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Expert: - 2/21/2011


Question
Hello! I have a questions regarding my 9 year old female cat. She has always been a cat to normally vomit on occasion (monthly). In the last two years it seems as though her vomiting has increased. We are now seeing it about every other to every couple days. She has been to her physical and checked out well, but I am wondering if this is something I should worry about or something that is normal for older cats? Sometimes her vomit is hairball/undigested food, and other times it is wet liquid (brown/green/yellow in color). I have already tried changing her food and then only feeding her once a day. Thank you for any help!

Answer
Well she is still vomiting up food/hair but any time a cat vomits more often I would worry about her food being changed (not by you but by the company that makes it) or her kidneys. You said that her physical checked out but did she have blood work done?

If not, she should have a kidney panel run. Kidney issues are not uncommon in older cats so it's worth checking out. If she vomits hair more than once a week or so you might want to get her on some pumpkin or psyllium caps.
Another thing I would be concerned with is some intestinal problems such as diverticulitis or colitis. Usually there is vomiting involved as well but there might not be.

So call the vet and find out if she had blood work done and if not, then schedule her to get some done.

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

Organizations
Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

Education/Credentials
Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

Awards and Honors
Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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