Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / April 2005
Cat vomiting after eating food or drink. Any ideas?
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Albert Pike - 30 Mar 2005 21:51 GMT Hi all,
My 7 year old neutered male tabby Rex started vomiting immediately after eating his dry food recently. During this time, he drank water normally.After 1 day, he started to vomit even after drinking water. I took him to the vet, who ran blood tests, x-rays and checked his vitals. All showed up normal, with no visible foreign obstructions. He is also peeing normally and the x-rays showed stool making it's way through the intestine, from his last meal. .Rex had an IV line put in with antibiotics, anti-vomiting meds, and a solution to keep him rehydrated. The vet told me that he still vomits, after attempting to eat or drink. Tomorrow, he is scheduled for an ultrasound, and if they still can't figure out what is happening, he will have an endoscopic examination. The vet is worried about liver failure from not having food for 4 days, and may try a feeding tube.
This is the first time that Rex has behaved this way. A year ago, his urinary tract was blocked, but vet cleared it, and now he eats Hill's CD/S and I know that his urinary function is OK.
Does anyone in this NG have any ideas, advice or thoughts? Have I missed any course of action or symptom ? I am worried about having a feeding tube put in, because I thought it would be too traumatic for him , and make him worse, but the vet says that they must get some food into Rex somehow.
I thank everyone for their input.
Karen - 30 Mar 2005 22:00 GMT Boy, I would jump right to the endoscopy. My 8 y.o. cat suddenly began vomiting and the xrays just showed hair in the stomach. We treated symptomatically with no success (all bloodwork was normal). We decided to have the vet just go in and get the hair. That was when they found he had *advanced* stomach cancer. Prime lymphoma age is 4-9 y.o. Don't want to scare you, but if you are catching it early maybe you can treat it. Grant was not so lucky. He was way too good at hiding his problem. :(
> Hi all, > [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > > I thank everyone for their input. Albert Pike - 31 Mar 2005 23:33 GMT Thank you for sharing your experience. Well, I guess the anti-vomiting medication finally kicked in, and Rex finally ate without vomiting last night (Even though he was force-fed). Today, the ultrasound was done and showed no abnormalities or signs of tumors. Just to make sure, an endoscopy will be done as well.
I hope that this episode has been a one time occurrence. I also hope that Rex will able to eat without anti-vomiting medication. Could it have been a result of ingesting something that caused this reaction? My vet discounts food allegies, as well as parasites or worms.
> Boy, I would jump right to the endoscopy. My 8 y.o. cat suddenly began > vomiting and the xrays just showed hair in the stomach. We treated [quoted text clipped - 32 lines] > > > > I thank everyone for their input. Karen - 31 Mar 2005 23:57 GMT Does the vet say why he discounts food allergies? Yeah, he could have just been sick for some very obscure reason for a day or so and just got icky tummy. If he can keep food down and pass it that is good. I hope he starts eating on his own now so you can tell if that has improved.
> Thank you for sharing your experience. > Well, I guess the anti-vomiting medication finally kicked in, and Rex [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > > > after eating his dry food recently. During this time, he drank water > > > normally.After 1 day, he started to vomit even after drinking water. I
> > > took him to the vet, who ran blood tests, x-rays and checked his > > > vitals. All showed up normal, with no visible foreign obstructions. He [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > > > > > I thank everyone for their input. -L. - 01 Apr 2005 08:22 GMT > Thank you for sharing your experience. > Well, I guess the anti-vomiting medication finally kicked in, and Rex [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > have been a result of ingesting something that caused this reaction? > My vet discounts food allegies, as well as parasites or worms. Possibly an insect. My guess would be food allergy as well - but if the cat has been on the same diet for an extended length of time, it sort of rules that out. What about water supply? Are you using tap water? Bacterial counts can fluctuate greatly from week to wee - sometimes day to day - so you might want to switch to bottled water just to be safe.
Is the cat indoor-only? (Sorry if you covered that in your OP...) If not, he could have eaten a bd plant or a chemical.
good luck, -L.
albertpike248@hotmail.com - 01 Apr 2005 20:23 GMT I think the vet ruled out food allergy because Rex has been on the same food for about a year. Rex is also a VERY finicky eater, unlike my other cat who will try most anything. Can a food allergy trigger a vomiting reaction to drinking water as well? Both cats are indoor only, but there are some plants near where Rex sometimes sleeps. I have never seen him go near any of them. I don't give my cats tap water either, I use spring or distilled water from our water cooler.
