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Welcome to our regular “Ask the cat Doc With Dr. Lynn Bahr” segment! once a month, Dr. Bahr answers as lots of of your questions as she can, and you can leave new questions for her in a comment.
Dr. Bahr is a 1991 graduate of the university of Georgia’s college of Veterinary medicine and founder of Dezi & Roo, a company that designs, manufactures, and sells solution-based products that enhance the lives of cats and their owners. She volunteers at many animal-related charities and causes and serves on the concern complimentary Advisory Board, the Parliamentarian of the society of Veterinary medical Ethics, the cat committee of the Pet professional Guild, and the alley cat Allies’ Feline forward task Force.
Dr. Bahr is co-author of the upcoming book indoor Cat: how to Enrich Their Lives and expand Their World, due out in April of 2022 and available for pre-order now.
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Cat vomits several times a week
Hello and thanks in advance….We have two seemingly healthy, small sibling cats, 11 mo. old. Roxie/female weighs 6 lbs. and Rowdy/male weighs 7. They are vet checked and found to have no ailments. The issue is that rowdy throws up digested food several times a week, often daily, a teaspoon full to half of the eaten meal. They have good appetites in general and get quality wet food with a little, again quality, dry food, a freeze dried raw treat and a sprinkling of nutritional yeast on top. The toppings are to get Rowdy, the picky eater to eat the wet food. together they are fed a total of 15 ounces of food a day, spread out into four meals about 5 hours apart. (plus toppings) The protein in all is chicken. Both are active, happy, loving cats. Suggestions?
Thanks again, Patsy. – Patsy Kelly
Hi Patsy,
Thank you so much for writing in with your worries about Rowdy. I am concerned too. His frequency of vomiting is not normal and must be investigated further. Rowdy’s pickiness is another sign of something being amiss and I encourage you to seek a second opinion soon. Do not take “seemingly healthy” as a reason to cast this problem aside.
The lots of possible causes for Rowdy’s gastrointestinal issues include a congenital abnormality, parasites, diet sensitivity or intolerance, and other less common possibilities. considering that he is so young, I would certainly want to make sure he has been appropriately dewormed multiple times and I would look closely for possible congenital abnormalities. once those worries have been eliminated it is time to step on to diet history and a good physical exam.
You can help your veterinarian by supplying a complete, and concise, written history prior to your visit. here are some suggested questions for you to answer that will be helpful:
Document on a timeline, from the time of weaning to now, of the foods rowdy has been fed. Be certain with type (dry, wet, raw, treat, probiotic), brand, and ingredient list. It helps to look at both commonality and differences among the proteins or textures that he has been ingesting considering that he began eating solid food.
When did you notice him vomiting for the first time?
Has the frequency been consistent, or has it boosted over time?
What does the vomitus look like? Does it always look the same or does it vary in consistency or volume? If the vomitus is fluid in nature, then what color is it? If solid, does the food look digested or undigested?
Does rowdy vomit randomly or is there a pattern to the time frame in which he vomits after eating?
Does he vomit a lot more typically in one room vs another? If so, which room?
The history you provide, along with a good physical exam, must help point your veterinarian in the ideal direction toward achieving a diagnosis and treatment plan.
I am confident that the underlying cause of Rowdy’s problem can be fixed and hope that you continue to advocate on his behalf. There is long term damage that can occur from chronic vomiting, so this is a good time to head that off. Resolving this issue now is not only good for Rowdy’s health and quality of life but it might also help expand his palate. no one enjoys feeling frequently nauseous and it might be a contributing aspect to his pickiness. successfully treating him will also improve your quality of life by minimizing the need to be regularly cleaning up vomitus. Your well being is crucial too!
There is every reason to believe this can be turned around with the ideal diagnostician. I hope you find the cause of your baby’s frequent vomiting soon.
Watering eye and wheezing
I have a rescue cat aged 4 years and have had her only 3 months. She loves to be petted at her comfort but sonullnull
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