailyn- Daughter, 07/05/99 Jeffrey- Son, 03/24/06 Alex- Son, 03/25/09 Mister- Black LabX, M, 08/06(?) The Shadow Stalker- Gray Tux DSH, M, 04/04 The Mighty Hunter- Black Tux DSH, M, 04/04 Baby Girl- Tabby DMH, F, 12/03(?) Frances- Tortie, DSH, F, 2007(?) |
#24
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Once I get Rocky cleared with the new vet,I too will look in to buying the raw patties.
I know Chico won't eat it,but maybe Rocky and Vinnie will,Vinnie is getting fat:sad:and I don't really know what to do about it,maybe raw would help. Good luck with Gibbons and his food
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"The cruelest animal is the Human animal" 3 kitties,Rocky(r.i.p my boy),Chico,Vinnie |
#25
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So it's only been two days, but it's not going great.
I've fed him a little bit more wet food mixed with some water on a huge dish to make him eat it more slowly - first time he threw it up. Second time, he ate as much as he normally does and ignored the rest of it- this is good, because he didn't throw it up. Except it got all dry and he doesn't eat it at all when it gets dry, so it just ends up in the garbage. Should I leave it down and hope he'll eat it if he gets hungry enough? Is it bad if he eats dried-up wet food? I've left a small amount of dry food down (trying to make the transition slowly) - should I just pull that up? I'm just worried that if I do that, he'll eat all the wet food at once and it'll come back up again. |
#26
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Quote:
I find the hairball control formula's really work, sepecially for my long haired guy. But if their skin is irritated or itchy, they tend to groom more, causing more furballs! So it's trying to find the right food, with a possible fish oil sup. to keep their skin and coats healthy. I find it harder in the winter because it's so dry.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ What is man without beasts? If all the beasts were gone, men would die from great loneliness of spirit. For whatever happens to the beasts, soon happens to man. All things are connected. ~~Chief Seattle (Duwamish tribe)~~ |
#27
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Gibbons,although I love them with all my heart,cats can be incredibly frustrating,unlike some dogs who eat anything.
I too leave dry out for them and it seems they are just snacking and through all the trial and errors I have them back on "Chicken-soup-for-petlovers-soul"dry,which they love,they eat canned in the morning and at supper,they also all drink plenty of water. If the wet food sits and get dried out(not in my house)I doubt any of mine would eat it,if it is not eaten within an hour,I would throw it out.
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"The cruelest animal is the Human animal" 3 kitties,Rocky(r.i.p my boy),Chico,Vinnie |
#28
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I have found that if the cats are not hungry, you won't get them to change. I had a horrible time switching cat foods with Puddles, persistance and patience was key. Had to take all her kibble away and learn to let her go hungry. I did end up putting some "Real Food Toppers" salmon flavour on her food to entice her and it worked. It is a freeze dried product that I pulverized to make a powder.
She used to vomit her cheap food quite often, and now she is on Wellness canned, she rarely vomits except when she has a fur ball. She had a bad day not too long ago and I gave her her old fav food and she vomited after she ate it. Thinking it was her old food.
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Cat maid to: Rose semi feral, a cpietra rescue, female tabby (approx 13 yrs) Jasper RIP (2001-2018) Sweet Pea RIP (2004?-2014) Puddles RIP (1996-2014) Snowball RIP (1991-2005) In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats.-English Proverb “While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions.” Stephen R. Covey |
#29
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With my serial puker, I do recall its the better quality holistic type foods that she keeps down -though I dont' remember what I used to feed her before that... It wasn't bottom of the barrel food, but not the best either. I suspect she was sensitive to some ingredient(s) in the lower quality food... She puked up both wet and dry food, and one time I gave her a piece of raw beef, which was NOT tolerated well, though she loved it going down. For wet food, she does well on the Wellness canned varieties and also likes most flavors of Eagle Pack Holistic Select. The wet food never sits around in my house, as my dog would eat it, though I have read in these forums, some people just add some warm water to the dried up food and it is fine for a few hours?
Oh, one thing I just remembered, the shape of the food seemed to matter, too, with my puker. Some kibble is small and round, and she would just swallow it whole, and often puke it back up whole too, soon after. If it was shaped like an X or something, where she would have to chew it, she normally would do fine on the food. If you stick to the wet food, seems like this would be best, though sounds like yours is sometimes puking that up too.
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#30
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There is nothing wrong with your cat eating the dried up wet food - you can leave wet food out for hours (i.e. when it get crusty) without any problems (although several days is kind of pushing it ).
If he is eating the wet, I would take away the dry completely - with his vomitty background, it could very well be that the combo of the two is making him sick. I agree that the quality of the food makes a big difference - what wet food are you feeding him now? It's probably not going to change overnight, but it sounds like he's making some progress, even if it's only with babysteps..
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Taken over by: Jake - grey DSH (Aug '98) Alley - spazzy grey tabby (Aug '07) |
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