Can Cats have bulimia? My cat Snickers throws up all the time. When he’s mad at you, especially. I give him foods with hairball control but, it seems he does it to try to control his people. If he gets upset about something, he will get right beside you and puke. What can I do to stop this?

Dana
Montgomery, AL

Many folks joke about “kitty bulimia”. Cats with this syndrome eat large meals and then promptly vomit. They may then be hungry again.

The syndrome looks just like bulimia in humans. But it isn’t actually bulimia. True bulimia has not been documented in cats.

Cats who vomit frequently almost always have a medical condition that causes vomiting. Such medical conditions include inflammatory (aka infiltrative) bowel disease, food intolerance, infestation with parasites, liver problems, kidney problems, glandular conditions such as thyroid disease, intestinal conditions, and tumors in the abdomen.

Stress can cause predisposed cats (and humans) to vomit. This is probably why Snickers vomits when he is upset. I doubt that Snickers vomits purposefully in order to punish you. Vomiting is very unpleasant, and the activity punishes the individual who vomits more than the individual who has to clean it up.

A change in diet to something easily digestible (a so-called sensitive stomach formula) may help with the problem. But the best thing would be a trip to the vet for tests that may give insight into why Snickers is so predisposed to throwing up.

Share this entry with your pawple anywhere:

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• Is IBD Contagious?
• What Causes Vomiting and Diarrhea in Young Cats?
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Many thanks to Mrs. Kitty, who offered several good feline questions when I asked cat lovers to help me give the “second species” of veterinary medicine its due.

Mrs. Kitty works in feline rescue. This means she may have more cats in her house than the average reader.

Let’s answer one of her questions.

What do you do with a cat with chronic diarrhea who has been on repeated courses of Albon and has a clear stool sample?

Chronic diarrhea is a common complaint in multi-cat households. Especially in rescue situations, a new bogeyman has emerged as a leading cause of the problem.

A relatively-new-to-the-scene (in cats) parasite called Tritrichomonas appears to be a common cause of refractory, chronic diarrhea in households in which multiple cats reside.

The parasite is not detected by standard fecal tests. Specific Tritrichomonas cultures or PCR assays (DNA testing) on feces is required to diagnose the poorly understood parasite. Many cats in rescue situations who suffer from chronic diarrhea will respond to treatment for Tritrichomonas regardless of test outcome. I recommend that you talk to your vet about this.

Although treatment for Tritrichomonas may solve the problem, you should remember that there also are plenty of old bogeymen out there causing chronic diarrhea in cats. Infiltrative (also known as inflammatory) bowel disease is a common cause of feline diarrhea. Food intolerance, chronic pancreatitis, and a number of viral and bacterial infections also may cause the problem.

Albon treats a different parasite, coccidia, that is ubiquitous and causes diarrhea in young animals. If your cat already has received several courses of this medicine, I wouldn’t repeat it. Also, you should know that Albon isn’t terribly effective. A newer medication, ponazuril, is believed to be much better.

Finally, in a rescue situation one must consider stress-based diarrhea. Cats are exquisitely sensitive to overcrowding. Diarrhea may be the only outward manifestation of this stress.

Photo: Dude is a rescue cat with no known history of diarrhea.

Share this entry with your pawple anywhere:

• Is IBD Contagious?
• What Causes Vomiting and Diarrhea in Young Cats?
• Can Cats Suffer From Bulimia?
• Never Underestimate the Effects of Stress
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our cat whiskers has all the symptoms of IBD and
we have 5 other cats and 2 dogs the vet we went to
didn’t tell us of and exploitory surgry untill
she was to week to do anything and we want to know
if any other animal could get it?

audra
La Porte, IN

I don’t understand your question perfectly, but I think you are asking whether IBD (short for inflammatory or infiltrative bowel disease) can spread from one pet to another. The answer is no.

IBD is a syndrome in which the intestines become chronically inflamed. Its symptoms can include vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite and weight loss. It can affect cats and dogs.

IBD occurs when the immune system becomes hyperactive in the intestines. A hereditary (genetic) cause is suspected, although some experts have posited that certain bacterial or viral infections may contribute to the syndrome. In my experience, IBD is not contagious.

