Cat is throwing up, won't eat. What's wrong?

Question

My male cat was throwing up. He hasn't thrown up in the past 2 days, but he won't eat anything we give him.We've switched his food a couple of times. He's losing weight and acting very lethargic. I was reading a column of cat sicknesses and thought he might have this urinary problem that male cats get, but he doesn't throw up foam. He throws up his food.

Please don't respond if you don't know what is wrong. Or to tell me that I should see a vet. I'm looking for a way to solve the problem without having to see a vet because I have no money at all. I talked to a lot of vet's and the starting cost is $300. I don't have that right now.

Should I worry or should I just wait until my cat gets all better by himself.

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

OK first off is he long haired? If so I would start with a hairball problem. I have an ongoing hairball battle with my male as well and when hes throwing up and loses weight thats always the problem. Is he pooing and peeing? Have you tried his favorite foods to get him to eat? When he throws up is it whole food or all liquid? Leave more info or email me and I will try to help more.

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

Thank you so much. This is what the problem was. I started to groom him instead of letting him groom himself. He's started eating his normal food again.

Answer 2

Oh,I'm sorry about that :( I hope your kitty gets better.I'm sorry I don't have any advice for you.Maybe you should call the humane society b/c alot of times they can refer you to relatively inexpensive veterinarians.

Answer 3

Throwing up is what cats do. Honestly it's a cat thing.
Try heating up his food or some fish like tuna, just enough so that it smells good. If he refuses to eat that, there could be a real problem that might need professional care.

Source(s):

Years of being owned by cats.

Answer 4

Cat's throw up for different reasons... eating too much is a main one or eating too fast because they haven't been fed all day.. or longer. Try feeding 3 to 4 smaller meals per day. Make sure no one is swinging the kitty around or doing anything else to give it motion sickness. Pay CLOSE attention to what's going on at potty time too.

Answer 5

seriously, cats who don't eat go down hill very very quickly, you need to see a vet, if you can't afford it, find a charity that will help you, if you can't afford a pet you shouldn't have one, don't make your poor cat suffer any more

Answer 6

Ok this happened to my dog acouple months ago and i looked up the kind of food he eats and fond out there is alot of gross stuff in it so now i go to this special food store and buy his food. I would recommend looking up your cats food deeply. Hope this helps!!

Answer 7

OK a couple of things. First off cats often throw up when you switch their foods. Believe it or not kitties have really sensative tummies and they don't like their routine messed with. Go back to whatever he was eatting before you switched and see if you can coax him with that or whatever you use as his normal treat. Nothing new! Mine did the same thing when I decided to switch her. What a mess. You have to do it slowly by mixing their old food and the new food and over a really long time.

Make sure he is drinking fluids. Even if he isn't eatting he can be peachy for a long time as long as he has water. Then just keep him comfy and away from any other animals. They can pick on him and make it worse.

Also you may want to see if there is a feline association somewhere you. They often have free or very very low cost vets that can help you out of a difficult place.

Hopefully it is just kitty food issues. Best of luck!

Answer 8

I am sorry to hear that your kitty is sick. Have there been any environmental changes in your house (new pet, new baby, are you newly pregnant, have you started working a different shift...etc..) ? My husband has worked for PetSmart for 10 years now and has worked very closely with animals and has read many many books on cats and other animals. Environmental changes in your home can cause cats (and other animals for that matter) to change their eating habits, become lethargic, throw up, have extreme bowel movements, etc. Neither he nor I are vets, but we have owned and fostered many animals. I wish you the best of luck. I hope he gets better soon!

Answer 9

Your cat may have an obstruction in his tummy or throat if he is still not eating. You are not being fair to the cat if he is seriously ill and in pain. He does need to see a vet. Many vets do understand if you can't pay so perhaps if you ask him if you can pay off the vet fee rather than neglect the cat, it would be the best idea.

Answer 10

take him to the vet and have them subscribe some medicine.

Answer 11

If your cat is a male and has a urinary blockage he will be dead soon. How can you ask someone to diagnose your cat over the internet!!!!! Even a vet can NOT tell you that for sure until the cat is SEEN!! You also say you are not going to bring it to the vet because you have no money, yet ask if you should worry!? You obviously could not care less about your cat or you would get it the medical care that it needs. And IF you are worrying..is that really going to make a difference in you getting your cat to the vet, you already said you would not take him. If you are not willing to care for your cat..take it to your nearest humane society and surrender it there.

Answer 12

I'm sorry but I have to respond and tell you to take your cat to a vet. A cat that goes without food as yours is, may get hapatic lipidosis (fatty liver disease) which can be fatal. It doesn't cost $300 to see a vet. Ring around different vets and ask about payment plans. I also believe there is something called care credit in the US??

Even if we were vets, we can't diagnose over the internet. If your cat is not eating, losing weight and lethargic he sounds pretty ill. Cats tend not to show pain so he may be suffering more than you realise. Please take him to a vet. If you really can't afford a vet then please surrender him to a shelter so that they can care for him.