what's wrong with my cat?

michelle · 03-13-2004, 02:25 PM

One of my cats pukes almost every day. I never see him do it so I'm not sure which one it is. Could there be something wrong with him, or is it probably because he eats stuff he finds around the house- like rubber bands and paper?

velvetrabbit · 03-13-2004, 02:37 PM

Furballs is the most likely explanation. You should be able to find furball medication at your local petstore. It often will come in the form of cat treats.

You can even buy furball medicated food (which is what we do, and mix it in with the regular stuff).

It could also be that like you said, one of your cats is always finding stuff around the house and eating it, but if that were the case, then you should find bits of that in the puke because not all of that is digestible.

weesiepoo · 03-13-2004, 04:48 PM

there is also the possibility that she has irritable bowel syndrome. my deshie has IBS, and she not only has bowel problems occassionally, but when there is a flare up, she pukes very often. it is because the digestive tract can not proccess the food quick enough and so it wither gets stuck, comes out as yucky poops, or comes back up the only way it can-as vomit.

if it continures and you do not see anything in the vomit to make it seem likely that she is eating bad things, then i definately would consider that there might be digestive problems.

Lixx · 03-13-2004, 06:55 PM

Quote:

or is it probably because he eats stuff he finds around the house- like rubber bands and paper?

If you are finding these consitantly in the vomit, then this would most likely be the cause. If not, definatly have him checked out by a vet.

suzoo · 03-13-2004, 07:08 PM

You should make sure that your cat doesn't eat rubber bands, yarn or string.. that type of thing... not sure if its true or not but I've heard that cats can get it wrapped around their intestines and need surgery... I never personally seen this but I never let my cats play with these type of things just in case..
What does the vomit look like? Is it yellow bile? Undigested food? Hair in it?

Candycane · 03-14-2004, 01:44 AM

Your cat would not be puking hairballs everyday.

I think it's time for a vet visit. My cat was diagnosed with IBS a few years ago. The vets had us on all types of hypoallergenic food before my old (good) vet diagnosed him. They didn't help a bit and ended up costing a fortune. The IBS was to the point that he developed an infection in his intestine. One round of antibiotics cleared it up and he hasn't had a bout since.

Another thing to consider is what they are eating. I know dogs and cats that used to vomit constantly (among other symptoms) on poor quality food.

clearjade · 03-15-2004, 11:36 AM

michelle, did you manage to find out who is vomitting constantly? How's the situation now?

alleycat · 03-15-2004, 04:43 PM

it could be a number of things,my old cat did this and it turned out he had cancer

please take him to the vet to make sure

Lixx · 03-15-2004, 06:42 PM

Quote:

michelle, did you manage to find out who is vomitting constantly? How's the situation now?

Yes, have you seen the vet?

theratlady · 03-15-2004, 08:45 PM

yes eating string and rubber bands can cause lots of problems in the gut. at work we coined it "string gut" what happens is it becomes a linear foreign body. because its so thing and long it does not get passed through the body by the intestines normal movements. so it telescopes in on itself and before you know it a good chunck of intestine is bunched together very tightly causing much distress and vomiting is a major symptom. sometimes they can pass the string. its a good sign if there are bowel movements though.
it is true that hairballs are not vomited up everyday but they too can form a type of blockage until they are actually brought up.