My cat throws up every night between 3:30 and 4 AM

by Laurie
(Attica, MI, USA)

This is Bogart

Every night my cat throws up, he is about 1 1/2 years old and he has been doing this for a while now. We have adjusted his food and that did not work, about every other night it is a hairball he trows up with his food, it is only a small amount so i can not figure out what is going on. He is very obsessive with me, he follows me everywhere i go and is constantly licking my hand and he sleeps with me and he cries at night if he can not see me. He is declawed and every night he will come to me and scratch my back until i finally get up with him and he just wants to play, and if i shut him out of my room he cries and cries and scratches at my door. Could he be making himself sick?

Answer by Kate
I find myself on difficult ground as i do not want to offend. I do not agree with decalwing and i feel that it can lead to cat stresses due to possible discomfort and being able to defend himself. i am guessing he is also a cat inside, another issue i feel strongly about.
For me it sounds like a cat with security issues and possible separate anxiety ( this just means that he is nover dependant on his humans0 see my page about this here http://www.our-happy-cat.com/cat-social-behavior.html.
Also is he a long haired cat, if so he will need to be groomed at least three timesa week my you to try and help prevent hairballs. there is also some medication that can be bourght from the pet store to help a cat bring up any hairballs they may have.
Sorry i was not able to give more advice as i feel that because oif my views it would not be right. Perhaps others will comment here.

Great photo by the way

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My cat throws up every night between 3:30 and 4 AM

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cat throwing up
by: Steve

Cats do not throw up on a regular basis for no reason at all. It is quite likely that your cat has an inflammatory bowel situation. One of my many cats requires a steroid shot about once a year when he begins to throw up digested food with bile or slimy liquid in it. This could be allergy or stress related but the shot appears to relieve the stomach or bowel inflammation and nips it in the bud.

The trip to the vet is always unpleasant but this has occurred 3 times and a single depomedrol shot has always worked. I would go the oral prednazone route but you can't pill this cat with only one set of hands. I would not want to use any steroids on a long term basis but I feel comfortable with this.

Don't accept the fact that cats throw up regularly. An occasional incident is one thing. You also need to take note of what is being expelled. Undigested food can mean eating too fast. Dry cat food expands when it gets wet and sometimes they eat too fast and then run around the house and throw it up. Digested food is a totally different issue. Remember throwing up is not only unpleasant, but the cat is not getting the nutrition from the meal if he throws it up.

Please spend a few dollars and take the cat to the vet.

Good Luck!

My cat too
by: Anonymous

No sure about the above response to your problem, because my cat does the exact same thing and has none of the issues you described. She's short hair, indoor, has her claws, no anxiety, doesn't cling to me, but throw up every morning (just a little clear fluid) at 4am. Anybody else have any thoughts?

More info on Bogart
by: Laurie

When I got the cat he was already declawed. I have never believed it that either. And he is indoors, but that it not because of us. We live in the country and are outside quite a bit. We leave the door open for him to come out and he chooses to just sit there in the door. We have brought him outside and he tries to get inside your clothing and he is a big cat to do that. I have got him the hair ball medicine, and he has special food for that and urinary track. Grooming is done every day because he loves it.
I am gone most of the day i leave at 6 am and get home at 8 pm, my husband is there all day.
We have tried all kinds of toys for him and he turns his nose up to everything but the rings off the milk jug. I have made him shelves and put them at the windows for him to look outside.
I do not know what to do about this. We try to keep him up during the day which he usually is under our feet, but he still does this every night. So what am I suppose to do. It is very hard to ignore a cat that is almost demanding that i get up with him.

Answer by Kate
I know it can be very hard to ignore a cat at night time if they are trying to get you up. My own cat used to be terrible. I had to be very strong and never give in to her, we used to keep her in a separate room with a quiet radio on. She eventually realised that this was the time to be quiet and she would settle down.

If the vomiting continues i would take him to the vets for some tests, he may have a particular digestive disorder.

If the vet gives him a clean bill of health then it may be that you are unlubky enough to have a very nervous cat at night and vomiting his way of getting your attention. You could try having a set routine at night say a lot of fuss about an hour before bedtime, a light snack just before bedtime and providing him with a quiet comfortable room of his own. It may take some time for him to get used to , but a routine may help him to calm down.
Fingers crossed.

interesting answer anyway
by: pet urns

we have a cat with separation anxiety and she is nt easy to live with -- was declawed before we got her, so now have a clue as to what may be causing her problems. thanks -- Mary -- www.angelashes.com

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