Hi there, for whatever reason my cat feels a need to constantly gulp
down food.  To the extent that she'll overeat and vomit.  I'm fairly
sure that overeating is the cause of the vomiting as A) A certain
amount of food eaten withhin the course of an hour is an almost
guarantee of a vomit and B) The vomit is mostly undigested food by
evidence.  This happens usually about weekly.

At the moment I haven't been able to easily discern the cat overeats a
reason other than survival instinct (we took her in as a stray cat). 
We've done some interesting things such as buy a timed pet feeder (you
can find at http://www.petstreetmall.com/beds.aspx?id=3858&cat=1380). 
However to no avail as the cat figured out a way to paw food out of it and still
get an all you can eat meal.  No suggestions from the vet really
helped, though the prescription Diet Z/D for felines helps the problem
somewhat (being easier to digest).

I'm thinking of trying to defend this pet feeder from her pawing (such
as gluing nails to the opening to deter the cat, or soemthing
similar).  But I'm hoping for other more effective ideas.  Thoughts
from the crowd?

A well thought out list of suggestions will satisfy the question, and
should any suggestions mentioned work, the tip will be the price
itself.  Help me here people!!!

---

Request for Question Clarification by tutuzdad-ga on 15 Feb 2005 09:20 PST

Dear tekiegreg-ga;

I wouldn?t be too quick to judge this overeating problem as merely an
unrefined, unmannerly act on the part of your previously feral cat. In
cats, overeating can act as an emetic, in other words, it induces or
stimulates vomiting when vomiting is necessary.

Cats sometimes gorge themselves in order to induce vomiting in
response to illnesses.
Intestinal parasites, such as roundworms, tapeworms or coccidiosis are
some of the maladies that cats might try to induce vomiting for. Food
sensitivities, food allergies, inability to digest certain foods and
inflammatory bowel disease are others, but the list of course goes on.

Before I made gorging impossible for this animal, I would first look
into why the gorging is taking place. Otherwise, you may remove the
only response mechanism the poor cat has to the condition that is
bothering him.  This isn?t medical advice (we can?t do that you know)
but I?d first recommend to a friend having the cat tested for every
worm or parasite under the sun. If you find nothing, I?d move on to
possible allergies. If that fails to produce anything substantial,
consider having a study done to rule out inflammatory bowels diseases
(of which there are several types) or (and this is very broad, I know)
an obstruction, lesion, or other abnormality somewhere between the
mouth and the rectum that is causing this cat pain or some other
irritation.

Please let me know if this has helped you sufficiently to be considered an answer.

Regards;
Tutuzdad-ga

---

Request for Question Clarification by tutuzdad-ga on 15 Feb 2005 09:25 PST

Here is a discussion that basically confirms what I have mentioned here:

VET INFO
http://www.vetinfo.com/catvomit.html

This cat probably isn't eating and puking because he has bad manners,
or because he instinctively needs to hoard all the food lest he find
himself in starvation mode again. There's probably something medically
wrong that causes him to use the food to induce vomiting in order to
purge or relieve what is ailing him.

tutuzdad-ga

---

Clarification of Question by tekiegreg-ga on 15 Feb 2005 13:35 PST

Well, I was looking more towards behavior altering, not expanding the
scope of the problem.  However if overeating is the symptom rather
than the problem, I'm not too sure where to go from here.  My cat has
been to the vet on 4 different occasions, though a parasite check I
don't think was ever done (though they x-rayed for obstructions and
lesions).

