My cat vomits dry food and has diarrhea on wet. What diet helps?

You can try keeping him on a sensitive stomach food such as Iams limited ingredient, Fromm, or Purina sensitive stomach. However, it sounds like Keeko may have a inflammatory bowel disease and really the prescription diets have more reliable results. Also I would keep in mind that sudden switches from one food to the next can cause upset stomach issues in and of themselves. It is recommend to do a slow transition over the course of 7-10 days whenever you are making a food change. Website link on inflammatory bowel disease https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951476 You should at the very least get her examined and open up the conversation with the vet to do baseline bloodowork to rule out anything major and then ask for a prescription diet for Royal Canin Rabbit and Potato or Roylal Canin hydrolyzed protein diet, or HIll's Z/D Ultra to start her on a food trial. This is just 1 test to run so this should be something you could feasible do to at least get him started on something more reliable and effective. If the vomiting does not improve within a few weeks of being on the food, or if he develops any more symptoms, then he should be worked up further (i.e. abdominal x-rays). I hope that your pet Keeko feels better soon and stops vomiting so frequently. Best wishes and take care!

Chronic diarrhea in an older cat with vomiting can be a sign of an inflammatory bowel disease or intestinal cancer. The only way to differentiate between the two disease is a surgery to take biopsies of the intestines and have them analyzed. Based on the diagnosis, the diet may be changed or vitamin supplements or steroids may be added to manage her symptoms. They will check for parasite and check her labs for any renal or endocrine disease

Vomiting in cats is a nonspecific sign and can indicate a number or things including inflammatory bowel disease, kidney problems, thyroid issues, dietary sensitivity, or an intestinal obstruction. If Lucy is otherwise acting normally you could try a diet like Hill's Science Diet for sensitive stomach to see if this helps. However, if Lucy is having other issues, if she is vomiting frequently, or she continues to vomit despite the diet change then she should be examined by a veterinarian. She may need blood work or X-rays to determine the cause of the vomiting. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I hope Lucy is feeling better soon!

This last decade has brought an incredible amount of new products to the shelves and I know it must be daunting and very confusing to consumers. Unfortunately, most information about these foods comes from the pet store employee or an equally unqualified source on the internet. It's very wise of you to ask an expert. The truth about most of these foods is that their claims usually amount to nothing more than that of a fad diet (i.e. paleo or atkins) and are not supported by sufficient evidence (even though they will make it sound like it is). As scientifically trained practitioners, us vets prefer to offer evidenced based treatment and the same goes for feeding suggestions. Wet food will encourage water intake and may make the stools more soft, but does not cause diarrhea. Lightly cooked, grain-free, natural, etc. are really just marketing gimmicks meant to increase sales. They mean essentially nothing and normally do not have any good evidence to back their claims. The most important thing on that bag is a tiny bit of writing under the guaranteed analysis called the AAFCO statement. This statement tells you what actual research went into making the product. Below is a link to an article that will help explain this more and give some other info about feeding your cats: https://www.petcoach.co/article/what-to-look-for-when-choosing-your-pet-s-food/ High protein is nice and all of the foods with an AAFCO statement have the minimum necessary amount of protein (around 30%) in the diet. More importantly, they will have ensured the necessary amino acids are in the correct quantity. I know the answer may still be somewhat vague, but if you stick to the basic principles of choosing the right food, then you should be successful in feeding a good and nutritious food to your cats. Below is a link to another helpful resource with good information about pet foods. https://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/ResourcesforYou/ucm047113.htm I hope that helps and all is well for your cats.

Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Vomiting in cats can be caused by several things, but vomiting right after eating does bring to mind a couple of possibilities. But you first have to differentiate whethere whether Coix is vomting (obvious retching and forceful expulsion) or regurgitating (undigested food just seems to come out without much effort). Vomiting can be caused by inflammatory bowel disease, megaesophagus (typically causes regurgitation), a parasitic infection (not as common), or even an underlying congenital disorder. Most of these conditions are treatable. You should first start with some diagnostic testing to gather more information on your specific pets condition. Then we will know what needs to be done for Coix to help control his vomiting episodes a bit better. In general, you can continue to feed smaller portions and go with an easily digestible diet such as limited ingredient diets (i.e. Iams, Purina, Evo). This is something you can easily start while awaiting a proper vet visit and diagnostic work-up for Coix. I hope this helps get you started and best wishes on finding the exact underyling cause for Coix's vomiting episodes. Take care.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. If he is otherwise normal and still eating / drinking, I would withhold food for at least 8 hours and initiate a bland diet as outlined below. If he continues to vomit even on the bland diet or he worsens, I would get him examined by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. GENERAL INFORMATION A bland diet is a diet that is soft and highly digestible. It is low in fiber, fat and protein and is high in carbohydrates. Bland diets are generally composed of a single carbohydrate source and a single lean protein source. The most common bland diet is boiled rice and boiled lean chicken breast, without skin and bones. Since bland diets are low in fiber, stool production slows and defecation is less frequent. Bland diets are fed to rest the gastric system and to help promote normal stool formation. Animals that are physically sick should not be fed bland diets as a method of treatment. PRIOR TO FEEDING A BLAND DIET Pets should be fasted for 12 to 24 hours. Young animals should not be fasted for more than 12 hours. Fasting will allow the intestinal system to relax and minimize acid secretions that may irritate and inflame the intestinal lining. During the fast small amounts of water or ice chips may be provided. Never fast a sick animal, it may cause disease progression and death. BASIC BOILED RICE AND CHICKEN BLAND DIET RECIPE CARBOHYDRATE SOURCE: Boiled white rice LEAN PROTEIN SOURCE: Chicken breast, no skin and bones BOILED RICE: 1 part white rice with 3 parts water boiled for 20 – 25 minutes or until the rice is easily crushed. BOILED CHICKEN: De-fat chicken breast and boil in water for 10 – 15 minutes or until the chicken meat is easily pulled apart and cooked all way through. MIXING INSTRUCTIONS: Finely chop the lean protein and mix 2 cups carbohydrate source and ½ cup lean protein source. STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Bland diets can be premade and stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of 48 hours. The bland diet can be cooked in a batch and frozen in feeding sized portions to minimize preparation time. Thaw and warm the frozen diet prior to feeding. PERMITTED LEAN PROTEIN SUBSTITUTIONS Pork loin, egg whites, low fat cottage cheese. 7% low fat hamburger, plain low fat yogurt. PERMITTED CARBOHYDRATE SUBSTITUTIONS Boiled potatoes, boiled spaghetti, Minute rice. PERMITTED COMMERCIAL BLAND DIETS Science Prescription Diet I/D, Eukanuba Veterinary Diet Low Residue, Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Intestinal HE. FEEDING INSTRUCTIONS Estimate 25% of your animal’s diet and feed that amount of the bland diet every 6 – 8 hours. Smaller animals will require less and larger animals will require more adhering to the same carbohydrate to lean protein source ratio. The bland diet should be fed for 4 -5 days with no treats or other food sources until stools are firm. TRANSITION BACK TO A NORMAL DIET Never transition back to a regular diet rapidly. Transition back to the regular diet over a 1 week period. Start by adding 25% of the regular diet to 75% of the bland diet and feed that combination for 2 days. If stools continue to be firm then continue substituting the regular diet in 25% increments and feeding the combination in 2 day time intervals until the diet is 100% regular diet. Minimize treats for 1 week after moving the diet back to 100% regular diet.

Poor Sweetie! In older cats, I would be concerned that the vomiting is caused by kidney disease, inflammatory bowel disease, a foreign body, or intestinal lymphoma. I would take her into the vet first thing in the morning. The vet can do a physical exam, routine blood tests, a urinalysis, x-rays, and possibly an ultrasound to determine what is causing her vomiting. Once the cause is found, the vet can recommend a possible treatment.