# Throwing up



## Andiecat46 (Jan 17, 2004)

Hi all. I just started posting last night, but I had to come back tonight b/c I am not able to fall asleep. Anyways, as I was sitting in my room, I heard my 4 yeard old cat, Andie, throwing up in the living room. I cleaned up after her, and she really seems fine. But lately, I am a little worried about it. She's been throwing up a little too much lately. Dont get me wrong, its not daily... but I would have to say in the past 2 months, its been like 3 times. Sounds like I am paranoid, but just a little curious. Usually when she gets sick, its whole pieces of cat food. What could this be from? Since she started on adult food years ago, I have been giving her Meow Mix with a tiny bit of Fancy Feast mixed in. About 6 weeks ago, I started mixing the Meow Mix with a small handful of the new Purina Indoor Cat Formula food, which is supposed to be less in fat, b/c she was looking a little chubby. Maybe this has something to do with the food? Or perhaps is it b/c she doesnt chew her food well? Or she eats too fast? 
She never eats all her food at once, she usually goes back to it a few times... so I know she isnt overeating. 
I am just wondering why she is throwing up whole food at times... I always get worried that she is sick and I just cant tell!! Need some reassurance.


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## Ioana (Jul 12, 2003)

hi AndieCat,
Frosty did the same thing a few weeks ago. I found chunks of food that he had thrown up. He did this 3 - 4 times - throughout 2 days - the only time he ever scared me like that
I followed him closely. It got bad a Sunday when I actually called the emergency vets. It was nothing but a hairball which he was having difficulty getting out. He doesn't throw hairballs very often though because I brush him every day...but that time it scared me well.
I have got some hairball formula for him now from our vet - we have never experienced that again. 
You may or you may not have the same problem but the best thing would be to have your kitty checked up. That should clear all of your worries


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## ForJazz (Dec 30, 2003)

ioana's advice is good -- I'd take that first. I would also suggest better food for your cat. Fancy feast is like feeding your kitty McDonald's every day, and meow mix is not great either. It sounds like you really care about your kitty's health, so I'd make a gradual change to a healthier food. Check a pet store and check ingredients. If it says "chicken" or "turkey" as the first ingredient, it's a higher quality food. Chicken meal or turkey meal is the next step down. You'll notice fancy feast has the word "byproduct" in the first ingredient -- that's the lower grade. Check the ingredients list. If it looks like foods YOU would eat -- it's better for your cat than things you can't even pronounce.


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## stormy (Dec 7, 2003)

with 7 cats i find throw up a few times a week.
i try to get them to eat hairball remedy. it comes in a squeeze tube.
a couple of them will eat it willingly,but i have to put it on their paws for the rest of them to lick it off.

the only time i worry is if they also have upset bowels and/or lethgary.


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## Maleke (Jul 2, 2003)

I just took Maleke to the vet because he has thrown up 3 times in 2 days, he is short haired and so is Magic and they really aren't shedding much right now, and he stopped eating. Could that be because of a hairball?


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## red_kittycat (Dec 30, 2003)

AndieCat said:


> Hi all. I just started posting last night, but I had to come back tonight b/c I am not able to fall asleep. Anyways, as I was sitting in my room, I heard my 4 yeard old cat, Andie, throwing up in the living room. I cleaned up after her, and she really seems fine. But lately, I am a little worried about it. She's been throwing up a little too much lately. Dont get me wrong, its not daily... but I would have to say in the past 2 months, its been like 3 times. Sounds like I am paranoid, but just a little curious. Usually when she gets sick, its whole pieces of cat food. What could this be from? Since she started on adult food years ago, I have been giving her Meow Mix with a tiny bit of Fancy Feast mixed in. About 6 weeks ago, I started mixing the Meow Mix with a small handful of the new Purina Indoor Cat Formula food, which is supposed to be less in fat, b/c she was looking a little chubby. Maybe this has something to do with the food? Or perhaps is it b/c she doesnt chew her food well? Or she eats too fast?
> She never eats all her food at once, she usually goes back to it a few times... so I know she isnt overeating.
> I am just wondering why she is throwing up whole food at times... I always get worried that she is sick and I just cant tell!! Need some reassurance.


The fact that it's whole pieces of food is indicative that this is more likely regurgitation than vomiting. Regurgitation occurs for different reasons. Some of the more common reasons - 

Eating too much too quickly - The stomach can only digest so much food at a time. Overeating may result in the stomach's sending some of the food back up so it can concentrate on digesting a bit at a time

Gobbling - as in not chewing. The saliva and teeth need to break the food down a bit so that the stomach can handle the job of further breaking it down for the small intestine.

Food incompatibility - Certain foods are difficult for some cats to digest. This includes diets high in fiber, like Purina Indoor formula. I might hold off, and see if that helps the problem.

