Expert: Jessica - 8/26/2008

Question
I'm not sure how old my kitten is--he is originally a farm cat--but I think he's at least a few months. I've since transformed him into a house cat and he is doing fine, however this morning he threw up what looked like 3 whole meals of his kitten food. I'm not sure the cause, seeing as this has never happened before. Am I feeding him too much? Or too little that he eats too much when I do feed him?

I usually put about a cup of food in his bowl in the morning, and that will last till late evening so I will put just a little bit in to tide him until morning. I also have a younger kitten, so it is not just him eating this food, and he seems to be fine, though he is a more dainty eater.

There are no vets in my direct area, and I don't have a kennel or the money or transportation to go see one yet, so I'm just curious for an answer.

Thanks so much!
Chris

Answer
Hi Christina.  Good for you for helping out with the stray cat problem!  If this has just happened once, then it’s most likely just an isolated upset belly.  Cats have notoriously sensitive stomachs.  If it starts happening more often, though, there are some things to think about.

One is parasitic worms.  Whether this episode has to do with them or not, it’s pretty safe to assume he’s got roundworms.  Kittens usually get them from mama through breast milk within the first couple days of life.  So you should treat him with a safe dewormer.  Probably the safest and most effective one is pyrantel pamoate, which is the ingredient in Nemex.  Nemex can be ordered online or found at pet stores.  It’s labeled for dogs and puppies.  Cats and kittens get the same dosage per pound.  This will get rid of adult roundworms that can cause vomiting, diarrhea, gas and poor body condition.  Repeat twice, two weeks apart, to kill worms who have matured since the last treatment, since Nemex doesn’t kill immature worms.  

Another worm outdoor cats can have is tapeworms.  If you see things that look like rice or sesame seeds where the cat sleeps, he’s got them.  They’re passed through fleas.  So to get rid of these, first make sure he’s treated with Advantage or Frontline to get rid of fleas.  Then give him a dewormer containing praziquantel (Tape Worm Tabs - online).  

Second, check out the ingredients on the kitten food.  If it’s something that’s got any form of corn in it, it might be too tough for the kitten to digest.  Cats are carnivores and don’t digest vegetable matter so well.  So if your kittens’ food is high in it, you may want to think about switching to something with chicken as the first ingredient, without any corn.

Depending on how young he is, his digestive system might not be ready for dry food.  I don’t feed my kittens any dry until they grow their adult teeth in between 4 and 6 months.  If it’s financially possible, you may want to see about feeding them canned food supplemented with dry food, since canned food is easier on the digestive system.

Free feeding is generally best for kittens if they eat dry food.  Unless either becomes overweight or it’s clear that this one is overeating until he vomits, I would recommend to leave dry food available to them at all times.  This will ensure that they don’t get an empty belly that becomes upset as soon as food hits it.  If they do abuse their free feeding privileges, then feeding them several smaller meals a day is preferred over two large ones.

Some cats are born with faulty valves or abnormal dips in the esophagus that make it difficult for food to get all the way to the stomach.  These cats can actually regurgitate food, rather than truly vomiting.  Regurgitated food normally comes up shortly after meals.  It will be barely digested and comes up without much ado.  Regurgitation doesn’t tend to be as serious and it doesn’t seem painful, but if you suspect your cat is regurgitating as opposed to vomiting, you could try feeding him with an elevated bowl.  Gravity will help keep food going in the right direction.  Eating too quickly can cause regurgitation, too.  If you throw a few ping pong balls in his food, he’ll have to slow down a little to eat around them, and this may help.