Tell you what, to settle the question (though I'm rescinding the price
as the tip offer and leaving an ordinary tip instead) you're mission
Tutuzdad is to come up with various things I can ask the vet about,
paying particular focus to Intestinal parasites.  Granted that:

A) My cat has been vomiting almost since we got her, about a year ago
B) The vomiting at it's best controlling effort happens once  to 1.5
times a week average (maybe part of another week before vomiting)
C) The best homegrown solution we can think of has been Kaopectate
after the vomiting and 24 hours/no food also the vet put our cat on a
Feline Z/D prescription diet that has been marginally helpful vs. any
other food.
D) The vomiting is usually preceded by overeating and the vomiting is
undigested food, though occasionally I notice hair in the vomit as
well.  Hairball meds do little to no good.
E) The vets work has consisted of X-Rays for obstructions, food
allergy (hence the Z/D diet), dermatitis (which she had, now cured),
and blood work for things such as diabetes and Pancreatitis (all
bloodwork has been negative). Vets have already tried steroid
injections and antibiotics.  The steroid injections can stop the
vomiting for about a month but then it recurs as usual, antibiotics
are ineffective.

The medical advice question extends to vet advice as well??  Wow...

I'm just hoping to put an end to this once and for all, it is getting
frustrating and this cat is such a nice cat otherwise!  I do wish I
could help her out.

Dear tekiegreg-ga;

Thank you for allowing me an opportunity to answer your interesting
question. Ok, I can come up with a number of potential questions for
your vet:

Would one solution to this overeating and vomiting problem be to feed
my cat many extremely small portions a day?

I?ve read where people have said that they put large stones in their
cat?s food, forcing their cat to eat around the rocks and slowing his
consumption rate down considerably. Does this work, or is it nonsense?


The Z/D diet is mostly designed to alleviate allergies and food
sensitivities. We?ve tried that and the results we noted were
considerably less positive than we?d hoped.  The I/D diet is supposed
to be designed for sensitive stomachs. Can you explain how this
particular diet works and recommend it as a possible solution? Which
Brands offer this diet?
(If the Vet doesn?t mention many particular brands, here are some
brands you can ask about specifically that help manage GI disorders in
cats, such as flatulence, diarrhea (small intestinal and certain large
intestinal), pancreatitis and gastric disorders.
HILL?S FOR CATS
http://www.crossroadsanimalhospitalcolorado.com/Hills_for_cats.htm )

Can you explain what a ?bips series of x-rays? is and why some
problems who up with this method and not with others? For example, I
read where one cat owner insisted on having this series done and it
resulted in the discovery of his cat?s deformed pyloric sphincter?
(FYU ? ?BIPS? are barium chips that essentially illuminate the problem
so it ?can? be seen, whereas a normal x-ray might easily miss some
non-illuminated things)

Can raising the level of some cats? eating dish resolve this
throwing-up-immediately-after-eating problem? What?s up with that?

I?ve read that Pepcid works fairly well on some cats. Is that true? If
so, what is the dosage and how should it be administered?

Are cats sickened by any household plants, mold, or preservatives or
dyes in carpet and other household items? What about eating rodents
that have been poisoned? Can that make a cat sick, or irritate his
stomach or intestines bad enough to damage them or cause him to
chronically vomit?

If we were to test my cat for toxins, what might it potentially
reveal? What would such a test(s) NOT reveal?

I read that it is entirely normal for a cat to vomit once or twice a
month. However, repeated vomiting is a sign of a medical problem
ranging from stomach ulcers to parasites or renal disease. How can we
DEFINITELY rule out each of these problems as the thing that is
bothering my cat?

How invasive is it to have biopsies of the stomach and intestinal
tract done to see for certain if the problem is cancer or inflammatory
bowel disease?

Do most tests designed to detect parasites also detect ?encysted?
parasites too, or only thriving adult parasites?

Many fecal examinations can detect microscopic eggs or larvae. Have we
already done that to this cat yet or is this test something we still
need to do?

Would it be worth revealing at all to do a ?CBC? (complete blood
count) test to see if maybe a hookworm infection is responsible for
what my cat is experiencing?

Do we know FOR A FACT that my cat doesn?t have one of the following parasites?

Roundworms (Toxocara species), hookworms (Ancylostoma tubaeforme,
Ancylostoma braziliense and Uncinaria stenocephala), stomach worms
(Physaloptera spp.), tapeworms (Diplylidium caninum, Taenia
taeniaeformis) or microscopic parasites Coccidia, Giardia and
Strongyloides species.