Several other conditions can cause symptoms that are similar to IBD, and some of these conditions are contagious. Comprehensive testing involving bloodwork, urine tests, X-rays, and ultrasound is frequently necessary to diagnose IBD and rule out other similar conditions. Definitive diagnosis of IBD requires biopsies of the intestines. Exploratory surgery generally is needed for intestinal biopsies.

IBD can be treated in some cases with dietary modification. Severe cases may require medications, such as prednisone, that modulate the function of the immune system.

If you have not already done so, I recommend that you seek further tests for Whiskers. An ultrasound exam performed by a specialist may be particularly useful.

Share this entry with your pawple anywhere:

• Can Cats Suffer From Bulimia?
• Why do Cats Suffer from Chronic Diarrhea?
• What Causes Vomiting and Diarrhea in Young Cats?
• Why Does my Cat Vomit so Much?
• Never Underestimate the Effects of Stress

My nine-year-old Orange Tabby has vomited periodically most
of her life. Within the last few months, her
vomiting has increased to the point that I had to
rush her to vet ER. They hydrated her, ran
blood tests, xrays, etc.

Jill
Portland, Oregon, USA

It sounds like you and your cat are going through quite an ordeal!

Many things can cause cats to vomit. Food intolerance, metabolic disorders (such as liver or kidney disease), foreign objects in the stomach, neurological problems, heartworm disease, intestinal parasites, tumors, problems with the pancreas and exposure to poisons are among the many offenders, and this list is far from complete.

However, in cats that have a long history of vomiting that worsens precipitously I am often suspicious of a syndrome called inflammatory (or infiltrative) bowel disease. The syndrome is also known as IBD.

Cats with IBD suffer chronic irritation of the intestines. This leads to vomiting, diarrhea, or both.

Diagnosing IBD can be difficult. A biopsy of the intestines (by means of surgery or endoscopy) is the most definitive method, but it is very invasive and I rarely recommend it.

However, you do not mention that your cat has had an ultrasound of her abdomen. Ultrasound is a powerful, non-invasive and painless diagnostic technique. Skilled ultrasonographers can sometimes diagnose IBD. And they almost always offer insight into the cause of chronic vomiting. I would recommend abdominal ultrasound as the next step for your cat.

If your cat is diagnosed with IBD, several treatment options exist. Dietary modification is the mainstay of treatment, but it sounds like you may have exhausted this possibility. Probiotics help many cats; yours, unfortunately, seems refractory to this treatment.

I have seen many cats with chronic vomiting respond favorably to treatment with medicines that modulate the immune system. Prednisone is most commonly used. As I have mentioned before on this blog, prednisone is a double-edged sword. However, you may want to discuss a trial of the medicine with your veterinarian. It may help solve the problem.

Share this entry with your pawple anywhere:

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• What are the Side Effects of Cortisone (Prednisone)?
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• Is IBD Contagious?
• What Causes Vomiting and Diarrhea in Young Cats?

My dog (approximately 12 years old) keeps having
bouts of diarrhea. This has gone on (off and on)
for about two years. My vet has given him several
rounds of medicine (one for tummy upset and one
for loose stools). Additionally, he has given him
some powder to try to balance the “flora” in his
digestive tract. Also, he recommended I feed him
Purina EN (dry and canned) to help with his
stomach. Nothing seems to help. He likes to eat
grass, which seems to be the only thing he gets
into when he is out in the yard. We give him
Meaty bone biscuit treats. I generally mix in
rice with his food when his stools are very runny.
And now he is starting to lose weight.

Liz
Margate, South Florida

I am a bit troubled by your final comment–that your dog is starting to lose weight.

A number of syndromes can cause intermittent diarrhea, and some animals have irregular bowel movements throughout their lives. For instance, a syndrome called infiltrative (or inflammatory) bowel disease (also known as IBD) is a common cause of chronic, intermittent diarrhea. This disease is frustrating, but treatable.

However, when an older dog develops diarrhea in combination with weight loss, something more serious may be going on. For instance, disorders of the liver, pancreas, kidneys, and intestines can cause this combination of symptoms.

It sounds like your vet has treated your pet for some causes of chronic intermittent diarrhea with special diets and dietary flora supplements. But you don’t mention whether he has run any tests to determine what is causing the problem.

For your dog, I would recommend stool, blood, and urine tests. This combination may lead to an answer. If not, you may need to follow up with X-rays and ultrasound.

Unless you know what is causing the problem, you will face an uphill battle to eliminate your pet’s symptoms.

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