Feral cat and vomiting

[Critter]

Okay, so it’s really more regurgitation than vomiting as it’s undigested food…but I would like to find a solution (so I am not cleaning up puke off my gator seat! LOL). A vet is not an option.

Back story…end of June this cat shows up. Completely emaciated (probably didn’t have much longer to go - he was a bag of bones). He is also a Bengal, so we start feeding him figuring he’s someones cat and we can get him home (I mean how many Bengal strays do you see?!). He (we actually thought she and named him Maggie at that point) stuck around, put on some weight…but seems totally feral. You cannot touch him or walk towards him. He will now come towards me for treats…but won’t even take them from my hand. He runs if anyone else is in the barn, but knows I am the food/treat person. Clearly not a cat that was handled. At that point I found that he vomited ever time I gave him a fish based food.

So we get in touch with a local TNVR group…get him trapped (still thinking her! LOL)…get a call from the vet that they neutered instead of the anticipated spay…name change to Mr. Mags! LOL Also he was not chipped. Tell them about the vomit for when he’s under in case they can check out. Deemed to be a 2yo healthy now neutered and vaccinated Bengal.

Of course, leave it to me to find a feral cat who has food sensitivity or allergies or something!!! LOL Only me!

But bottom line…any suggestions for what to do to reduce the vomit? It’s not every day but often enough to be a concern. I switched to a pate food as he eats that more slowly than the chopped food. We cut out fish based foods (which he puked up every time). Now, I’ve not bought super quality food (Meow mix and a purina wet) because we weren’t sure he was going to stay. Looks like he’s staying so I will get some better quality food (most spoiled feral cat ever!). Any suggestions for brands/options that might reduce the vomit/regurgitation?

Getting a further vet check is out…I would have to full out set a trap again and this cat is super smart, so not sure he would go in a trap after that first time. Plus he is feral, so there’s that too. He has put on weight (could use more)…and looks super shiny, and again, no flags from the TNVR vet check.

[jherold]

Other than covering your gator seat so he can’t get on it, there’s not much you can do with a wild cat. Experiment with different foods, but that’s about it.

[erinmeri]

When they did the neuter, did they take blood work?

I would try switching to a food without fish first, but then if that doesn’t work, you can look at limited protein foods. I don’t think they all require a prescription. Be sure to read labels closely, some have “hidden” fish, I have found.

[trubandloki]

I am confused how this thread has no photos of this adorable sounding kitty?

I am no help on this topic. I too have a TNR feral that lives in my barn who likes to puke. I have yet to figure out what causes puking and what does not.
I like to blame the puking on stuff she eats that I am not providing her. Too much fur or feathers or something.

[rubygirl1968]

Maybe try fortiflora and a limited ingredient diet or just grain free to start.

Natural Balance has venison and other novel protein foods. I’m sure others do too but I’m having a brain fart.

We need pictures!

[Critter]

Pictures of Mr Mags…aka Puker! We’ve been flipping up the gator seat so that’s not a place he can barf on…and I am careful to keep the tack room door closed so puking on saddles is also not an available option. I think I may have to read labels on the food more closely (do it for the dog who is very allergic to chicken, corn, and pork…so why would the feral cat be any different!! LOL).
They did not do blood with the neuter…vaccines, flea/tick, microchip, and general check over. You can see in the one pic, he was not a fan of being trapped! A

[trubandloki]

Oh my, he is gorgeous and has a very serious face.

[jherold]

That may be why he was dumped. I had stray cat show up at my barn. She had chronic diarrhea. Checked a stool sample and it was negative. How many stray cats have negative fecals and are friendly?

[rubygirl1968]

He’s handsome!! I hope he sticks around and his digestive issues calm down with a steady diet and some peace knowing it will be there.

[CHT]

Did they deworm when they neutered? A heavy worm load can cause this issue. If you test for food allergies/sensitivities, keep in mind it takes up to 6 months to assess if a certain food is the issue. According to my cat’s dermatologist, it is usually the protein that is the issue, so you want to try a protein they wouldn’t have been exposed to previously such as kangaroo or rabbit (or the hydrolyzed protein, but that can be hard to get) for allergies, but if it’s something like IBS, then it would be more the sugars/carbs. This sounds more like IBS than allergies as he doesn’t sound like he has other symptoms (itching?) Consider a cover for the gator seat such as a shower curtain? Something easy to clean.

[Warmblood1]

Ditto on parasites causing vomiting. Revolution Plus is a topical flea prevention and hookworm and roundworm dewormer as well that may be easier to give versus an oral dewormer.

If the food is undigested, he may be gorging on the food and then vomiting. Cat’s appetites are stimulated largely by smell so he may actually be gorging on the fish flavored food versus a food allergy. The slower they eat, the less likely they are to gorge themselves and vomit. I take a feeding mat or you could even use a cookie sheet and spread the hard food out so it takes longer for them to eat. It’s stops my cat from gorging and vomiting.

IBD also causes vomiting in cats. If slowing food intake doesn’t help, switching to a GI diet may. Purina makes a Gastroenteric diet for IBD cats, as does Hills which is a bland diet called I/D. They are prescription diets but with the prevalence of IBD in cats, I think it’s worth trying after deworming and slowing food consumption.