Cat vomiting after eating food or drink. Any ideas?

Hi all,

My 7 year old neutered male tabby Rex started vomiting immediately
after eating his dry food recently. During this time, he drank water
normally.After 1 day, he started to vomit even after drinking water. I
took him to the vet, who ran blood tests, x-rays and checked his
vitals. All showed up normal, with no visible foreign obstructions. He
is also peeing normally and the x-rays showed stool making it's way
through the intestine, from his last meal. .Rex had an IV line put in
with antibiotics, anti-vomiting meds, and a solution to keep him
rehydrated. The vet told me that he still vomits, after attempting to
eat or drink.
Tomorrow, he is scheduled for an ultrasound, and if they still can't
figure out what is happening, he will have an endoscopic examination.
The vet is worried about liver failure from not having food for 4
days, and may try a feeding tube.

This is the first time that Rex has behaved this way. A year ago, his
urinary tract was blocked, but vet cleared it, and now he eats Hill's
CD/S and I know that his urinary function is OK.

Does anyone in this NG have any ideas, advice or thoughts? Have I
missed any course of action or symptom ? I am worried about having a
feeding tube put in, because I thought it would be too traumatic for
him , and make him worse, but the vet says that they must get some
food into Rex somehow.

I thank everyone for their input.

Boy, I would jump right to the endoscopy. My 8 y.o. cat suddenly began
vomiting and the xrays just showed hair in the stomach. We treated
symptomatically with no success (all bloodwork was normal). We decided to
have the vet just go in and get the hair. That was when they found he had
*advanced* stomach cancer. Prime lymphoma age is 4-9 y.o. Don't want to
scare you, but if you are catching it early maybe you can treat it. Grant
was not so lucky. He was way too good at hiding his problem.


"Albert Pike" wrote in message
om...
Hi all,

My 7 year old neutered male tabby Rex started vomiting immediately
after eating his dry food recently. During this time, he drank water
normally.After 1 day, he started to vomit even after drinking water. I
took him to the vet, who ran blood tests, x-rays and checked his
vitals. All showed up normal, with no visible foreign obstructions. He
is also peeing normally and the x-rays showed stool making it's way
through the intestine, from his last meal. .Rex had an IV line put in
with antibiotics, anti-vomiting meds, and a solution to keep him
rehydrated. The vet told me that he still vomits, after attempting to
eat or drink.
Tomorrow, he is scheduled for an ultrasound, and if they still can't
figure out what is happening, he will have an endoscopic examination.
The vet is worried about liver failure from not having food for 4
days, and may try a feeding tube.

This is the first time that Rex has behaved this way. A year ago, his
urinary tract was blocked, but vet cleared it, and now he eats Hill's
CD/S and I know that his urinary function is OK.

Does anyone in this NG have any ideas, advice or thoughts? Have I
missed any course of action or symptom ? I am worried about having a
feeding tube put in, because I thought it would be too traumatic for
him , and make him worse, but the vet says that they must get some
food into Rex somehow.

I thank everyone for their input.

Thank you for sharing your experience.
Well, I guess the anti-vomiting medication finally kicked in, and Rex
finally ate without vomiting last night (Even though he was
force-fed). Today, the ultrasound was done and showed no abnormalities
or signs of tumors. Just to make sure, an endoscopy will be done as
well.

I hope that this episode has been a one time occurrence. I also hope
that Rex will able to eat without anti-vomiting medication. Could it
have been a result of ingesting something that caused this reaction?
My vet discounts food allegies, as well as parasites or worms.


"Karen" wrote in message ...
Boy, I would jump right to the endoscopy. My 8 y.o. cat suddenly began
vomiting and the xrays just showed hair in the stomach. We treated
symptomatically with no success (all bloodwork was normal). We decided to
have the vet just go in and get the hair. That was when they found he had
*advanced* stomach cancer. Prime lymphoma age is 4-9 y.o. Don't want to
scare you, but if you are catching it early maybe you can treat it. Grant
was not so lucky. He was way too good at hiding his problem.


