Ask the Veterinarian/Cat throws up

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Expert: - 2/12/2011


Question
Hello,

My 8 year old cat eats, then throws up, then goes back to eat more and is fine.  Is she just an overeater, or can something else be wrong.  I've bought food from Fromm, to Walgreen's food and nothing seems to make the difference.  She's not sick throwing up, just right after she eats.  I think she may eat too much, but she's not overweight.  Your thoughts are appreciated.  Thank you.

Answer
She is regurgitating her food, not vomiting. Vomiting is when they bring up food a while after eating. Cats that eat too fast will regurg and then go back and finish eating.

You might want to raise her bowl up off of the floor onto a stand or a box. This helps some cats slow down when they eat.

But I would make sure that she isn't having any medical problems first.
Have the vet look her over and then he can make suggestions as well.

You might want to put her on a better food as well, such as Science Diet Sensitive stomach. Grocery store foods tend to have a lot of junk in them that can be irritating to the throat and that could make her regurg as well.

The shape of the food, the flavors, etc, as well as the quality of the food can have an effect on this problem.

Science Diet is made with USA grown ingredients that are extremely high quality and have been shown to help prevent a majority of the health issues cats can get.

But give it a try and see if it helps with her problem after you have the vet look her over.

You will see a huge difference in her coat and health overall in three weeks, so that alone is worth it.

Try the bowl elevation and ask the vet for more ideas. This isn't uncommon at all, so he might know some other tricks.

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

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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!

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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.

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

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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!).

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Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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