# Cat Throwing Up Before Feeding



## Newt (Aug 19, 2003)

Hi All, 

We feed our two cats every 8 hours, despite this they always act like they are starving. The larger of the two, Baxter, throws up if we are so much as 10 min late getting dinner out. We can't figure out what is causing this behavior but it has gone on for 3 years. Just before the next feeding time he gets really anxious to eat (sometimes an hour before feeding). 

If we don't get food out, he goes to a certain spot where he has thrown up before and throws up. There is food in the vomit, not dry heave, so we're not sure how he can be so hungry with food in his belly. The down side is if we leave the food out, he grazes all day and gets fat.


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## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

Perhaps you could try occupying him in the time before dinner? Play with him, cuddle with him, get his attention off the thought of feeding so he doesn't get too worked up. 

My mom has a cat (lil'Fella) who gets SOOO excited about dinner that he practically inhales in, then throws it all up. Sometimes he'll eat very quickly again after puking. There have been times when we have found up to 3 puke piles from one meal. Ugh. Nowadays, my little sister feeds him kibbles one by one to prevent him from eating so fast. :dis


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## Mom of 4 (Jul 29, 2006)

Any chance you could offer a cat treat or a few pieces of dry food an hour or so before the meal?
We have had to do that for one of our dogs who vomited before any meal that was even slightly later than normal. It worked for her.


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## Newt (Aug 19, 2003)

Thanks for the replies!

We've tried the treats in between meals but that didn't really work. It was mainly the excitement of finding the bowls empty at feeding time. So, we've been keeping a few bits of kibble (about 1/5 a cup) in the bowl. This has cut down on the vomit sessions. 

We tried to distract him, but food is all he can think about at feeding time. He jumps around, off furniture, beats on the doors. If we're in the living room they just stare at us and bop us on the head with their paws. It's really weird because if he was that hungry, his belly should be empty but he throws up about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of food.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Have you talked to the vet about this? It seems to me that after 8 hours a cat's stomach should be pretty well empty. He may have some sort of digestive order going on. 

Getting excited about a meal about an hour before feeding time is normal for a cat. In the wild they start hunting about an hour before before normal meal time. I'm sure that some days they get lucky and eat within 5 minutes and others may take an hour and a half, but in general an hour is probably average.


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## Newt (Aug 19, 2003)

doodlebug said:


> Have you talked to the vet about this? It seems to me that after 8 hours a cat's stomach should be pretty well empty. He may have some sort of digestive order going on.
> 
> Getting excited about a meal about an hour before feeding time is normal for a cat. In the wild they start hunting about an hour before before normal meal time. I'm sure that some days they get lucky and eat within 5 minutes and others may take an hour and a half, but in general an hour is probably average.


Good point and no, we haven't mentioned it because it was somewhat infrequent. I'll mention it at our appt.


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## Newt (Aug 19, 2003)

Just an update. Baxter had a few more episodes of throwing up (brown liquid) just before feeding. We noticed he was not drinking much water and urinated on the bathroom mat twice. It's odd, he throws up several hours after feeding. We switched him to a mostly wet diet to help with the water issue and his weight (20 pds). Assuming he has a hairball caught, this should help him to pass it. He didn't throw up for a full day and when he did it was the color/consistency of the wet food (so at least it isn't blood in the vomit). Again, several hours after he first ate.

We took him to the vet this morning to have him checked out. Initial test shows that he has crystals in his urine, most likely from all the dry food and little water intake. The vet it recommending a "WD diet". The vet didn't have an answer for the voracious appetite, but thought he may have diabetes or fatty liver (they're also running blood tests). 

Not sure what to do at this point, we've been told to get his weight down in the past, but Baxter simply won't have it. He wants to eat and if doesn't get food he goes nuts (pushes over lamps, jumps up on tables/counters, runs around, howls, throws up, etc). Not sure how to control that...Albert on the other hand seems to just react to Baxter. Baxter has been gone all day and Albert has only touched his food when he is hungry and at the appropriate times. Albert has always been easier from a weight management perspective.

Any thoughts We'll know more tomorrow when the blood and urine tests are complete.


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## Newt (Aug 19, 2003)

The vet called today with the results, nothing found in the blood or urine. That's a relief! On his physical examination he didn't find anything that he thought to be a tumor, so the test also ruled out cancer. He did mention that his protein and globulin were ever so slightly low, but only by a hair. I found that weird because Baxter has been on Evo Core for the last 2 months. He's currently on a diet of all Hills Diet W/D, 1/2 of a 6oz can each feeding. The doctor wanted him to get 1.5 cans twice a day. That was too much and Baxter didn't finish it. We are giving him 1/2 a can every 4 hours (or whenever he is aggressively hungry). 

This morning, just before he was due to have his breakfast, he threw up some food (about 1/4 a cup). This was at 7AM and I had fed him the night before at 11PM. He was fine before the 12PM feeding. At 4PM I found vomit in two spots in the bedroom (just before feeding at 4PM). I then fed them at 9PM and found vomit in the bedroom bathroom (again about 1/4 a cup).

We have to call the vet on Monday, he said that if he is still throwing up that they would try a shot of cortizone that should help if he has inflamed bowels.


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## Newt (Aug 19, 2003)

Update: 

The cortisone shot worked! Baxter has not throw up since he received the shot on Wednesday. So, it seems the problem was irritated/inflamed bowels. Since the cortisone relieved the inflammation, what can we expect for ongoing treatment? Is this a problem that solves itself after settling the inflammation or will Baxter be on some medication long term?


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