What to feed sick cat...

[Laurie]

I typed up a question for the Ask the Vet social group but couldn't post it because it was too long...

I need advice about feeding my 5yo male/neutered cat who has been throwing up a lot recently. I was in the process of switching our cats to an all-canned/grain-free diet over the past month so I don't know what to do now.

He went to the vet last week: bloodwork is normal, Xray and radiologist report showed no problems. He's been throwing up soon after eating (not hair balls) and his appetite is diminished. He's lost some weight, from 12.5lbs at the beginning of June to about 11.2 lbs now. (We've been feeding more canned and less often this summer so I thought this was the reason for the weight loss...the throwing up just started recently.)

At the new vet clinic we've started going to this summer we got some prescription canned food (Hill's prescription i/d) but the ingredients don't look very good...water, pork liver, pork by-products, chicken, and wheat flour are the first ingredients.

Yesterday the new clinic was closed so we went to the clinic we used to go to. I thought he might need fluids but was told he isn't dehydrated but has "prominent bowel loops" and if this continues he may need either a biopsy or endoscopy to check for bowel disease. We were sent home with Amoxicillin and a sample of dry prescription food (I really don't want to do dry food but I took it. Our kitty hardly ate any of the teaspoon-sized serving last night but it stayed in him.) He's terrible with pills and I'm terrible trying to do it so he still hasn't taken a pill yet. He hasn't had a fever but the vet says the amox. would clear up an intestinal infection if he has one.

 

Sorry this is so long! I just want to figure out what could be wrong with our cat and what to feed him that won't make him sick. He's been eating Wellness dry (blue bag) and Wellness canned chicken for a long time without any problem until now. This is the first time he's been sick like this. The vet told me yesterday that cats can go weeks without eating...but I'm still worried. :confused:

[Trixie]

One of our cats had a similar problem several years ago, to the point that she was quite literally starving to death despite an increased appetite. After numerous tests over several months (including a biopsy), the vet's best guess was a food sensitivity, which can be hard to pinpoint because most canned cat food includes protein from multiple sources in a single food (usually fish, chicken, beef, and pork, as well as corn and rice products).

 

The vet suggested we try single protein foods, starting with jarred turkey baby food, which is supposed to be very digestible for cats with sensitive guts--single protein source, no additives. Our cat wasn't fond of it, but that and a course of steroids to reduce bowel inflammation did the trick. After that, we stuck to single-protein canned food and a high-quality dry food. Royal Canin made (probably still does?) several single-protein foods, usually available with a vet's prescription. Duck & Peas was a hit with our kitty, but I think rabbit and lamb are also available. Apparently, because those foods are less available in commercial cat foods, they're less likely to cause dietary sensitivities over time.

 

I hope that helps! Best of luck to you and your little beastie!

[fleischdoc]

Hi- I am a small animal veterinarian, so I will give my opinion :)

My first comment is cats should not go long periods without eating, especially if they are overwt at all- hepatic lipidosis, also known as fatty liver disease, can be real problem in cats that don't eat.

 

I couldn't tell by your post when the vomiting started-with the change to a new diet or on the old diet?

 

Intestinal disease does not cause vomiting generally, unless it also includes the stomach (gastritis of any type). How are his poops?

 

I do like meat, wet diets for cats-it is more natural. Some cats can't handle grains at all, though many do fine with some grains. Wellness Core, Solid Gold-both make a grain free diet for cats. Canned baby food can be a good way to entice a cat to eat, also-be sure and warm it a bit as they eat by smell. For the short-term, I wouldn't have a problem with the Hills i/d- it is very gentle on the GI tract and sometimes helps get them eating again.

 

 

I would definitely try probiotics- I love them for maintaining gut health, establishing healthy gut bacteria. Your vet should have some options for that-some come in paste type tubes that are easy to give.

 

Chronic vomiting can be caused by inflammatory bowel disease, which would need a biopsy to diagnose, and can be controlled with diet (as previous poster noted) and/or prednisone.

 

Lisa

[hornblower]

I just wanted to say that Pill Pockets can be a great solution for cats that don't like being pilled. On the rescue boards I frequent, most people are reporting that few cats will refuse a pill pocket.

http://www.greenies.com/en_US/Products/FelinePillPockets.aspx

So if you decide to do the course of abx, those might be a solution.

 

I too am surprised that the vet said the cat can go without eating. As fleischdoc said we were told just the opposite because of hepatic lipidosis. My cat had a bout of pancreatitis & had to be force fed for a bit. The vet explained to us that the less she ate, the more sick she felt, the less she ate.... vicious cycle. We syringe fed her watered down wet food & she perked up quite quickly.

 

We also used periactin (sp?) to stimulate appetite.

 

I know NutriCal paste is also often used to give high calorie, low volume feeds to cats which are not eating well just to jump start them.

 

Hope you find some answers soon.

[Soph the vet]

Fun to see another vet on here, Lisa.