I suspect maybe chemicals, because I know that there was some cleaning agents like lime scale remover (CLR?), bleach and Tilex being used the two days before Rex started to vomit. I don't think any went on his food, but maybe he brushed his fur or paw by a surface with chemical residue and later ingested it while grooming? I don't know about insects, but because it's spring, maybe that too is a possibility.
Thanks again for your input.
> > Thank you for sharing your experience. > > Well, I guess the anti-vomiting medication finally kicked in, and Rex [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > good luck, > -L. -L. - 02 Apr 2005 03:08 GMT > I think the vet ruled out food allergy because Rex has been on the same > food for about a year. Rex is also a VERY finicky eater, unlike my [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > Thanks again for your input. You're welcome. Cleaners could be the culprit - they may have irritated the lining of his esophagus and stomach - even just fumes. I try to use non-toxic citrus based cleaners when I can. Oxy-clean type cleaners are another, safer alternative to bleach-based cleaners.
Hope he's all better now.
-L.
Albert Pike - 04 Apr 2005 20:50 GMT Well, Rex has been back home 3 1/2 days now. He is back to about 90% of his normal routine. The only problem I see is that his appetite is very low. He drinks normally, but will not eat properly. He used to only eat dry food, but won't go near it anymore. I have tried various canned food (warmed in microwave) and when I bring it near his face, he starts to salivate. He sometimes takes about 20 licks of the food then shrinks away from it. After licking the food, he is constantly licking his mouth. I have syringe fed him (orally) once and got some Hill's A/D (high protein) food into him. It's distressing for both of us to feed him this way, but the vet has cautioned me about liver disease developing, after a cat doesn't eat for a few days.
The first day, he didn't vomit. On the second day I noticed that he had vomited out some bile, and a piece of kibble. I told the vet, who was surprised that he had vomited again. The next day, no vomiting. Today, I tried to offer him some Hill's A/D on a plate and he took a few licks of it. Then he withdrew away from the plate, and vomited out some bile. It seems that every time he eats some solid food, something makes him feel nauseous. He drinks water without any problem. He can even tolerate getting the liquid antibiotic into his mouth (by syringe) without vomiting.
I am still waiting for the vet to call back about the endoscopy results from the lab. Later, I will try offering him another variety of canned food and some food from those sealed pouches.
Am I being too impatient in Rex's recovery at home? Am I doing enough to help him? I was thinking about offering him baby food (without onions), but I noticed that they contain lemon juice. Is that safe? I just hope that if he has some condition, it is treatable.
> > I think the vet ruled out food allergy because Rex has been on the > same [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > > -L. -L. - 05 Apr 2005 01:56 GMT > Well, Rex has been back home 3 1/2 days now. He is back to about 90% > of his normal routine. The only problem I see is that his appetite is > very low. ,snip>
baby food is pretty low quality, nutritionally. I would offer anything else - cooked chicken or turkey, Fancy Feast, or Friskies. A/D is ok but it's high in fat and hard to digest. You want to get some pure protwein into him, so meat (chicken, turkey) is your best bet.
Did they give him anything for nausea? There is a drug the can give that might help him in that regard. Also, vitamin B12 will peak his apetite.
-L.
Albert Pike - 05 Apr 2005 06:57 GMT I tried the baby food, and initially he lapped it up. Then, he ran away like I had tried to poison him or something. I don't think he liked it that much. Nothing was prescribed for nausea. I don't know which drug the vet will prescribe as the appetite stimulant.
The vet told me that the endoscopic examination report was good and that Rex didn't have any signs of IBD or lymphoma. The report also said that visually, everything inside seemed ok. My vet is now stumped as to why the vomiting started. She spoke to the Dr. who did the ultrasound, and he said that maybe there is some lymphoma, but that they may not have taken endoscopic samples in that area.
After telling the vet about Rex's loss of appetite, she suggested an appetite stimulant. Are these safe? Rex's behaviour (aside from not eating) seems normal, and I wonder about side-effects. The vet did not mention any side effects, but said to stop the meds if I noticed changes in behaviour. If the appetite stimulant didn't help him eat (without vomiting), the next route she suggested was consulting an internal med specialist, and a feeding tube, if necessary.
