my cat is about a year old. shes very tiny, and has always been on the thinner side. there was even a time when someone made a comment about how "fat" she was getting.
well, a while back, she started throwing up. a LOT. like almost 3 or 4 times a week. she'd eat waaaay too much and end up not even chewing up half of it, and then she'd turn around and throw up anywhere.
since that has been happening, she hasn't been getting much nutrients. and shes also eating less and less and losing waaaaay too much weight. she's getting so thin and bony. she still goes outside and runs around and stuff, but im concerned about her weight. if she was a person, id call this bulimia. but shes not a person...shes a kitten. and im really worried.
can someone tell me what i can do? or if you recognize what this is?
[ Answer this question ] Want to answer more questions in the Domesticity category? Maybe give some free advice about: Pets? Lizard-Girl answered Saturday May 30 2009, 4:36 pm: Well first off you should get her checked out by a vet because at worst she could have a intestinal worm, these guys can steal alot of nutrience from what a animal eats. Also mayeb you should try rationing her food to maybe 1/2 a scoop of kibble in the morning and half at night or soever you see fit, we have a cat who lived outside for his whole life becasue his past owners dumped him he used to eat untill he threw up because he didnt think he was ever going to be fed again. Also be carful if you kitty is outside because some people are mean and will try to hit them if she is on the road and their are many elements like hawks that can pick up a small cat adn have her for lunch.
I hope this helpes. [ Lizard-Girl's advice column | Ask Lizard-Girl A Question ]
merlovinit answered Saturday May 23 2009, 10:29 pm: If you have the money, take her to see a vet. Animals can be fragile and sometimes if you don't recognize problems in time they can be dangerous. [ merlovinit's advice column | Ask merlovinit A Question ]
cuddlemonster answered Saturday May 23 2009, 2:16 am: It most likely has something to do with the food you're feeding her, or hairballs. She could be allergic to the dye in the food or anything, so you should take her to the vet to see what it is exactly that she's allergic to. It could just be a hairball though, so try feeding her some grass, and if that doesn't work you can go buy some hairball gel. It's edible, and you feed her just a little bit and it should help get the hairball up, and that should solve everything. Here's something else I found that might help:
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It could be a few things. For one it could be hair balls. Sometimes as they are trying to cough them up they throw up. However...it could also be the food you are feeding them. Check the bag, the ingredients should start with a protein...no yellow corn and no by products. As mad as it gets you, this is the sign of a problem. You may need to buy a better cat food. You get what you pay for and quite frankly if you can buy it at walmart or the grocery store its not a good cat food.
Call your vet and check into your cat food.
One last thing, your cat could be eating too quickly. Taking the food away at night might make your cat gorge itself in the morning and then it will throw up anyway.
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Thanks! I went to the pet store last night and got Iams. Talked to the vet there and she also suggested this! I hope it works!
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Unfortunately it is normal for some cats, so normal (especially in Siamese) that they've made a dry food specifically to stop that. Royal Canin Siamese 38 is the only food on the market made with that in mind and it's reduced the amount my eat-and-barf cat tosses up.
You're right about the fast eating being the main cause, the dry food puffs up in their stomach too fast, or the canned food thumps down without enough saliva to start the digestive process, and it all comes back up again, violently.
A pet supplies store would carry the RC S.38, it's $11 for a bag that will last you a month. It's done wonders for mine.
A 'home remedy' is to feed the cat without fanfare in a different room, away from other cats if you have others, and to put a golf ball into the center. The working behind this is that they take more time eating around the ball, slowing them down. But it only works sometimes.
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Do you feed your cat only once a day? Some people mistakenly do this. If you do, then she is starving by the time she gets her food. She then eats it too fast, which will cause her to vomit. By the way, what you are describing is called projectile vomiting.
She should be fed 2 times a day. If you ARE feeding her twice a day, she may just be one of these cats who wolfs down her food, which, as I said before, will cause her to vomit.
First of all, make sure she gets two meals a day. Then, in the morning, which is when you say this happens, give her only a teaspoon of food. Let her eat this & wait about 10 minutes. Then give her another teaspoonful, and so on. If she can handle this without puking, the reason is most likely that she is wolfing it down too fast.
If she still throws up her food, take her to the vet as soon as possible. If a cat is getting 2 meals a day, she shouldn't be that hungry. You did not say she throws up dinner, so I wonder if she is getting any other food besides her breakfast. How would you feel if you only got one meal a day? You would be starving, right? So would a cat. Feed her in the morning and in the evening.
If she gets 2 meals a day and the teaspoon test doesn't work and she still vomits, then you MUST take her to the vet. Aside from a starving cat eating too fast, there is no reason for her to be throwing up her food like that every day. [ cuddlemonster's advice column | Ask cuddlemonster A Question ]
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