"Albert Pike" wrote in message
om...
Hi all,

My 7 year old neutered male tabby Rex started vomiting immediately
after eating his dry food recently. During this time, he drank water
normally.After 1 day, he started to vomit even after drinking water. I
took him to the vet, who ran blood tests, x-rays and checked his
vitals. All showed up normal, with no visible foreign obstructions. He
is also peeing normally and the x-rays showed stool making it's way
through the intestine, from his last meal. .Rex had an IV line put in
with antibiotics, anti-vomiting meds, and a solution to keep him
rehydrated. The vet told me that he still vomits, after attempting to
eat or drink.
Tomorrow, he is scheduled for an ultrasound, and if they still can't
figure out what is happening, he will have an endoscopic examination.
The vet is worried about liver failure from not having food for 4
days, and may try a feeding tube.

This is the first time that Rex has behaved this way. A year ago, his
urinary tract was blocked, but vet cleared it, and now he eats Hill's
CD/S and I know that his urinary function is OK.

Does anyone in this NG have any ideas, advice or thoughts? Have I
missed any course of action or symptom ? I am worried about having a
feeding tube put in, because I thought it would be too traumatic for
him , and make him worse, but the vet says that they must get some
food into Rex somehow.

I thank everyone for their input.

Does the vet say why he discounts food allergies? Yeah, he could have just
been sick for some very obscure reason for a day or so and just got icky
tummy. If he can keep food down and pass it that is good. I hope he starts
eating on his own now so you can tell if that has improved.

"Albert Pike" wrote in message
om...
Thank you for sharing your experience.
Well, I guess the anti-vomiting medication finally kicked in, and Rex
finally ate without vomiting last night (Even though he was
force-fed). Today, the ultrasound was done and showed no abnormalities
or signs of tumors. Just to make sure, an endoscopy will be done as
well.

I hope that this episode has been a one time occurrence. I also hope
that Rex will able to eat without anti-vomiting medication. Could it
have been a result of ingesting something that caused this reaction?
My vet discounts food allegies, as well as parasites or worms.


"Karen" wrote in message
...
Boy, I would jump right to the endoscopy. My 8 y.o. cat suddenly began
vomiting and the xrays just showed hair in the stomach. We treated
symptomatically with no success (all bloodwork was normal). We decided
to
have the vet just go in and get the hair. That was when they found he
had
*advanced* stomach cancer. Prime lymphoma age is 4-9 y.o. Don't want to
scare you, but if you are catching it early maybe you can treat it.
Grant
was not so lucky. He was way too good at hiding his problem.


"Albert Pike" wrote in message
om...
Hi all,

My 7 year old neutered male tabby Rex started vomiting immediately
after eating his dry food recently. During this time, he drank water
normally.After 1 day, he started to vomit even after drinking water. I

took him to the vet, who ran blood tests, x-rays and checked his
vitals. All showed up normal, with no visible foreign obstructions. He
is also peeing normally and the x-rays showed stool making it's way
through the intestine, from his last meal. .Rex had an IV line put in
with antibiotics, anti-vomiting meds, and a solution to keep him
rehydrated. The vet told me that he still vomits, after attempting to
eat or drink.
Tomorrow, he is scheduled for an ultrasound, and if they still can't
figure out what is happening, he will have an endoscopic examination.
The vet is worried about liver failure from not having food for 4
days, and may try a feeding tube.

This is the first time that Rex has behaved this way. A year ago, his
urinary tract was blocked, but vet cleared it, and now he eats Hill's
CD/S and I know that his urinary function is OK.

Does anyone in this NG have any ideas, advice or thoughts? Have I
missed any course of action or symptom ? I am worried about having a
feeding tube put in, because I thought it would be too traumatic for
him , and make him worse, but the vet says that they must get some
food into Rex somehow.

I thank everyone for their input.

Albert Pike wrote:
Thank you for sharing your experience.
Well, I guess the anti-vomiting medication finally kicked in, and Rex
finally ate without vomiting last night (Even though he was
force-fed). Today, the ultrasound was done and showed no
abnormalities
or signs of tumors. Just to make sure, an endoscopy will be done as
well.

I hope that this episode has been a one time occurrence. I also hope
that Rex will able to eat without anti-vomiting medication. Could it
have been a result of ingesting something that caused this reaction?
My vet discounts food allegies, as well as parasites or worms.



