Does your cat get violently sick?

[taijiya]

My youngest cat, Fergus, is also the barfiest of my three. He's a 1-1/2 year old American Shorthair, purebred, who is inclined to eat anything and everything--mostly bits of hair left behind by the other two (both longhairs), but also leaves and crumbs and whatever else he can scavenge. Despite my best efforts at keeping everyone combed and keeping the floors reasonably free of debris, he invariably does eat things that disagree with him, sometimes very violently. It doesn't happen often, maybe three times in the year I've had him, but when it does it's very traumatic for him and very upsetting for me. Whatever he's eaten recently comes out at projectile speed from both ends, and then he'll stagger about and then flop down very dramatically. I've had cats all my life, of various breeds, and never seen another one do this. He bounces back from it pretty rapidly and seems no worse for the wear, and beyond these occasional sessions he's as healthy and happy a cat as you could ever want.

Do any of your cats ever act like this? Is it just a "cat thing" or should I be worried? I mean, I am worried, I worry about everything; but is this something that I need to be worrying about?

[Catiana]

I haven't seen a cat behave like that before. I've had longhairs that throw up quite a bit, but nothing like that, might want to get him checked by the vet just to be sure.

[halfwaynowhere]

I sort of know what you mean. Radar was abandoned as a baby, and when we took him in, he had dirt in his mouth, he had eaten anything he could get. He doesn't overeat, but he's constantly looking for something to munch on, stealing food from my plate, or eating crumbs... he's allergic to wheat, which is what causes his illness when he gets into something bad... If he eats just a tiny bit of wheat, he gets diarrhea, but if he eats a larger amount, like 3 or 4 really small dog treats, or a few bites of cereal, he gets the vomiting, as well. its pretty bad, and he cries so much when he gets sick, it makes me so sad... but he just won't learn that he just can't eat anything unless I say its okay first, so he's sick most of the time...

[Lolair]

I have two very long haired, very fluffy cats who puke A LOT. It's only traumatizing the first ten times. A solution to a cat with pika is a digestive or laxative aid for cats. They usually come in a paste in a toothpaste like tube. The substance is brown and the cats actually LIKE to eat it! You can also buy special cat food that helps with furballs, it simply helps with the digestion so the nastiness goes out the right end. You should be able to buy both products at your average pet store. The clerks are usually very helpful.

Good luck!

[_Banbha_]

I woke up the other morning and stepped in a big wet hairball amazed she didn't wake me throwing it up.

My long haired cat is very oral. She chews on tin foil when ever she can get a hold of it, spitting out the foil bits she bites off like a terrier.

She does the same thing with anything with foam rubber like the kind on the handle ends of brushes or tools. I've been looking for a chew toy for cats. I did find cat chew sticks but of course, she wants nothing to do with them.

Feed a lot of soft oily foods and treats (in addition to hard food) and buy a water fountain. My cats drink much more water since having a fountain. That helps with hair in the digestive tract and kidney issues. :)

[wolfjan1]

This kitty needs a vet. It almost sounds like he has an obstruction somewhere. Sometimes obstructions let only liquids through. He needs a bit of an exam.
Blessings and energy.

[Sun Sprite]

Hairball formula can help a lot. We get our tube as recommended by our vet.

When I worked for the vets, we would sometimes use vegtable oil as a laxative. Drizzle a little on his food when he is molting, and it should help it pass through instead of causing obstructions.

What may be happenieng, is it gets far down the digestive tract, and tends to ball up and gets stuck, then he has a hard time getting it back up.

He may have a sensitive stomach, or a weak one, that just the extra exertion will require a lot of energy and make him sleepy.

Use the hairball formula regulary, and he should be better soon..


Best wishes.

[Sequoia]

Take. Him. To. A. Vet.

Cats do NOT normally get explosive diarheah. This is NOT a good thing. Whatever it is he's finding, it's making him severely ill. Or it's possible that he has an intestinal disease, or a food allergy that you aren't aware of.

We had a cat that would do something similar to what you mentioned whenever she ate something with shellfish in it. The poor baby would get SO sick. We had to screen her diet very carefully. No "shrimp" whatsoever!

Just take your cat to the vet, man. I know it costs money, but this is a living creature we're talking about. If your toddler was vomiting and having projectile diahrreah, we wouldn't be having this conversation.

[taijiya]

I believe you misread me. This has happened perhaps three times in over a year, and there was no diarrhea present; he would vomit forcefully (though not projectile vomiting--there's a difference), and then defecate (solid stool) right after. He recovered quickly, just as he has on the other two occasions (again, spread out over the course of the year and three months we've had him), but it's traumatic to observe and seems to distress him more than his regular hairball-hackups, and I merely sought to see if anyone else's cat ever behaved in this manner. Cat vomiting seems to be all over the map, and there does not appear to be any consistent advise to be had as to what should be considered cause for concern. He's due for his rabies booster in any case, so I'll certainly ask my vet at that time; just thought I'd ask around here first, out of curiosity, because I love the little guy and was worried about him.

And I hope I'm not reading an inference of lack of concern or care for my cat into your tone, but it rather sounded that way.

(Edit: yeah, OK, I did use the term "projectile speed" in my original post. I am unfortunately given to hyperbole, particularly when I'm stressed. Mea culpa and all that. I'll shut up now.

[Sequoia]

I believe you misread me. This has happened perhaps three times in over a year, and there was no diarrhea present; he would vomit forcefully (though not projectile vomiting--there's a difference), and then defecate (solid stool) right after. He recovered quickly, just as he has on the other two occasions (again, spread out over the course of the year and three months we've had him), but it's traumatic to observe and seems to distress him more than his regular hairball-hackups, and I merely sought to see if anyone else's cat ever behaved in this manner. Cat vomiting seems to be all over the map, and there does not appear to be any consistent advise to be had as to what should be considered cause for concern. He's due for his rabies booster in any case, so I'll certainly ask my vet at that time; just thought I'd ask around here first, out of curiosity, because I love the little guy and was worried about him.

And I hope I'm not reading an inference of lack of concern or care for my cat into your tone, but it rather sounded that way.

(Edit: yeah, OK, I did use the term "projectile speed" in my original post. I am unfortunately given to hyperbole, particularly when I'm stressed. Mea culpa and all that. I'll shut up now.

oooh, okay. If it's pretty rare, then yeah, I'd see how you would feel okay waiting until your scheduled appointment. But make sure you ask! The last thing you want to find out is that he has something wrong with his little tummy.

If it's uncommon, it could be that he has a simple food allergy. (I've seen cats eat the dumbest things...)

[Pesha]

My Sansan seems to vomit alot at certain times of the month. She eats and then five minuets later is vomiting. But she is not a long hair and so I guess I can't really offer much.

Hugs and energies for your sick baby.