Why is he puking?

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Deb and Pepper

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Until 2 months ago I had 2 kitties. Midnight is now GA from kidney failure. Over the years, 12, one or both of them have puked at least once a week, mostly hairballs, (they licked each other constantly). Midnight seemed to be the one I noticed doing this most often because he would ALWAYS do it at my feet. :roll: I slowed it down a lot when I got a de-shedding brush, but they still happened once in a while. I accepted this as part of having kitties.

About 6 months ago, I started noticing a lot more food pukes without hairballs in them (only found 1 hairball since Midnight went GA) Now that I only have Pepper, I know they are all his and they are a lot more frequent now.

My questions are:
Is it the diabetes? Is this part of having it?

Is it the food? Instead of eating the same brand/flavor of dry food I am now feeding 1 1/4 oz +1 oz of water 6 times a day of 7 different flavors of Sophisticat/ultra low carb (4% and under). Should I change to 3-4 different flavors instead of 7? 2 flavors?

Could it be something else?
 
Diabetic cats are prone to several conditions, including (though not limited to) pancreatitis which may cause vomiting.
A vet visit is in order.
 
So you don't think it's having the large variety of foods and switching to wet food all of a sudden? Like I said he may have been puking all his life, it is just more often now that he has the diabetes and a change in diet.
 
Hi Deb,

I'm so sorry to hear Midnight has gone ahead. Fly free Mr. Midnight and land softly at the Bridge.

it's very concerning to hear the Pepper has been vomiting for a long time. Hairballs are one thing, vomiting/regurgitating food on a regular basis could be potentially more serious. I agree with BJM that a vet visit might be the first step to rule out/rule in an underlying medical condition first. Until you get to the vet, one thing that may or may not help is to give him 1/4 of a regular 10 mg Pepcid AC tablet (not the Pepcid Complete) - or the generic 10 mg famotidine tablet works too - twice daily 1/2 hour before food, and see if that helps.

But to answer your questions, it is possible that sudden food changes could produce vomiting and yes, it could also be something else too. My two kitties both have IBD (Inflamatory Bowel Disease) and any sudden change in their food can result in upset tummies and vomiting. This is just an example, I'm not saying that's Pepper's problem. There are other conditions that could cause vomiting too.

Hope these thoughts are helpful and Pepper starts to feel better soon!
 
I just learned my mom passed overnight so I will not be on much for the next few days. This will be the 2nd trip back home (Ohio) for a funeral in 6 weeks! My Uncle, her brother, just passed too.
 
(((((Deb)))))
I am so sorry to hear of your mother's passing. Please know that you're in my thoughts and prayers.
Deepest sympathies,

Marcy & Klinger
 
I think I figured out why this is happening, at least with the Chopped Grill flavor. I was watching him eat and he gobbles it down so fast he even bites the plate! I put down only a tablespoon at a time and he didn't puke it this time. I am now going to watch him on all the flavors and if I see him doing this again, I'll just make him "take a break" a few times and see if this takes care of the problem.
 
I am so sorry to hear about your mother! Hugs to you and your family.

My Max will throw up if the carb level of his food varies too much. I now stick with 2 flavors that are both 8% carbs, and basically have the same protein and fat levels as well. He no longer vomits food at all, only hairballs, and if I manage to brush him regularly, he rarely has those.

Regular vomiting (1-2 times a week) was what landed us in FD land to begin with. Little did I know at the time it was probably the dry food causing his problem. The vet put him on prednisone, which did stop the vomiting, but gave him FD in its place. Also, he did vomit quite a bit as we neared OTJ status. I'm not sure why that happened, but I seemed to remember seeing several other kitties that did the same thing around that time.
 
Deb and Pepper said:
I think I figured out why this is happening, at least with the Chopped Grill flavor. I was watching him eat and he gobbles it down so fast he even bites the plate! I put down only a tablespoon at a time and he didn't puke it this time. I am now going to watch him on all the flavors and if I see him doing this again, I'll just make him "take a break" a few times and see if this takes care of the problem.
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I'm so sorry for your loss, Deb.

Bandit will puke if I feed him any more than 2 oz of Fancy Feast at a time, because he eats it so fast he pukes. I would say if the puking is always soon after his meal, then that may be the problem. However, if he's randomly puking throughout the day unrelated to meal times, then it is probably something else.

Good luck with Pepper. *hugs*
 
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