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My 2 cats are vomit...
 

My 2 cats are vomiting intermittently for 2 weeks!

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Joined: 3 years ago
Posts: 2
25/03/2021 9:25 pm
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What can cause my 2 cats to be vomiting almost every day for jsut about 2 weeks now. They eat well, drink well, use the littler box great no diarrhea, they dont fight over food, the bowls are cleaned well, they act normal nothing out of the ordinary. I come home from work at a vet clinic and there will be vomit piles on the floor. Sometimes it is non-digested foor and sometimes its digested food, its not hairballs either. I always see 2 vomit piles and I have a camera in my room to monitor them while away. It seems to happen either really early in the morning like 5-8am or middayish and it is always in diffrenet spots, on the bed, on my desk, on the floor, and under the bed. I think one cat vomits one day and then the other cat vomits the next day it's never both of them at the same day. Their food is Iams proactive health and its been that food for a year now, they get treats and wet food every so often but once they started vomiting I stopped giving them treats thinking it could be that, as well as wet food, and its not either of those things. I'm all out of things I can think of that it could be, they dont eat plants, maybe the only thing i can think of is they ate something like string but they pass stool so they arent blocked on that end. I have an appointment set for both of them on the 2nd of April to get their yearly wellness exams, vaccines and bloodwork done but idk if this is something serious enough to where they need to be seen sooner.

(They also dont have any medical issues but we think one of my cats has mild seasonal asthma)

I'm also a vet tech student so I work at a vet clinic and this just seems odd to me.

Thanks!!

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Joined: 3 years ago
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25/03/2021 9:31 pm
Topic starter

Also wanted to give general info on my cats, I free feed them btw

Ash is FS 5yrs 11lbs (She chews her food)

Ace is NM 3yrs 14 lbs (He doesn't chew his food, he is the one with seasonal asthma)

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Joined: 3 years ago
Posts: 31
29/03/2021 11:02 am

Hi there,

Dr Woodnutt here!

I have a couple of thoughts about your cats. Please bear in mind these are just thoughts- without examining your cats I can't narrow these down and there may even be something else happening, but it's something to think about and bring up at your vet appointment:

1) Competitive behavior and gorging

Lots of cats are prone to regurgitation after eating, especially if they've eaten too fast. With two cats, the chance of regurgitation increases, as they are more likely to 'scarf' their food in competition with the other cat. The low-level chronic stress in multi-cat households can also cause vomiting behaviors. If your vet can't find anything else wrong at your appointment, I'd consider taking some steps to reduce stress and competition. Feeding them separately, at set mealtimes, and making sure they have enough resources is a good step to take.

2) Scarf and barf

Of course, eating too quickly, regardless of competition, can cause regurgitation and vomiting. Consider a slow feeder trial to see whether this helps.

3) Diet trial

I know you said they'd been on it a long time, but cats can develop allergies and intolerances to foods they've eaten forever. Talk to your vet about trialling a sensitivity diet, single protein diet, or hypoallergenic diet to see if it helps.

4) Illnesses from work

I doubt it is this as they're both so well, but it might be worth double-checking your protocol when you come home from work. Remember you deal with sick pets every day, so you don't want to bring anything home from the clinic and give it to them by accident!

5) Worms

You haven't mentioned fecal testing, worming regime, or hunting behaviors - it'll be worth confirming everything is up to date at your appointment next week.

 

I hope those ideas give you something to work on. I would say they don't need to be seen sooner if it's been going on that long with no change, as long as they're well and keeping hydrated.

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Joined: 3 years ago
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31/03/2021 6:31 pm

Hey Melanie:

 

Thanks for writing in - and GREAT history. It would be also helpful to know vaccination history, deworming history, any travel history, if they are indoor/outdoor/both, last time you opened a new bag of food, have there been any major changes or stressors in your life or in the their life lately, and are you sure it is both cats vomiting?

From what I read, it seems like you just find the vomit piles, not actively see either cat vomiting, which is why I would ask. Unless it is an infectious cause or a problem with the food it would be WEIRD for them both to vomit. If I was going to pick a culprit, I would choose Ace, the non food chewer, as the vomiter, but I could be wrong. 😉

Chronic vomiting in cats can frustrating, and be due to everything Dr. Woodnutt said above. In addition, stress, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic pancreatitis, hair balls, ulcers, imbalances in the gut microbiome, and all the stuff outside the gut (kidney/liver/endocrine issues) can all, as you already know, impact the gut. One thing I do know: IT'S NOT NORMAL!

Since they are already scheduled for annual exams and lab work, and since they both seem to be 'fine' other than the vomit, I would think that it would be ok to wait until your scheduled appointment. If they are acting sick in any way, of course take them in earlier.

I would recommend also getting a fecal test done to check for parasites, and a urinalysis on both to assess urinary health. I also would hold off on vaccines until you determine who is vomiting, and why. If bloodwork/fecal/u/a all come back normal, the next thing I would do is imaging - abdominal u/s and radiographs, or work with your vet to manage symptoms. You can also talk to your vet/boss about giving some oral cerenia tgh, and switching the cats to a bland diet (i/d) until everything is sorted out to at least manage the symptoms until the cause (and the culprit) is determine. I also LOVE Dr. Woodnutt's idea of a slow feeder to slow down the scarf and barf. Hope that helps, at least to start!

Please let me know what you do next, and how else I can be of assistance.

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21/01/2023 5:54 pm

@sarah-wooten 

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