Vomitting kitten - still active and eating (weight, feline, blood)

[awestover89]

So our kitten is about 8 months old and has been spitting up pretty much daily for two weeks. We took to the vet last week and were given deworming medicine and prescription wet food, were told to not feed him for 12 hours and then feed him 1/4 of a can for three days with no regular food, then mix in his dry food with the wet food for 2 more days, then switch to dry food. We were also told to switch from their current food (Meow Mix) to Iams or Purina Pro Plan. We did all that and he is still spitting up.

What is weird is he is still really active, and eating normal when we do have food out. Last time he got sick he was really lethargic and didn't eat, so we knew something was wrong. This time he seems perfectly normal, even immediately after vomiting. We have stopped giving him dry food period to see if that is the issue, but he threw up again last night. It mostly happens only over night, although today he did spit up during the day.

At this point we have tried 3 different dry foods, grooming daily, only wet food with no dry food, and he still spits up about once to twice each night.

Any ideas before we go in to the vet and get x-rays and bloodwork done? The deworming and food last time was already about $150, so I'm not looking forward to a bill for x-rays and blood work, but will do so if necessary.

[ocngypz]

Is it possible he could be chewing on something?

I had a dried floral arrangement that was partially made with black cherry branches. I didn't realize that all 4 cats were chewing on the branches. All 4 were vomiting throughout the house. When I figured it out..........the vomiting stopped.

You don't want to know what the vet bills were like for 4 cats...and that was 30 years ago!

[no kudzu]

Again we see another vet suggesting dry food. This is very confusing. I would suggest a grain free quality wet cat food which usually cannot be bought at the grocery store. Look at the archives for what to feed a cat as this has been discussed ad nauseum(no pun intended).

I let a grown cat vomit way too long until he got deathly sick. He lost about half is body weight before i realized he was so bony.l finally got him on special grain free rabbit cat food and he still barfs up hair balls but has gained most of his weight back. Before going to all the expensive x rays, etc keep trying good wet cat food with no grain. good luck

[leanansidhex]

Also, changing food quickly can cause stomach upsets by itself. Dry food is a bad idea. Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition :: healthy cat diet, making cat food, litter box, cat food, cat nutrition, cat urinary tract health

There is only one brand of dry food that is grain-free and does not contain starch, grain-free is meaningless because companies just substitute species inappropriate starch for species inappropriate grain. //www.city-data.com/forum/cats/...-pet-food.html Wysong Epigen 90 Wysong Epigenâ„¢ Starch Freeâ„¢ Dog Food, Cat Food, Pet Food It is expensive compared to other dry foods, but there is no cheap filler, it's 90% meat and organs (so it contains taurine, naturally)

Also there have been many problems reported by consumers, concerning Purina products, with new problems being added consistently.
//www.city-data.com/forum/cats/...l#post27086808

[no kudzu]

Leanan, you have done us all a service by finding and linking these important references. I was just too lazy.

[catsmom21]

How long is he going without food? He may be getting too much acid build up. Some cats just can't go longer than 7-8 hours without food.

He's not regurgitating (throwing up food right after eating) he's vomiting when his stomach is empty, right?

I agree with not feeding any dry food. Is he pooping normally?

I recommend having an x-ray or ultrasound done (I'd probably go straight to the ultrasound to save time and money) to see what's going on in there. Could be a blockage.

Or it could be an ultra sensitivity to all the junk put in commercial foods. A raw diet may be the answer for him.

But definitely get them off the kibble.

[leanansidhex]

Originally Posted by no kudzu

Leanan, you have done us all a service by finding and linking these important references. I was just too lazy.

It's not that your lazy, we've just all done it so many times before, some Much more than others [catsmom21, Lola4 etc] but it's still important information for new PO's to be aware of ... so it seems like we take shifts sometimes ... Except for the tireless catsmom21 ... whose wisdom I rely on much more than she realizes.

[brokencrayola]

I'd examine his vomit and make sure he isn't eating something he shouldn't be.

[awestover89]

Originally Posted by catsmom21

How long is he going without food? He may be getting too much acid build up. Some cats just can't go longer than 7-8 hours without food.

He's not regurgitating (throwing up food right after eating) he's vomiting when his stomach is empty, right?

I agree with not feeding any dry food. Is he pooping normally?

I recommend having an x-ray or ultrasound done (I'd probably go straight to the ultrasound to save time and money) to see what's going on in there. Could be a blockage.

Or it could be an ultra sensitivity to all the junk put in commercial foods. A raw diet may be the answer for him.

But definitely get them off the kibble.

No, he isn't throwing up immediately after eating, it is usually about 7-8 hours after eating now that I think about it. He runs to his food happily, eats, poops normally, plays, etc. That is what has us weirded out. We went back to the vet but she said if it was a blockage he wouldn't have an appetite, would be lethargic, and wouldn't let us touch his stomach. She was able to apply pressure to his stomach and said she couldn't feel any blockage so she opted to wait on the x-ray. She gave us some powder probiotic and a recommendation for grain free, starch free canned food. We went to a pet boutique and picked up some cans of Weruva at their recommendation, but he still seems to be throwing up. He's just been on the new diet for 2 days now though, so maybe it will just take time.

At another friend's recommendations we also started giving him a little bowl of kitten milk to help with nutrients. Right now it is 1 can of food for breakfast (split between two cats) a small saucer of kitten milk at lunch, and then another can for dinner

[ocngypz]

I think I would try smaller, more frequent meals to see if excess stomach acidity is causing the vomiting.