Possibly an insect. My guess would be food allergy as well - but if
the cat has been on the same diet for an extended length of time, it
sort of rules that out. What about water supply? Are you using tap
water? Bacterial counts can fluctuate greatly from week to wee -
sometimes day to day - so you might want to switch to bottled water
just to be safe.

Is the cat indoor-only? (Sorry if you covered that in your OP...) If
not, he could have eaten a bd plant or a chemical.

good luck,
-L.

I think the vet ruled out food allergy because Rex has been on the same
food for about a year. Rex is also a VERY finicky eater, unlike my
other cat who will try most anything. Can a food allergy trigger a
vomiting reaction to drinking water as well? Both cats are indoor only,
but there are some plants near where Rex sometimes sleeps. I have never
seen him go near any of them. I don't give my cats tap water either, I
use spring or distilled water from our water cooler.

I suspect maybe chemicals, because I know that there was some cleaning
agents like lime scale remover (CLR?), bleach and Tilex being used the
two days before Rex started to vomit. I don't think any went on his
food, but maybe he brushed his fur or paw by a surface with chemical
residue and later ingested it while grooming? I don't know about
insects, but because it's spring, maybe that too is a possibility.

Thanks again for your input.

-L. wrote:
Albert Pike wrote:
Thank you for sharing your experience.
Well, I guess the anti-vomiting medication finally kicked in, and
Rex
finally ate without vomiting last night (Even though he was
force-fed). Today, the ultrasound was done and showed no
abnormalities
or signs of tumors. Just to make sure, an endoscopy will be done as
well.

I hope that this episode has been a one time occurrence. I also
hope
that Rex will able to eat without anti-vomiting medication. Could
it
have been a result of ingesting something that caused this
reaction?
My vet discounts food allegies, as well as parasites or worms.



Possibly an insect. My guess would be food allergy as well - but if
the cat has been on the same diet for an extended length of time, it
sort of rules that out. What about water supply? Are you using tap
water? Bacterial counts can fluctuate greatly from week to wee -
sometimes day to day - so you might want to switch to bottled water
just to be safe.

Is the cat indoor-only? (Sorry if you covered that in your OP...) If
not, he could have eaten a bd plant or a chemical.

good luck,
-L.

wrote:
I think the vet ruled out food allergy because Rex has been on the
same
food for about a year. Rex is also a VERY finicky eater, unlike my
other cat who will try most anything. Can a food allergy trigger a
vomiting reaction to drinking water as well? Both cats are indoor
only,
but there are some plants near where Rex sometimes sleeps. I have
never
seen him go near any of them. I don't give my cats tap water either,
I
use spring or distilled water from our water cooler.

I suspect maybe chemicals, because I know that there was some
cleaning
agents like lime scale remover (CLR?), bleach and Tilex being used
the
two days before Rex started to vomit. I don't think any went on his
food, but maybe he brushed his fur or paw by a surface with chemical
residue and later ingested it while grooming? I don't know about
insects, but because it's spring, maybe that too is a possibility.

Thanks again for your input.

You're welcome. Cleaners could be the culprit - they may have
irritated the lining of his esophagus and stomach - even just fumes. I
try to use non-toxic citrus based cleaners when I can. Oxy-clean type
cleaners are another, safer alternative to bleach-based cleaners.

Hope he's all better now.

-L.

Well, Rex has been back home 3 1/2 days now. He is back to about 90%
of his normal routine. The only problem I see is that his appetite is
very low. He drinks normally, but will not eat properly. He used to
only eat dry food, but won't go near it anymore. I have tried various
canned food (warmed in microwave) and when I bring it near his face,
he starts to salivate. He sometimes takes about 20 licks of the food
then shrinks away from it. After licking the food, he is constantly
licking his mouth. I have syringe fed him (orally) once and got some
Hill's A/D (high protein) food into him. It's distressing for both of
us to feed him this way, but the vet has cautioned me about liver
disease developing, after a cat doesn't eat for a few days.

The first day, he didn't vomit. On the second day I noticed that he
had vomited out some bile, and a piece of kibble. I told the vet, who
was surprised that he had vomited again. The next day, no vomiting.
Today, I tried to offer him some Hill's A/D on a plate and he took a
few licks of it. Then he withdrew away from the plate, and vomited out
some bile. It seems that every time he eats some solid food, something
makes him feel nauseous. He drinks water without any problem. He can
even tolerate getting the liquid antibiotic into his mouth (by
syringe) without vomiting.

