Greedy and jealous cat???

[Nikky10]

I have 3 cats, 2 females (3 and 4yrs) and one male (8yrs). I have a couple of questions about my male cat. I've had him for 8 years and for many years he has been throwing up after eating. He has been to the vet for check ups and is healthy, I think he eats too quickly or too much because when he has thrown up the cat biscuits are still whole, like he doesn't chew. He will then go straight back to the food bowl and eat more, which I will take off him at that point. Is there anyway I can teach him to eat slowly, could this do any damage to him?

My other question is about spraying. He has been sterilized as soon as he was old enough but still sprays on and off. He is a very agressive cat, he buillies one of the female cats but never the other one and beats up every other cat in the neighbourhood. He will go through stages of spraying in the house and the stop for a while and then start again. Recently he spray my leg twice and he has never done that before! How do I stop this, because he doesn't seem to be growing out of it. Thanks.

[PrettyKitty1]

Cats are experts in hiding discomfort and pain sometimes. Glad I could help, and you're very welcome.

I, too have had cats since I was a little kid. None of my previous cats were overweight but they were outside cats. I currently own a male kitty. I keep him inside the house at all times. My vet told me my cat needed to lose weight. So, yeah, obesity in cats is common and it has become even more common these days.  Some people chose to control the weight of their cats by changing the diet. An obese or overweight cat can become diabetic. So, feeding him what cats normally find in nature (maybe raw or cooked meat, fish or chicken) can help not only his stomach issues but also his weight. A cat's body can't digest carbs, which is what dry foods are all about, besides of course protein and vitamins. Dry foods can upset a cat's digestive system because of the high carb content. A cat's body doesn't know what to do with carbs, so it either sends it back out or stores it, resulting in an overweight kitty. If you find yourself not able to control how much he eats or how fast he eats, then you could try switching him to Natural Balance wet food and take him off dry food completely. Natural Balance has little carbs, and more protein and fat content, and these nutrients a cat can certainly digest and take energy from. I encourage you to do some research on the consequences of dry food.

Even though some kitties seem to do well on a dry food diet, others can't handle it. Your cat may just be one of those. He may eat fast or many times in one day, but as long as he eats mainly meat, fish, chicken, vitamins, minerals, fiber and little to no carbs, the cat will be ok.
No matter how many pets we own, there will always be one with problems, and that one will always need special supervision, monitoring, nutrition and care.

Please let us know how Peetrie is going. Take good care of him and try and practice my previous advice to see if he gets to accept the dog as something good.  :)

[Nikky10]

Thanks, your post was very helpful. Where you said "overeating can cause vomiting, particularly dry food. This is how it goes: the dry food absorbs water and swells, and then they have to throw it back up. If the vomit looks like a semi-solid tube of partially digested cat food, that's probably what it is."

That decribed it perfectly, it looks like a semi-solid tube! Thats why I thought he doesn't chew. When you said I should check how much I feed him, I just let the cats snack when they want, I've never had a problem. I've had cats since I was a baby and we've always just left a bowl of cat biscuits for them to snack on during the day and then at night they have wet food for dinner. I've never had a problem, none of the cats are over weight, I was taught that cats are snackers and know when to stop eating. Both of my female cats never have this problem so there must be a reason why Peetrie (my male cat) is over eating. The only thing I can come up with is the dog, he hates our dog, I don't think its the other cats, he loves his little sisters and always protects them. He bullies one of them but never hurts her. He seems to just enjoy scaring her.

Where you said "it sounds like he isn't a happy fella". Apart from when he sprays or throws up he is a happy cat, he's very cuddly and loves to sit on anyones lap. Unless he has an allergy, like you said. Because he never throws up wet food only dry, Thanks again I'll try your suggestions.

[aligator79]

You could try putting his food out on a baking sheet with sides so he is forced to eat slower.  

[PrettyKitty1]

Well, it does sound like it is a behavioral problem; however, you need to make sure he doesn't have UTI or any bladder infection. Has the vet checked for blood in the bladder? You haven't seen blood in his urine, have you? First things first, get rid of the urine scent which may be unnoticeable to you, but not to the cat. Vinegar and Nature's Miracle can do a good job, but these products won't work the first or second day. You need to keep using them for at least a week. Feliway Farnam serves to eliminate urine odor as well. By removing traces of urine you are discouraging this behavior, which is what we want.
Reward good behavior. Your cats need to view each other as the source of *good* things, rather than as territory invaders. Good thing include special treats, fun play sessions, and snuggling and petting. You can accomplish this by playing with them together, using a wand-type toy so you are somewhat removed from their mutual play. As they start to play together, reward them with lavish petting to both cats, and follow-up with treats, always in the presence of the other cat.

Now, the vomiting may be stress or stomach issues. Stress comes with the fact that he doesn't want other cats around him, and so he marks and vomits because he is tense, anxious, nervous and upset. This cat needs a lot of assistance because he isn't happy at all. Cats do tend to vomit after eating fast, but this is much more common in dogs, although overeating can cause vomiting, particularly dry food. This is how it goes: the dry food absorbs water and swells, and then they have to throw it back up. If the vomit looks like a semi-solid tube of partially digested cat food, that's probably what it is. You might want to check how much you're feeding him.
In addition, talk to the vet about possible IBD problems. IBD can cause vomiting if the crisis is in his stomach. IBD can basically be called *food allergy*. If he is allergic to what he is eating, your cat should definitely be on a hypoallergenic diet.
Parasites can also cause vomiting.

I personally think that the best thing to do here is have him checked completely, including blood, stool, vomit samples, ultrasounds, biopsy, endoscopies etc. If the vet thinks this isn't necessary, just remember this: My cat has had IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) since he was very little, and one of the vets (a lady) at the animal hospital I take him to never showed interest in having him checked. Finally, when my cat's vet saw him, he started digging into the problem. Because I let this go for so long, the probabilities of my cat having cancer in the future are high.

I'm sorry about your male kitty. It does sound like he isn't a happy fella. I wish you good luck. Please come back with an update. The best to you both.