Faulty valve at the opening of the stomach (lower esophageal sphincter) - If the valve does not close tightly, food can "backflow" into the esophagus and may be expelled through the mouth.

Poor muscle tone in the esophagus - Without muscles to keep the food moving in the right direction toward the stomach, food may just linger in the esophagus and can be regurgitated.

Deformity of the esophagus - If there are abnormal dips or twists in the esophagus, it can prevent some food from getting all the way to the stomach, and it may be brought back up.

True vomiting is more cause for concern. Vomit usually does not contain food. It's more often foamy or is fluid. It also usually is accompanied by other symptoms, like loss of appetite, lethargy, drooling (sign of nausea), hunched posture, and it is produced after much violent heaving and usually shoots out more sharply than regurgitation. Vomiting periodically isn't considered abnormal and doesn't necessarily require any vet attention. Three times in 2 months is certainly nothing to worry about. But if your kitty vomits and is not feeling well for more than 12 hours, then I would get her in to a vet right away. Causes for vomiting range from hairballs to parasites to germs to Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Most times, there is a treatment that will help.

As far as reducing regurgitation, feed your cat a high-quality diet, preferably a sensitive stomach diet. Cats who regurgitate often do better on a canned food diet, as canned food is easier to digest. Feed in small portions, several times daily. If feeding dry kibble, choose a brand with small bits. That will make less work for the stomach. Also, keep the bowl elevated. This will keep food moving down toward the stomach.


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## kitkat (Sep 22, 2003)

Only my cat Sugar throws up and she used to do it alot when I fed them lower quality foods. I'd highly recommend feeding dry and wet food without by products and more natural ingredients. I changed to higher quality foods with Sugar and she doesn't throw up much anymore. I think it really helps. Good Luck! :lol:


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## juliahadley (Oct 2, 2003)

Hi 
I had a similar problem with my cat Sonic
I have been using hairball paste and it seems to have solved the problem somewhat
she still throws up about every 2 weeks, but just a small amount with hair in it
before the treatment she was throwing up loads of food with no sign of hair
so think she must have had a hairball moving around and blocking her sometimes

we took her to the vets when she was throwing up every few days and he said it was a food intolerance, so we have tried sensitive stomach food and hairball control (which she won't eat now typically)

but I think the hair is the main problem
hope your cat gets better soon


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## mismodliz (Dec 5, 2003)

i had a similar problem with regurgitation with Stephen. The vet said it was probably the red dye in her food (I was feeding Meow Mix), and that many cats have stomach issues with red dye. I immediately moved Stephen to natural foods (then Science Diet and now Natural Choice) and the problem stopped...except when there is hairball trouble.


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## Andiecat46 (Jan 17, 2004)

Thanks SO much for your replies. I really didnt know that Meow Mix and Fancy Feast were not that good for cats. I feel terrible. I have been feeding that to Andie since she begain eating adult cat food. Are these other foods you've mentioned MUCH better? I will have to do it gradually, b/c I dont want her having bathroom issues  haha. Are these foods expensive? and are they available at supermarkets?? sorry for the tons of questions.... 
Finally got my signature to work too.... thank you to ForJazz for creating it and for helping me add it, and Faile for helping me out as well


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## shlanon (Oct 16, 2003)

Don't feel bad Andie. You didn't know that the foods were bad. Many of us (myself included) used to feed lower quality foods until we found out we needed to feed something better! The important thing is that you are making an effort now to give her a good nutritious food.
I would say the foods mentioned are much better. You generally want to stay away from anything with by-products and artificial flavorings. You should try to get something that has meat listed as the first two ingredients.
These foods will be more expensive, but your cats will eat less of it than the lower quality foods, so it can actually be around the same price.
Generally anything you find at a supermarket isn't going to be any good. You will probably need to hit a large pet store like Petsmart or Petco or (even better) a smaller pet store that carries even more brands.
You will probably want to choose a food yourself, but just to get you started, here are a few links to some foods that many of the members on here use, that most would say are high quaility:
Felidae www.canidae.com
Wellness www.oldmotherhubbard.com
Natural Balance www.naturalbalanceinc.com
There are, of course, many others out there. These are just a few off the top of my head. Most websites will have a store locator so you can see if there is a store near you selling the food.
The best thing to do is to educate yourself on how to read labels and then choose a food based on this and what your cat likes!


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## Andiecat46 (Jan 17, 2004)

I will definitely go some research and find out what foods I will be able to get nearby... Thanks so much for all your help!


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## Bean (Mar 10, 2003)

One of my friends cats would throw up sometimes if she was too hungry because she'd eat to fast / too much. She basically needed food in her bowl at all times (but wasn't a pig - she was pretty skinney).


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