Cat vomiting--experience with IBD

by Susan
(California)

I adopted my cat as a neighborhood feral almost two years ago. Someone else took her in as a tiny kitten after witnessing her being abused but she didn't get along with the four male cats there and she left nearly two years before I found her. She's about 6 now. She was thin (not obvious because of her thick coat) and very skittish. It took months for her to become comfortable with me and she is still afraid of everyone else, especially men.

Her difficult life made her a serious and wary cat--and a survivor. She has no interest in play and minimal interest in food. But she can be quite the hunter when she gets the urge! Mostly, she's content to just take it easy...

She was never a big eater and vomited occasionally. About six months ago, the vomiting of her canned food became an almost daily occurence and she lost weight. She fluctuates between 7 and 8 pounds. After blood work and a stool test, the vet diagnosed her with IBD. She refused to eat the hypoallergenic food. When she was put on a course of Prednisone, the vomiting stopped and her appetite improved a little. She also takes Laxatone regularly and I rarely see a hairball.

After she'd been off the Prednisone a few weeks, the vomiting started all over again. The vet wants me to keep her on 2.5 mg every other day as a maintenance dose and to increase to daily for ten days when she has a flare-up.

I had little trouble giving her liquid meds but pills were another matter. I couldn't mix it in her food because I could never predict what, if anything, she would eat. I finally hit on the idea of making little cheese balls about a cm or less in diameter. I finely shred the cheddar cheese and stick the pill inside one of the balls. I give her 3 or 4 a day, pill or no pill. She's always eats these but if she didn't, I could check what's left to see if she got the pill. She won't eat cat treats either.

I'm hoping there will be no major problems resulting from the Prednisone but her vet says the every other day regime will keep her adrenals functioning.

Kit-Kat is my very first pet (I'm in my 50's) but now I couldn't imagine my life without her. You can read more of her story, Sandpaper Kisses, on the For Cat Lovers Only website.