I agree, cats cannot "go for weeks" without eating, that is just crazy. Did you run any lab work on your cat? Did your vet do a barium series? Those are two places I would start that might lead you to an answer. Barium can also be therapeutic if it is a hairball issue or it might light up some other obstruction. Any chance kitty got into some string, etc? Linear foreign bodies can smolder for awhile causing vomiting, wt. loss, before becoming a full-blown surgical crisis.

Food allergies are certainly a possibility but I would rule out the more serious issues first.

Is your cat a binge eater? Some will throw up just because they ate too much too fast and end up with a net loss of calories, etc.

[MomLovesClassics]

Even though it is expensive I would try tiki cat

 

http://search.petfooddirect.com/?D=tikicat&Ntt=tikicat&Dk=0&Np=2&N=0&Nty=1

 

I would not try pills to increase appetite, they can cause nausea. Also, sometimes antibiotics by mouth can cause upset tummy, ask for antibiotic shots instead. After all that your kitty may need a probiotic the vet can give this. Try warming the food and see if that helps. Ask your vet about Nutri-Cal that is good when kitty is not eating good and sick. Nutri-Cal is high calorie nutrition. Also make sure kitty stays hydrated. The vet will show you how to check. If kitty gets dehydrated you can take to the vet for fluids. If it happens too frequently, they can send fluids home.

I am not a vet, so please any advice I give check with your vet. My kitty was very sick for months before she died, I was at the vet daily, and just telling what worked for me, but my kitty had a different problem.

[vettechmomof2]

My first comment is cats should not go long periods without eating, especially if they are overwt at all- hepatic lipidosis, also known as fatty liver disease, can be real problem in cats that don't eat.

 

I couldn't tell by your post when the vomiting started-with the change to a new diet or on the old diet?

 

Intestinal disease does not cause vomiting generally, unless it also includes the stomach (gastritis of any type). How are his poops?

 

I do like meat, wet diets for cats-it is more natural. Some cats can't handle grains at all, though many do fine with some grains. Wellness Core, Solid Gold-both make a grain free diet for cats. Canned baby food can be a good way to entice a cat to eat, also-be sure and warm it a bit as they eat by smell. For the short-term, I wouldn't have a problem with the Hills i/d- it is very gentle on the GI tract and sometimes helps get them eating again.

 

 

I would definitely try probiotics- I love them for maintaining gut health, establishing healthy gut bacteria. Your vet should have some options for that-some come in paste type tubes that are easy to give.

 

Chronic vomiting can be caused by inflammatory bowel disease, which would need a biopsy to diagnose, and can be controlled with diet (as previous poster noted) and/or prednisone.

 

Lisa

 

:iagree:

[Jeannie in NJ]

I have 7 cats, a couple of them will throw up every time that they eat canned food but not with dry food. Also I have found that some cats once a certain brand makes them throw up, they will refuse to eat that brand so maybe you should try different brands, or even some kitten food or baby food for now just to get your cat eating and stop losing weight.

 

Also last year. one of our cats started throwing up and having the most watery loose poops ever and then he stopped eating. The vet took a x-ray and there were bubble like things in his stomach. Turned out the food I was feeding him (Iams dry) had probably gotten fermented or something. AAnyway switched food and he got better.

 

Also regarding the pills, if your cat refuses or throws up the pill pockets, get a pill shooter from your vet. Just have your vet show you how to use it, it actually is not difficult and just shoot that pill down his throat. It is really easier than it sounds. I had a cat that HAD to have several pills a day but he would spit them out. The pill shooter worked wonders.

[claire up north]

 

Chronic vomiting can be caused by inflammatory bowel disease, which would need a biopsy to diagnose, and can be controlled with diet (as previous poster noted) and/or prednisone.

 

Lisa

 

My cat has something like this. We didn't want to spend the $$$ to get an official diagnosis, but we started kitty on prednisone to see if it would help. It worked like a charm!! We don't know what is exactly wrong with him, but we know its something with his GI systems and we know that he is very happy and healthy again.

 

hth

[Laurie]

Thanks everyone! I appreciate your help so much. :)

 

I went out last night for baby food turkey and gave it to all three cats. Unfortunately the two who aren't sick loved it but sick kitty wouldn't touch it. I tried putting a tiny bit on his lips but that didn't entice him this time.

 

This morning he finally ate about a spoonful of the i/d canned food and I added some of our puppy's digestive enzyme/probiotic powder to it. So far it has stayed down.

 

He had an Xray last week so I think if he had eaten something like string it would've been visible? Also, whatever this is has only been affecting his stomach...no diarrhea.

 

I called the (new) vet office this morning and we'll go in later to pick up some more cans of i/d and some hypoallergenic food to try. I'm going to ask about Nutrical and also the pill shooter since that would be a great thing to have on hand. Unless the new vet tells me otherwise I'm going to hold off on the amoxicillin.

 

Many thanks...from Rhubarb and me!

[MomLovesClassics]

I forgot about this, it is good i fyou need to keep weight on, not eating, undernurished etc. similiar to Nutir-Cal, very good quality.

 

 

http://www.wysong.net/products/PDG-dog-cat-supplement.php