Expert: Jana Connell RVT, CVT - 2/9/2010

Question
QUESTION: I have two cats/kittens that are sisters.  They are between 10-12 months old (not sure when they were born) We just switched from kitten to indoor cat food, we mixed them both together so it wouldn't be so hard on their stomachs.  But, on Saturday morning I woke up to small puddles of vomit (clear liquid with foam) and on Sunday morning  I woke up to one of them vomiting food.  I then got them back on the kitten food for the time being.  Tonight I put frontline on both cats and the one that vomited the food went spastic, running all over the apartment and when I caught up with her she was profusely drooling and very skittish. She has since stopped but was continually licking all around her mouth for about 20 minutes but she did go back to her normal self.  Do you think this is all related?  Was it just a freak reaction to the frontline? Will the kitten food regulate their stomachs back to normal, and I can slowly add in the cat food?  Thank you!

ANSWER: OK we have two different issues here. The one cat was already upset over the food. Then you introduced Frontline, which is a pretty toxic chemical. So with her already being on edge from vomiting you added to that with the drug. It smells to them, so that is enough to set her off.

Now for the food, it is good that you are transitioning them slowly- but apparently the food you are feeding doesn't agree with them at all. I don't know what kind you are using but if they continue to vomit I would put them on Sensitive Stomach adult by Science Diet instead of indoor cat. It works wonders for cats with vomiting issues.

Transition even more slowly- one quarter new food to 3/4 old food slowly moving across over 7 days. If you are feeding a grocery store brand I would definitely get off of that and get them on Science Diet instead. Your cats will be much healthier, happier and you will save money in the long run because they don't require as much food to meet their energy needs.

You might want to consider a safer, more natural way to treat the fleas also, such as Program, which uses a flea hormone that only affects the flea and sterilizes them.

I have used it for over 16 yrs and have no fleas in my house or on my property.
Let me know if this helps and please let me know what you are feeding them.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: We are feeding them Purina kitten chow and were transitioning them to the Purina indoor cat food. For right now we're just going to give them the kitten chow and start the transitioning back in about a month to see if they are ok.  

This is the first time using frontline because we've used others and still have fleas.  Our vet told us to use Frontline, since it's freezing where we live and the fleas are still living.

Should we worry about any of the symptoms?  She still keeps licking around her mouth, but other than that she's her normal cuddly self.

Answer
I would worry more about the garbage you are feeding them then the Fipronil (frontline). However, fripronil is a nerve toxin and maybe the one cat is more sensitive to it than the other one is. It is not normal for her to be licking herself over and over so you might want to wash off her mouth area with a warm wash rag and then dry it.

That will help with getting any residue off of her skin.

I'm sorry but Purina cat foods are really, really bad foods. The kitten food is full of cow's milk, which will make cats vomit and have diarrhea because they are lactose intolerant and the adult food doesn't have enough nutrition in it for the average size cat.
Their coats will not be soft and shiny and they will have more health issues then they should because of this. This grocery store garbage is why so many cats are obese nowadays.
They eat and eat and eat and try to meet their energy needs with this food. It's like trying to get a pound of steak protein out of a box of saltine crackers. It's not only not in there, but they have to eat 20 times more than they should to get any decent nutrients.

So what does that do? It makes them fat. And fat cats are unhealthy cats. After feeding and recommending Science Diet for 30 yrs I have seen remarkable changes not only in my pets but our clients as well. Cats and dogs both have sleek, shiny coats and they seem to only visit the vet when it's time for shots and heartworm tests, not for illness after illness. My daughter's 7 yr old cat has been there twice. Once to get spayed and once when she fell off a stack of boxes and gave herself a mild concussion. I vaccinate her but she has never been sick. Nor has my 12 yr old dog that still looks and runs like she is 5 yrs old. She is also only two pounds over her 1 yr old weight.

So the proof is in the feeding Meredith. Give Science Diet a try. Take the three bag challenge and see the difference in your girls.
After about three weeks you will notice that they don't eat as much food. This isn't because they don't like it, it's because they are getting optimum nutrition and don't need much.

Check out the site and remember that Hill's foods all have a 100% money back guarantee. Something Purina will never give you.
http://www.feedingisbelieving.com/believe/3-Bag-Challenge-Form.html

Just so you know- I do NOT work for Hills at all. I just know how great this food is, what it can do and truly believe in it. There is good reason that more vets feed it themselves then any other food. Over 50 yrs of veterinary research helps too!!