My oldest cat (who is 12) is, and has been for the last few weeks throwing up. She throws up al least once a day, but today she puked about 8 times. What she regergitates has no solids, its just a yellow liquid with hairs in it. She has never done this before, and I have't changed her diet. Also for the last several months she has been chewing her hair off. She now has no hair on the tip of her tail, her belly, and her inner thighs. I think her problem could be nerves, we just got a new kitten around the time the puking started. I sure hope shes not dieing.
Any suggestions, or anyone have an idea whats wrong.
WHat is wrong with my Cat?
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Catherine26
Re: WHat is wrong with my Cat?
Several things come into play here.
First of all, how does she get along with the kitten? How did you introduce them? Did you do a gradual introduction, or just toss them together?
Secondly, what brand of food do you feed her? If you're feeding something with inconsistent ingredients like byproducts or meat meal, this could be responsible for the throwing up. Even if she's been on her current food forever, inconsistent ingredients vary from bag to bag - what's in one bag isn't necessarily in the other. If you're feeding her cheap grocery store food, upgrade to a premium food (Wellness, Chicken Soup, Innova) immediately.
I would definitely take her to the vet to rule out any medical conditions.
First of all, how does she get along with the kitten? How did you introduce them? Did you do a gradual introduction, or just toss them together?
Secondly, what brand of food do you feed her? If you're feeding something with inconsistent ingredients like byproducts or meat meal, this could be responsible for the throwing up. Even if she's been on her current food forever, inconsistent ingredients vary from bag to bag - what's in one bag isn't necessarily in the other. If you're feeding her cheap grocery store food, upgrade to a premium food (Wellness, Chicken Soup, Innova) immediately.
I would definitely take her to the vet to rule out any medical conditions.
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Guest
Re: WHat is wrong with my Cat?
My cat isn’t friendly to anyone, or anything other than my family. She dislikes all other cats. She growls and hisses whenever a cat gets near her, then she runs at them and smacks them. When we got our second cat (the cat who is having the puking problems is my first cat) we knew it was def, in fact it was a stray and we didn’t want him to get hit by a car, but he didn’t understand what hissing meant, because he couldn’t hear it. So he is always bugging her, trying to play. This new kitten is a stray too but it can hear, and backs off when she hisses. Something else I forgot to mention is that my cat with the puking problems also get VERY scared during a thunder storm.
About the food, ever since we got her when she was kitten she has been fed Purina Cat chow. I've always thought that was a good brand. She also doesn't eat food scraps or anything, just the can food. She is also very much overweight. Not to the point where she has trouble walking though.
About the vet, and I know some people are going to hate me and think I'm a horrible pet owner, but my cats have never gone to a vet, except to get fixed. They don't get shots or anything. And why? Because all the vet around me charge an arm and a leg, and I just can't afford it. I once went to the vet to have my cat checked out, because it had an infection, nothing too serious but it wasn’t going away. I called to see how much it would cost to get it checked out, they said $40, no problem that’s not bad at all. Then after a shot, inspection, and some cream I owed them nearly $200. So that’s why I'm reluctant to take her to the vet, now if she threw up blood, that’s different.
I'm not really sure what to do, the last two days she has been laying in my room, and usually she asleep upstairs. I don't know if she wants attention, or if she doesn’t fell good.
About the food, ever since we got her when she was kitten she has been fed Purina Cat chow. I've always thought that was a good brand. She also doesn't eat food scraps or anything, just the can food. She is also very much overweight. Not to the point where she has trouble walking though.
About the vet, and I know some people are going to hate me and think I'm a horrible pet owner, but my cats have never gone to a vet, except to get fixed. They don't get shots or anything. And why? Because all the vet around me charge an arm and a leg, and I just can't afford it. I once went to the vet to have my cat checked out, because it had an infection, nothing too serious but it wasn’t going away. I called to see how much it would cost to get it checked out, they said $40, no problem that’s not bad at all. Then after a shot, inspection, and some cream I owed them nearly $200. So that’s why I'm reluctant to take her to the vet, now if she threw up blood, that’s different.
I'm not really sure what to do, the last two days she has been laying in my room, and usually she asleep upstairs. I don't know if she wants attention, or if she doesn’t fell good.
Re: WHat is wrong with my Cat?
sounds like it could be possibly a parasite or ibd. it's going to be quite a guessing game at this point, and the hair being chewed off is another factor that could be related but im not sure.
i wouldnt wait for blood to show up, the fact that your cat is loosing alot of fluids (dehydration) could alone be a problem aside for the fact that there are probably more serious issues at work.
take your cat to a vet if you want an authortative analysis of whats going on in addition to proper treatment. i'd expect at the least some blood work (cell count) and fecal test to be done.Anonymous wrote:They don't get shots or anything. And why? Because all the vet around me charge an arm and a leg, and I just can't afford it. I once went to the vet to have my cat checked out, because it had an infection, nothing too serious but it wasn’t going away. I called to see how much it would cost to get it checked out, they said $40, no problem that’s not bad at all. Then after a shot, inspection, and some cream I owed them nearly $200. So that’s why I'm reluctant to take her to the vet, now if she threw up blood, that’s different.
i wouldnt wait for blood to show up, the fact that your cat is loosing alot of fluids (dehydration) could alone be a problem aside for the fact that there are probably more serious issues at work.
Re: WHat is wrong with my Cat?
Guest, I must stress with the others....please get your kitty to your vet immediately. Since she is 12 years of age, bloodwork is vital to monitor her major organ function....kitties over the age of 7 should have this done yearly to keep ahead of common health conditions for senior cats......some of those conditions include, as Jason mentions, IBD...diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease, heart disease, cancer, etc.
Vomiting excessively and so frequently as you mentioned is serious...vomiting also causes serious dehydration if the fluid losses are not replenished. Dehydration in turn can seriously affect vital organ function and cause complete failure. The chewing of her fur could be anything from stress to hyperthyroidism, a condition you must rule out, and if confirmed, treated immediately. Older cats are prone to these various diseases, and stress can actually cause many of them, and to exacerbate them even further.
It will cost you less to get her examined now, opt for bloodwork to rule out major illnesses, than not doing it and facing high costs of treatment later on, especially if she is suffering a primary illness that doesn't get managed and treated right away. If the organs start to fail as a result of an untreated illness, the costs will be out of control.
Always best to see your vet. At the exam, he can then tell you what more to expect. Please, get the bloodwork done, make sure her thyroid function is normal, and rule out kidney, liver disease and IBD immediately. When you say she is lying around, I assure you, this is not a sign of good health. Don't wait, get her seen TODAY.
Vomiting excessively and so frequently as you mentioned is serious...vomiting also causes serious dehydration if the fluid losses are not replenished. Dehydration in turn can seriously affect vital organ function and cause complete failure. The chewing of her fur could be anything from stress to hyperthyroidism, a condition you must rule out, and if confirmed, treated immediately. Older cats are prone to these various diseases, and stress can actually cause many of them, and to exacerbate them even further.
It will cost you less to get her examined now, opt for bloodwork to rule out major illnesses, than not doing it and facing high costs of treatment later on, especially if she is suffering a primary illness that doesn't get managed and treated right away. If the organs start to fail as a result of an untreated illness, the costs will be out of control.
Always best to see your vet. At the exam, he can then tell you what more to expect. Please, get the bloodwork done, make sure her thyroid function is normal, and rule out kidney, liver disease and IBD immediately. When you say she is lying around, I assure you, this is not a sign of good health. Don't wait, get her seen TODAY.
..........Traci