Cat eats fast and then vomits

#Middlebury #Cat

DEAR PAW’S CORNER: My tomcat, Robbie, is a big guy who I adopted from a shelter two years ago. When I feed him, he gulps his food so quickly that sometimes he throws it all back up. Why does he eat so fast, and how can I stop it? – Cheryl in Pittsburgh

DEAR CHERYL: Regurgitation is soooo not fun! I’m sure Robbie doesn’t like it, and you don’t like having to clean up.

Because Robbie was a shelter cat, he may have been in a situation in the past where he had to compete for food with other cats – not in the shelter, but perhaps in a bad home environment. So now he eats fast, so the food doesn’t disappear on him, and he probably eats all of it right away. His overfull stomach is triggered to regurgitate some of that food.

First, make sure that no underlying health conditions are contributing to Robbie’s food gulping and regurgitation. Have the veterinarian examine him and discuss the behavior, as you will get some great, targeted advice about ways to reduce the problem.

Once that’s done, implement some new suppertime habits to slow down Robbie’s pace:

• Try a slow feeder bowl, which uses a maze or puzzle to force a cat to work for each morsel of dry food.
• Space out feedings through the day if possible, splitting Robbie’s total daily intake up into several smaller amounts.
• Try a different type of cat food, or a different way of feeding, such as mixing dry and wet foods together.
• Switch in some fresh foods like steamed chicken and rice (unseasoned).r

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