cat sickness

[muffybob]

My cat is 8 years old. I've had him since he was a kitten. Since I've had hime he's been in the habit of sicking up his food, immediately after eating or a short while later. It is usually food that he brings up, not furballs. He's an indoor cat so doesn't mix with cats, nor could he be eating things in the garden. His sickness happens weekly/fortnight,ly sometimes more often. He can be sick during the day and night. There is usually always food down for him, I try to starve him when he's been sick. I usually give him dried biscuits altho have recently started giving him cat meat. This hasnt made any difference. I have taken him to the vets over the years, both times, they've checked him and said he's well and suggested I give him certain cat food - I have done this, but the sickness continued. He gets a lot of attention from me, altho he is not the sort of cat who craves it. He doesnt like cuddles or sitting on people's laps and seems much more content on his own.

[ruthann58]

hi i have a cat that does this he usually is sick straight back into the dish the vet says its because he guts to much food down in one go

[makemesmile]

You could have been describing my cat! Very often, after she's been sick, she starts meowing for me to feed her again. There seems no rhyme or reason to it - except that as ruthann58 says, their eye's must be bigger than their bellies! My cat's nearly 14, so (for her at least) it's obviously not life threatening, but it's soooo annoying. She vomited on a console table once, whilst I was out shopping. Upon my return I cleaned it up only to discover that it had took the colour out of the varnish!

[annavc]

You could be describing my cat too - about once a week he throws up - occassionally it looks like a furball but usually its simply undigested food - (he gets dry biscuits (whiskers or go-cat)) that can't possibly have been in his stomach for long. I've been wondering what could be causing it but I think you may all be right as when he's thrown up his bowl is usually completely empty - and I think maybe he does just get greedy and guzzle it all down too quickly.

[kaylamay]

I have numerous cats and where there is plenty of food always down for them(dry all day and wet in the am) sometimes one or more will scarf it down as if they haven't seen food in awhile and then minutes later barf it straight back up completely undigested. If you dont clean it up quick others will sometimes come along and start to eat it!(shudder!) I know you said there is no hair ball evident, but it still could be that there is a hair ball formed and it just didn't come up with the food. More than likely though it's just "scarf & barf". I have some cats that were feral before i rescued them so they are pretty elusive now, but then i have some super love muffin cats that want to be laying on me all the time. If i make the mistake of sitting down i get mobbed. gotta love it though.
Mikala

[Siamsal]

Probably eating too much, too fast.

My father-in-law was in hospital recently, for 3 weeks, and I looked after his cat. For 3 weeks, the cat was no trouble at all. The day after he came back, the cat was sick 5 times in one day. On the same food. The only difference seemed to be that I fed the cat a small handful of food twice a day, which the cat eat up, and he leaves bowls full of food down all day.

So either the cat was eating itself sick, or the food was going off whilst left out (though it was always dry food).

[bensmum]

I can't add anything else to this but I love the expression "scarf & barf" - it describes one of mine down to a T!