I hope you find that my research exceeds your expectations. If you
have any questions about my research please post a clarification
request prior to rating the answer. Otherwise, I welcome your rating
and your final comments and I look forward to working with you again
in the near future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.

Best regards;
Tutuzdad ? Google Answers Researcher


OTHER INFORMATION SOURCES

CAT HOBBYIST
http://forums.cathobbyist.com/view.php?id=50725,50725
http://forums.cathobbyist.com/view.php?id=50725,50969
http://forums.cathobbyist.com/view.php?id=49811,49825

PURINA CAT CHOW
http://www.catchow.com/catcarecenter_nutritional3.aspx?combinedID=20127

DEAR JAKE AND SCOUT
http://www.clayhumane.org/dear_jake_and_scout%20cat%20archives.htm

ASK THE VETERANARIAN
http://www.ahrdvm.com/ask/ask.htm#cat%20vomit




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Very good overall, give me some more ideas with the vet, thanks!

Hi tekiegreg,

We took in a stray cat too and found that she would vomit at least
once per day. We finally managed to see a rather large roundworm in
the vomit, bought some wormer at the vet (oral - $3 liquid in
syringes) and the vomitting stopped like magic. However, it returned
every couple of months, so she needed to be treated several times per
year.

Good luck!
hummer

I agree, make certain there are no worm infestations.

Does the cat have access to grass? Grass is a natural emetic and way
of relieving hairballs. If the cat is trying to induce vomiting this
may be why.
See
http://www.cats.org.uk/html/pdf.php?file=leaflets/745-grass.pdf

There are many useful guides available from the Cats Protection League website at
http://www.cats.org.uk/html/index.php?sect_id=104

Owain

Definately check into health issues. Also, are there other cats in the
house? I have a female cat that gulps down her food without chewing
it, if our two male cats are anywhere nearby. She then promptly throws
up. Apparently, the male cats intimidate her and she feels she has to
hurry. If they aren't around, she chews normally, and doesn't have a
problem.

Kriswrite

Ok vomiting could be caused by many reasons because cat?s tummies are
very sensitive not only from hairballs but even a few blades of grass
can do the job. While an occasional vomit really presents a problem,
vomiting can also be a sing of something more serious problems. Kidney
disease, liver disease, intestinal obstrictions and even poisons can
cause a cat to upchuck. At 14 years old there are lots of reasons that
your cat may vomit it could even be a diet issue.
At http://www.Pet-library.com/ you may find more answers on pet care.

All of the suggestions above are excellent. If after worming your
kitty He still does this it could be a lack of something in the diet.
I own a quality cattery, check out my website:
Http://amazingracecatz.expage.com/ . I feed only Life's abundance
formulated by a woman vet.It's all you need and none of the fillers
that you don't need that can cause stomach upset and reflux. You can
find it on Healthypet.net . I also grow Barley grass for my cats
inside in a shallow rectangular planter.I give them linotone as well
to cut down on hairballs. Now my cats are extremely healthy, I almost
never have to visit the Vet.

You may also want to look into colon dysfunction such as constipation
or inflammation.  These can also cause vomiting.  See if you notice a
pattern between your cat?s bowl movements and her vomiting.

If your cat?s health checks out fine for all the above issues people
have mentioned, then your cat may be vomiting due to stress, fear or
excitement.

Some cats are easily stressed and will only eat in quiet private
areas.  If your cat is rushing through her meal, it may be because she
is nervous and in a rush to vacate the area.  Try moving her dish to a
clean quiet area where she will not be disturbed, and can eat alone.

Also, if her food dish is close to her kitty box, move them to separate rooms.

Feeding your cat smaller meals two or three times a day may also help.
 And lastly, if you?re feeding your cat anything besides her regular
cat food (such as cat treats, or table scraps), stop for the time
being to see if it?s upsetting her tummy.

I hope this helps.

More cat health tips (including vomiting) can be found at:
http://www.catpicturegallery.com/cat-health-care.htm