My cat won't stop throwing up

[Kleptronic]

She's 12 and goes outside but has a litter tray indoors, neutered. She's on Go-Cat Senior, which the vet said to keep her on. Her teeth are fine. She's a little skinny but full of life.

She was throwing up every day several times a day so I took her to the vets, who said 'hyperthyroidism' - blood tests revealed her heart is fine, her kidneys are great, her liver is smashing and her thyroid is tipperty top.

So we were sent home with (more) worming tablets, and antacids in case she'd hurled herself into acid reflux.

She's had them, and she's still yakking up once a day, or every other day.

As far as I know she's not catching anything (she's very small and only had one eye) or at least she isn't bringing anything home (and never has) and there's no evidence in the garden. She does steal the dogs' food if I'm not careful but I have been super careful for 8 weeks now!

Any advice anyone?

*Only has one eye. Had it taken out when she was a kitten.

I knew someone who had 2 elderly and quite little cats. If they were given more than a tiny portion of food at a session, they scoffed the lot, then went somewhere quiet in the house and brought it all back up - they didn't have the sense to eat a bit less!
I wonder if your puss has maybe developed a sensitive tummy and a bit less capacity with age, and needs to be given a smaller portion (possibly more often, if you're worried about her getting enough food)?

Lots of cats can't cope with go cat because it's mostly cereal and sugar, which aren't natural foods for cats.

Oh I should have said, she gets many tiny handfuls over the course of the day, she's always been terribly greedy (was the runt and greasy/flearidden and badly brought up when I got her) so I can never give her a full portion.

I was wondering about the food but the vet said to keep her on it?

Basically when anyone goes for a wee she gets a tiny handful. Her bowls are on the landing behind a stairgate so the dogs can't eat it. Not that they'd get the chance!

It might not be the same, but when my cat guzzles on the go cat she overdoes it and then when they expand in her stomach due to the moisture there's a little bit of eyes bigger than belly and she's sick.

Could you reduce the size of the handful and make them less often?

You could also try her on something like plain chicken for a few days to see if that helps her stomach but mine always go crazy after having it for a few days and think they're going to dine like queens forever!

One of mine throws up on some brands (not from scoffing). When i put her on science hills sensitive stomach she stopped being sick. I have her on different types of science hills now and she hasn't been sick since.

Have you tried gastro-intestinal food from the vet? My 15yo cat, who has wholeheartedly embraced old age, was chundering daily for a few weeks. The vet gave me (him) a couple of weeks' worth of antacids, laxatives (in case it was a stuck furball), which he refused to eat and smeared around the kitchen floor, and this special food. It has sorted him right out. The only time he pukes now is when he gets his furry face into his sister's ordinary food. It's sodding expensive, but better than cleaning up nasty surprises.

This was happening to our cat. Started at every couple of days, then every day, then several times a day. All tests came back normal at first, then sudden decline but still no obvious cause. Eventually they did an X-ray, he had eaten a small rubber toy that had got stuck, but only a bit stuck so the effects weren’t immediately obvious. Must have been there about 6 months I think!

Oh what's the name of it @ASqueakingInTheShrubbery please? I think I will change her diet. I am soooo tired of cleaning cat sick! I did try her on the chicken when she was first given the antacids and she thought all her ships had come in. But it won't help long term, not enough nutrients in it.

Oh x-post @GerrysSuccessor bloody hell that's a nightmare, is he ok now? Did he have to be operated on?

He’s fine! It was touch and go until they realised it was actually a pretty easy fix- cut him open, pull it out, job done! 2 years ago now and no obvious lasting damage!

Aw god love him an easy fix! Glad he's ok though!

Go Cat really isn't the best food for cats, you should be looking at something higher meat content. It will be more expensive, but you gets what you pays for. You can get little sample packs of many of the dry foods, I would try them & see what she gets on with/likes the best, then slowly wean her onto the one you choose.

My cat had this and it turned out to be pancreatitus. Awful illness. Did your vet take blood samples? I'm a bit 😳 at your vet recommending that you continue with Go a Cat. Hope your cat feels better soon.

So am I really as I thought she might recommend what they sell! But I asked her several times and she said no, keep her on it. Maybe she didn't want to introduce anything else which might further upset her digestion.

Blood tests were taken, she's not diabetic, thyroid and kidneys are great, and her liver is fine apparently, I assume that would include the pancreas functions.

Ours did this and it was the cereal in his food. When he went cereal free it stopped overnight.

Our elderly cat threw up several times a day for years. The vet could find nothing wrong - it was just what he did. Any slight change of food would cause him to vomit, including the special, and very expensive food prescribed to stop him vomiting.

My mums elderly cat started throwing up on dried kibble type food so she could only have pouches. And she’d only eat the pouches in jelly, not gravy, AND she’d only eat the jelly not the meat chunks.
So essentially she lived for a few years purely on jelly. But she stopped throwing up once they got her on wet food.
Is go cat wet or dry? I’ve never heard of it.

Here's an update: I put her on Lily's Kitchen Marvellously Mature 70% fish dry food (£9 for 800g!!!), and she's not vomited since. Hurrah!