I have a 21/2 year old house cat, we got him from a farm when he was a kitten. He's had all of his shots and tests and goes yearly for his appointments. About a year ago he began to vomit shortly after eating. I feed him Iams turkey canned cat food, and he has a supply of Iams hairball hard food. I took him to the vet over this difficulty and he basically said,"he's not loosing weight is he (my cat weighs about 15lb, hes not fat, just big), his temperature is only slightly elevated probably due to how mad he is, (he was extremely angry, it took four people to hold him down without hurting him), I don't want to take blood given how angry he is --then he sent me away and told me I could try a different kind of food if I wanted to. I am very worried and I don't know what to do. Do I take him to yet another vet, he still vomits shortly after eating but his nose is wet, his gums are normal color, there is no dirreah(sp?), he urinates regularly, and his coat is very shiny. What do I do? He vomits about three times a week. Also, I am very careful not to let his food spoil in the plate.

-- Anna Casale (annabuddyc@aol.com), November 13, 2001

Answers

He could be in a habit of eating way too fast and then not being able to hold it all in - and then vomiting it back up - does he have any competition at mealtime (like another cat or dog?) regardless, try feeding him less at a time and just increase the frequency of feeding and he should probably cease vomiting I bet !

-- DR (DReece5@excite.com), November 13, 2001.

My parents have a cat who has always done this. Took him to the vet for it a couple of years ago, turns out he had giardia. gave him the meds for it, but since he's an outside cat, he probably just got reinfected (eats lots of mice and voles). other than throwing up all the time, he's fine. he's a little lean, but not skinny. I wouldn't worry about it (although it is a pain finding piles of half-digested cat food on the front porch every morning).

-- Elizabeth (Lividia66@aol.com), November 13, 2001.

Our rottie used to vomit after eating too. She was a very fast eater and would finish in about 2/3 the time it took our other dog. Someone on a dog list suggested putting water on her food (it is dry food) and it worked.

I do wonder why your vet wouldn't check him better but this might be worth a try. If it continues I would take him back to the vet

-- Trisha-MN (tank@linkup.net), November 13, 2001.

I had a cat that did this also. I switched him to dry food and decreased the quantity of food at one time.

-- Stacey (stacey@lakesideinternet.com), November 13, 2001.

My siamese had the same problem. On my vets advice, I add about 1/4 ts of mineral oil to his meal a couple of times a week. This lubricates the intestines and helps the hair buildup to pass on through, instead of him throwing them up. I tried switching from canned wet food to dry and he refused to eat and lost tons of weight. I just could not bear to punish him any longer at his age, so using the mineral oil has solved our problem .

-- Carole (carle@earthlink.net), November 13, 2001.

You just described my cat except he's almost 12yrs. old. He has done that since he was a tiny kitten. What happenes is a hairball blocks his food from going down. When he starts throwing up his food I give him hair ball medicine that comes in a tube. That helps for a few days. My cat weights about 20lbs. and part of it is fat but he's also a large cat. We also give 4 small meals of dry cat food a day. When I say small we feed him 1/4 cup at a time 4 times a day. He is doing very well with that. Every time we give him moist food or too much dry at one time he will throw it up. He also hates vets. I have to almost lay on him to keep him still. Good luck with your cat.

-- Rub (mcfays451@aol.com), November 13, 2001.

I know you said he is in fine shape, perhaps a little too chubby, but when was the last time you wormed him for round worms and have you always used the same wormer? Part of the life cycle of roundworms involves regurgitation and swallowing the immature worms. Had a stool sample checked? Even if you wormed him, if he has a resistant population, not uncommon in an older animal, he could still be infected. Beyond this, you're probably talking some money to do further testing.

-- Sandra Nelson (Magin@starband.net), November 14, 2001.

We also have a 10 year old cat that always threw up - projectile!! He gulped his food and up it came! Never lost weight, great shape, etc. We put a golf ball in his bowl of food so that he had to move the ball to get to the food, hence he had to slow down. It worked. After awhile he no longer needed the golf ball, and no more throwing up. Good luck!

-- Jackie in Northern New York (homefarm@webtv.net), November 15, 2001.

Just a crazy thought due to his age, but, sometimes there can be a physical deviation from the norm in the esophagus. Possibly a 'pouch' or 'pocket' like structure where if it gets too full or he shifts weight and pushes on it it empties causing him to vomit. I have only seen this in very young puppies, and he got to 2 1/2 yrs. with no problems so I doubt that this is your cat's problem, but the vet could tell you. Tranquilizing your cat before a vet visit might be an option. Good luck. I'm glad he isn't losing weight wi

-- Leslie Coray (leslie@webolium.com), November 15, 2001.