I have started to feed Rex the gravy laden cat food (from those pouches), and he laps it up quite well. I mash up the meat and gravy (about 1 tsp) and mix it well, so that at least he gets some nutrition into him. I am doing this every hour to get him accustomed to food again. He hasn't vomited yet. After about the 4th feeding, I think I am on the right track, because I gave him some Fancy Feast Chicken Feast, and after he lapped up the gravy, he even started to take some of the chunks of meat into his mouth. I hope that this is a sign of good things to come.
> > Well, Rex has been back home 3 1/2 days now. He is back to about 90% > > of his normal routine. The only problem I see is that his appetite is [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > -L. -L. - 05 Apr 2005 07:17 GMT > I tried the baby food, and initially he lapped it up. Then, he ran > away like I had tried to poison him or something. I don't think he [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > After telling the vet about Rex's loss of appetite, she suggested an > appetite stimulant. Are these safe? Extremely safe.
> Rex's behaviour (aside from not > eating) seems normal, and I wonder about side-effects. The vet did not > mention any side effects, but said to stop the meds if I noticed > changes in behaviour. If the appetite stimulant didn't help him eat > (without vomiting), the next route she suggested was consulting an > internal med specialist, and a feeding tube, if necessary. You basically have to get him to eat one way or another, or he will get fatty liver disease.
> I have started to feed Rex the gravy laden cat food (from those > pouches), and he laps it up quite well. I mash up the meat and gravy > (about 1 tsp) and mix it well, so that at least he gets some nutrition > into him. I am doing this every hour to get him accustomed to food > again. He hasn't vomited yet. Excellent!
> After about the 4th feeding, I think I > am on the right track, because I gave him some Fancy Feast Chicken > Feast, and after he lapped up the gravy, he even started to take some > of the chunks of meat into his mouth. I hope that this is a sign of > good things to come. Certainly sounds like it.
You might want to pick up some Nutrical at the vet or pet store. It is a tube of high-calorie, nutrient-laden goo that helps cats that are sickly. It also acts like a appetite stimulant for some cats.
As I said before, the more protein you can get into him, the better. I personally stay away from fish-type foods because I have found they can irritate cat's stomachs, but some people swear by tuna in water. Anything he will eat at this point is good, though - since you want to avoid fatty liver disease. What I have found that worked really well in the past was Purina D/M "Diabetic Maintence Diet" canned cat food. It is high protein and will perk him up fairly quickly if he will eat it. I take my cat to a feline specialist and she's the one who initially recommended it for my cat.
Good luck, and keep us posted.
Oh and Purrs to Rex!
-L.
Albert Pike - 05 Apr 2005 15:14 GMT Wow! I'm so happy to say that, this morning Rex seemed more energetic than the last night, and that he went upstairs to his regular feeding area. I offered him his regular dry food (Hill's C/D S), and he didn't turn away, but started to eat it !
I suspect that Rex is on the road to recovery because, the last few days, he would not go near his old food. And also, he hasn't vomited. Either the antibiotics are having an effect, or whatever toxins were in his body have been susbstantially eliminated. I spoke to the vet avbout the appetite stimulant this morning, but I may hold off on using it, in case it interferes with his appetite recovering naturally. I don't know if any of my feeding methods worked, but I don't think it hurt him either.
>snip> > Good luck, and keep us posted. > > Oh and Purrs to Rex! > > -L. Karen - 05 Apr 2005 16:38 GMT Oh that is terrific!!!!! I'm SO glad to hear it. YEAHHHH . Go REX!
> Wow! I'm so happy to say that, this morning Rex seemed more energetic > than the last night, and that he went upstairs to his regular feeding [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > > > -L. Mary - 05 Apr 2005 20:07 GMT > Wow! I'm so happy to say that, this morning Rex seemed more energetic > than the last night, and that he went upstairs to his regular feeding [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > naturally. I don't know if any of my feeding methods worked, but I > don't think it hurt him either. Yay, Rex!
Karen - 05 Apr 2005 12:47 GMT > I have started to feed Rex the gravy laden cat food (from those > pouches), and he laps it up quite well. I mash up the meat and gravy [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > of the chunks of meat into his mouth. I hope that this is a sign of > good things to come. Please keep us posted. This is good news here. It's very good that you keep trying since he is not vomiting it up. Thinking of you and Rex.
kitkat - 06 Apr 2005 04:30 GMT >>Well, Rex has been back home 3 1/2 days now. He is back to about 90% >>of his normal routine. The only problem I see is that his appetite is [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > -L. Baby food may be low quality nutritionally but for a short time it can work wonders. It sure did for Jasper. What a relief!!!
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