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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

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Original poster

Constantly puking cat

20 replies

TiredMummy2015 · 20/10/2015 16:26

One of my cats has always been a frequent puker but it's getting much worse.

She will throw up several times a week at least. The vet gave her some medicine that was meant to calm down her stomach. It worked but once I stopped giving it she went back to being sick a lot again.

It's really starting to get to me now as I'm constantly having to clear it up. It was all over my kitchen worktop the other day. I'm heavily pregnant with a toddler and am really fed up with it. DH wants me to get rid of the cat, which I won't do.

I need to take her back to the vet for investigations but wondered if anybody else has experienced this? Is it going to be bad news? As much as it annoys me having to clean it up and having things ruined by it I love the cat and am dreading hearing something awful is wrong.

To add that she used to be raw fed and still puked loads then so I don't think it's dietary related. She is a very greedy cat who is always trying to grab food from our plates etc.

OP posts:

WellWhoKnew · 20/10/2015 16:34

Yes I have one. After lots and lots of ultrasounds, they recommended I started feeding her Royal Canin Hairball and this really made a difference to her vomit per week ratio.

I've not been using it for over two months now and I'm back to puking cat.

Could be worth a trying the Anti-Hairball type dry foods, not necessarily RC.

Original poster

TiredMummy2015 · 20/10/2015 16:37

I don't really like dry foods. Do you do a wet food version do you know?

OP posts:

WellWhoKnew · 20/10/2015 16:47

No. To be honest, I'm not a fan of dry either so just put a handful down overnight and that's enough to sustain her (high energy cat).

Don't know of any wet that's designed in the same way, I'm afraid.

I get puking on wet and dry though.

Original poster

TiredMummy2015 · 21/10/2015 10:12

Is your cat food crazed as well?

I'm wondering if there is a link. My cat acts more like a dog where food is concerned. She is always after anything she sees us eat. I think she bolts the food in her bowl and maybe her stomach cannot handle it.

OP posts:

duckfilledfattypuss · 21/10/2015 10:23

Our cat is a puker. He also used to have a horribly runny tummy too but low-gluten food seems to have sorted that out. I'm going to try an anti-hairball mix too, thanks WellWhoKnew

For what it's worth, he's never been food orientated and doesn't beg for food at all. He's sick every other day but the vet doesn't seem concerned.

TheSpottedZebra · 21/10/2015 10:28

I've got one who bolts his food, will try to steal his brother's food, and will cadge whatever he can. And he pukes a fair bit too.

We've changed to feeding him on his own, in the quiet, hoping that he wont be so keen to gulp it down if he's more relaxed. And we feed little and (more) often. He is definitely puking less. And we groom him quite a lot too, even though he's very short haired and doesn't need it as such. The cunning plan being that we avoid furballs. But he loves a groom so that is very easy to do.

Original poster

TiredMummy2015 · 21/10/2015 10:55

How do you deal with the constant cleaning up and stuff getting ruined?
I'm finding it increasingly stressful.

OP posts:

duckfilledfattypuss · 21/10/2015 11:04

Our cat always chooses our bed to be sick on (gross, I know) so we put a blanket over the duvet to protect it. Him being on dry food means it's slightly easier to clean, though still gross.

DH is getting sick of it too, as we have a toddler and soon to be crawling baby. He'd have no chance of being rehomed as he's such a grouch (cat, not DH, though he had his grumpy moments too )

So for now, we're just cleaning a lot and hoping diet will help. Brushing is a good idea but DCat would rather eat the brush and shred my hand.

Walkingonsunshine00 · 21/10/2015 11:09

Hair ball lick stick sorted ours! Just before you buy expensive food!

maybebabybee · 21/10/2015 11:10

One of mine used to be like this when we fed her wet so now we just feed her dry and we get hardly any puking any more.

I know many people don't like dry but honestly it worked for us and she's so much better now!

duckfilledfattypuss · 21/10/2015 11:23

Interesting, thanks Walkingonsunshine

DatsunCogs · 21/10/2015 11:28

We have a puker and the vet told me to add large stones to her bowl, making her slow down when she was eating. I have to say I haven't tried this, we use dry food and the sick is more or less bearable, plan to try the anti hairball stuff now though, thanks all!

eltsihT · 21/10/2015 11:30

I have one too, he is on urinary food, we have found its because he eats too quickly.

He only has dried food and we have found feeding him from a jar (so he has to fish the food out) has helped reduce the puking

Original poster

TiredMummy2015 · 21/10/2015 11:40

My cat would eat the bloody stones!

On a couple of occasions she got hold of an entire packet of dreamies (with her toddler accomplice!) and ate the lot before throwing up.

There was also one memorable oocasion when she ate 3/4 of a large bag of applaus dry food......... that was like a horror show!

My DH would love me to get rid of her.

OP posts:

LeaLeander · 21/10/2015 11:44

When my cat began to get older and was vomiting a lot, it turned out to be a treatable thyroid condition. Please have yours tested. The cat isn't doing it on purpose to inconvenience you; something is wrong.

Original poster

TiredMummy2015 · 21/10/2015 12:01

I am getting her checked out I just wanted to see if anybody else had experienced it.

My cat isn't old. The vet seems to think it's more likely to be a stomach issue.

OP posts:

Ailurophile · 21/10/2015 12:05

Another one here with a puker, I found switching to the more expensive higher meat content/sensitive stomach dry food worked a treat. He is also a gannet and doesn't eat as fast with the dry stuff, used to wolf down a bowl of wet food and throw it up minutes later.

Original poster

TiredMummy2015 · 21/10/2015 12:25

I used to raw feed for the first 2-3 years. I gave up when I became pregnant the first time as it made me feel too ill. She still puked a lot back then though.

I'm a bit concerned that maybe she has some kind of genetic issue that can't be treated... though her sister is fine.

OP posts:

PorcupineNecktie · 22/10/2015 22:27

Mine has always been a puker but it suddenly increased in frequency, I got terrified it'd be something terrible and took her to the vet... turned out she's allergic to all except the most expensive of foods

In terms of dealing with it, she still throws up a lot but I'm quite used to it now - she gets cheap blankets/old things to sleep on, and when we moved recently I decided to go for all wooden/laminate flooring rather than carpets!

TheGirlOnTheLanding · 24/10/2015 22:37

LandingCat became very puky (he's older though, and had started to lose a lot of weight) and was diagnosed with a chronic inflammation of his gut - now takes medication every day. He was frantic for food because he was hungry, and I'm sure the bolting of the food was at last partly to blame for the throwing it all back up. Has your cat got thinner or is she still at her ideal weight?

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