Cat throwing up biscuits :/

eskimo26

I all,
This is our first cat although he lived with my sister for a few years.

He tends to ignore cheap biscuits so my sis started buying the pricier ones like Harrington's or meowing heads.

He throws them up, we thought he was gorging as they were out all day as per instructions. We started slow rolling the biscuits to stop gorging but he still throws up.

He seems worse on meowing heads. My sister use to mix the the cheap ones with pricier ones which was better.

But I'm now thinking something else is going on. Maybe an intolerance or the pricier food is to rich? I've had people suggest hair balls but no longer convinced about that. The trigger is always biscuits and his not hacking up like with hairballs.

Our fellas a half Maine Coon so big appetite. I just gave him an extra pouch which is very against my character but I can tell his very hungry.

fairy_lights

Does he throw up wet food too?
If he's repeatedly being sick I would take him to the vets and get him checked over. Maybe he is just gorging on the food but I wouldn't want to risk it.

pinkteapot

First of all - vet check-up definitely in order, to make sure there's nothing really wrong. Frequent chronic vomiting isn't normal.

Is he throwing up immediately after eating - ie completely undigested food within minutes? If gorging, this is what tends to happen. You can buy food mazes to force them to eat slower (they have to work to get each biscuit out), or a friend DIY'ed it by putting the biscuits into a muffin tin (just a few in each hole).

Does he get both wet and dry food? Male cats in particular shouldn't be fed biscuits alone. If he has wet food, does he throw that up too, or just the dry?

rita-rabbit

1) Vets to get cat checked out
2) stop feeding dried food. very bad for cats - especially male. It doesn't matter how much £s you pay for it all dried food is bad for cats & if I had a dog I woudn't feed it dried either.
3) feed some raw egg yolks for quick nutrition & buy quality wet food or transition onto raw feeding (a fair bit of research & effort for the latter - but well worth it)

eskimo26

pinkteapot wrote: »

First of all - vet check-up definitely in order, to make sure there's nothing really wrong. Frequent chronic vomiting isn't normal.

Is he throwing up immediately after eating - ie completely undigested food within minutes? If gorging, this is what tends to happen. You can buy food mazes to force them to eat slower (they have to work to get each biscuit out), or a friend DIY'ed it by putting the biscuits into a muffin tin (just a few in each hole).

Does he get both wet and dry food? Male cats in particular shouldn't be fed biscuits alone. If he has wet food, does he throw that up too, or just the dry?

Thanks all I forgot I posted this. The cat had regular access to a charity vet for 3 years when my sister was working abroad and adopted him.

He also went on a check-up a few weeks ago and vet said the same as others, that he is likely to be gorging.

I brought him a egg shaped toy feeder to slow him down and we've had little to no sickness since. Unfortunately they've jammed the thing so I might buy him one of those ones where he has to scoop the food out with his claw.

Unfortunately neither me or my sister live with my parents currently so I couldn't supervise the raw feeding but have looked into it, I don't think it is realistic for my parents to do it.

He has wet food twice a day but his not necessarily eating the two in tandem if that's what you mean, I once tried wetting his biscuits so they weren't so dry but he wouldn't eat it.

Appreciate the help of you experienced cat lovers, thank you.

nimbo

Mine seems to chuck up for a few weeks before hacking up several hair balls. Over 10 days or so. How long has it been going of for?

We do our best to brush Him as he's long haired. But he's fairly pointy for a former stray. We think come spring we may have to have him sedated and shaved. the vet won't touch him unless he's sedated. Haha. He's had a few mats.

eskimo26

nimbo wrote: »

Mine seems to chuck up for a few weeks before hacking up several hair balls. Over 10 days or so. How long has it been going of for?

We do our best to brush Him as he's long haired. But he's fairly pointy for a former stray. We think come spring we may have to have him sedated and shaved. the vet won't touch him unless he's sedated. Haha. He's had a few mats.

I think it's been an on and off, ongoing issue since they 'discovered' each other about 3 years ago. He is a rescue cat from Afghanistan so has scavenger tendencies and is a bit timid/flighty at times. (Largely avoiding the teen boys and strangers though has become very very vocal as time has gone by!)

He is part maine coon so long haired and my sister has him shaved occasionally too.

The hairball issue I think is a separate one, i've seen him bring them up and it looks different. If your cat is sick from gorging a food toy may help.

Lorian

Raise the dish/dispenser off the floor a little to allow gravity to help the food head towards the stomach and make sure clean fresh water is next to them.

nimbo

He can be sick which is different to his hair balls - I think he's regularly sick when he has hair balls to bring up - he'll be sicking up for a few days before he has a few days of coughing up the multiple balls.

Strangely he usually eats fast - except the days he's been being sick. He then picks at his food cause he's poorly. The front room currently smells bad as he's been picking at his tuna that we've treated him to as he's been off his food a bit the last week or so. Which would already have been hoovered up and the. He's be yowling for more like we'd been starving him.

mellymoo74

nimbo wrote: »

He can be sick which is different to his hair balls - I think he's regularly sick when he has hair balls to bring up - he'll be sicking up for a few days before he has a few days of coughing up the multiple balls.

Strangely he usually eats fast - except the days he's been being sick. He then picks at his food cause he's poorly. The front room currently smells bad as he's been picking at his tuna that we've treated him to as he's been off his food a bit the last week or so. Which would already have been hoovered up and the. He's be yowling for more like we'd been starving him.

Ah the world famous "my bowl is empty, I haven't been fed for weeks, I believe I may die"
Tomcat is the best at that out of ours

rita-rabbit

nimbo wrote: »

Mine seems to chuck up for a few weeks before hacking up several hair balls. Over 10 days or so. How long has it been going of for?

We do our best to brush Him as he's long haired. But he's fairly pointy for a former stray. We think come spring we may have to have him sedated and shaved. the vet won't touch him unless he's sedated. Haha. He's had a few mats.

feeding raw egg yolks breaks up hairballs internally. Also incorporating fish oil into a wet/raw diet.:T