What's wrong with my cat?

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spunkycat18
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What's wrong with my cat?

Post by spunkycat18 »

A foreign friend of mine has to return to his home country permanently to take over his family business, so he decided to leave his cat with me. I love cats, but the last time I ever had one as a pet was when I was about 17 years old. I don’t remember much, since I had to move out of town for college when I turned 18 and left Rocco with my parents. My new cat Spunky, has been vomiting a lot lately, despite having normal appetite and temperature. What’s wrong with him? Immediately after eating, he vomits, but looks and acts fine after. I’m feeding him Blue Buffalo protein grain-free natural cat food for adult cats. It’s the one my friend has been feeding him ever since he got older.
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fjm
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Re: What's wrong with my cat?

Post by fjm »

Has he been checked by a vet? Occasional regurgitation after a meal, or vomiting some time later (especially hair or grass), are practically normal for cats, but if it is frequent and regular I would take him to the vet.

If the vet cannot find a cause I would try smaller meals, several times a day. I have known several animals whose eyes are definitely too big for their tummies!
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Ruth B
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Re: What's wrong with my cat?

Post by Ruth B »

If he is throwing up after every meal then he needs to see a vet soon to rule out blockages or similar. If it is only every so often then there could still be a medical reason or it could be furballs, or it could be he is bolting his food, or he has developed an intolerance to that type of cat food, unfortunately there are a lot of reasons for a cat to throw up.

I would certainly advise a vet check if it is happening on a daily basis otherwise, I would suggest looking at his eating pattern. How often he his fed and how much, how quickly he eats it, also what other activities does he have to fill his day or is his life becoming food centric. Small regular meals might help or the various feeding bowls or balls to help slow down his feeding might help if he tends to bolt his food.

Blue Buffalo isn't a food brand I'm familiar with so it makes me think you aren't in the UK, but if it is only a dried food then it could be he is eating too much and it is swelling in his stomach and it is just too much for him to keep down. I can't really advise on alternatives as the same brand can have a different recipe in a different country but I would suggest a mix of wet and dry food if possible.

If Spunky is long furred you might want to try sorting out a grooming routine for him, even if he is short haired it wouldn't hurt to give him a brush over, if he is shedding a lot then furballs might be the problem so changing to a hairball control formula might help.

Finally if he has had an upset stomach for some time it could be he has become sensitive to his normal food and would benefit from one formulated for sensitive stomachs. Again if you aren't in the UK then your vets or a good pet shop should be able to help recommend a good brand.

As has also been mentioned some cats do throw up once or even twice a week and it is perfectly natural for that cat, but any more frequently than that, or if there is a change in the habit then it does need to be checked out.

Let us know how he gets on and hopefully it will be a simple problem to solve.
spunkycat18
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Re: What's wrong with my cat?

Post by spunkycat18 »

fjm wrote:Has he been checked by a vet? Occasional regurgitation after a meal, or vomiting some time later (especially hair or grass), are practically normal for cats, but if it is frequent and regular I would take him to the vet.

If the vet cannot find a cause I would try smaller meals, several times a day. I have known several animals whose eyes are definitely too big for their tummies!
I'm pretty sure Spunky's last vet visit was a couple of months ago, so I'm thinking of scheduling an appointment, maybe this weekend.

Thanks for the tip though! I'm going to start feeding Spunky smaller portions from now on.
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Janey
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Re: What's wrong with my cat?

Post by Janey »

Hi and welcome. How long ago did your friend move? just wondering if Spunky is stressed at the change - does he seem settled ok?
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