I am still waiting for the vet to call back about the endoscopy
results from the lab. Later, I will try offering him another variety
of canned food and some food from those sealed pouches.

Am I being too impatient in Rex's recovery at home? Am I doing enough
to help him? I was thinking about offering him baby food (without
onions), but I noticed that they contain lemon juice. Is that safe? I
just hope that if he has some condition, it is treatable.





"-L." wrote in message oups.com...
wrote:
I think the vet ruled out food allergy because Rex has been on the
same
food for about a year. Rex is also a VERY finicky eater, unlike my
other cat who will try most anything. Can a food allergy trigger a
vomiting reaction to drinking water as well? Both cats are indoor
only,
but there are some plants near where Rex sometimes sleeps. I have
never
seen him go near any of them. I don't give my cats tap water either,
I
use spring or distilled water from our water cooler.

I suspect maybe chemicals, because I know that there was some
cleaning
agents like lime scale remover (CLR?), bleach and Tilex being used
the
two days before Rex started to vomit. I don't think any went on his
food, but maybe he brushed his fur or paw by a surface with chemical
residue and later ingested it while grooming? I don't know about
insects, but because it's spring, maybe that too is a possibility.

Thanks again for your input.

You're welcome. Cleaners could be the culprit - they may have
irritated the lining of his esophagus and stomach - even just fumes. I
try to use non-toxic citrus based cleaners when I can. Oxy-clean type
cleaners are another, safer alternative to bleach-based cleaners.

Hope he's all better now.

-L.

Albert Pike wrote:
Well, Rex has been back home 3 1/2 days now. He is back to about 90%
of his normal routine. The only problem I see is that his appetite is
very low.

,snip

baby food is pretty low quality, nutritionally. I would offer anything
else - cooked chicken or turkey, Fancy Feast, or Friskies. A/D is ok
but it's high in fat and hard to digest. You want to get some pure
protwein into him, so meat (chicken, turkey) is your best bet.

Did they give him anything for nausea? There is a drug the can give
that might help him in that regard. Also, vitamin B12 will peak his
apetite.

-L.

I tried the baby food, and initially he lapped it up. Then, he ran
away like I had tried to poison him or something. I don't think he
liked it that much. Nothing was prescribed for nausea. I don't know
which drug the vet will prescribe as the appetite stimulant.

The vet told me that the endoscopic examination report was good and
that Rex didn't have any signs of IBD or lymphoma. The report also
said that visually, everything inside seemed ok. My vet is now stumped
as to why the vomiting started. She spoke to the Dr. who did the
ultrasound, and he said that maybe there is some lymphoma, but that
they may not have taken endoscopic samples in that area.

After telling the vet about Rex's loss of appetite, she suggested an
appetite stimulant. Are these safe? Rex's behaviour (aside from not
eating) seems normal, and I wonder about side-effects. The vet did not
mention any side effects, but said to stop the meds if I noticed
changes in behaviour. If the appetite stimulant didn't help him eat
(without vomiting), the next route she suggested was consulting an
internal med specialist, and a feeding tube, if necessary.

I have started to feed Rex the gravy laden cat food (from those
pouches), and he laps it up quite well. I mash up the meat and gravy
(about 1 tsp) and mix it well, so that at least he gets some nutrition
into him. I am doing this every hour to get him accustomed to food
again. He hasn't vomited yet. After about the 4th feeding, I think I
am on the right track, because I gave him some Fancy Feast Chicken
Feast, and after he lapped up the gravy, he even started to take some
of the chunks of meat into his mouth. I hope that this is a sign of
good things to come.




"-L." wrote in message roups.com...
Albert Pike wrote:
Well, Rex has been back home 3 1/2 days now. He is back to about 90%
of his normal routine. The only problem I see is that his appetite is
very low.

,snip

baby food is pretty low quality, nutritionally. I would offer anything
else - cooked chicken or turkey, Fancy Feast, or Friskies. A/D is ok
but it's high in fat and hard to digest. You want to get some pure
protwein into him, so meat (chicken, turkey) is your best bet.

Did they give him anything for nausea? There is a drug the can give
that might help him in that regard. Also, vitamin B12 will peak his
apetite.

-L.