Q. My cat has been vomiting, won’t eat, and is drinking a lot of water.Could she have kidney disease and how is this treated?

ANSWER : A. If your cat has been feeling nauseated, it is possible that the nausea, or just general illness is making him want to eat less. However, you can try enticing him to eat with a few tricks geared to cats.

Warming up wet foods or even bland people foods such as plain chicken or boiled hamburger can make food more interesting to cats. Cats tend to go for aromatic rather than flavorful foods, so making the food as “smelly” as possible may encourage your cat to take a bite. Bland foods are also good for helping to soothe upset stomachs, which may still be happening if your cat had recently had a vomiting episode.

However, if enticing your cat to eat does not work, or he continues to refuse to eat any food, it is best to contact your local veterinarian for more care and testing. Cats can become very ill if they refuse to eat for more than a few days, and finding the underlying cause can help your cat feel better.

ANSWER : A. Cat parents often wish they could better understand what their favorite feline friends want or desire. A cat’s meow can be interpreted in many different ways and can indicate an array of feelings and needs. Here are some of the most common reasons for your cat’s vocalizations:

1. Greeting- Many cats will meow as a greeting when you enter your home or walk into a room. Cats will also meow at another cat or animal in the household to extend a hello and acknowledge the other animal’s presence.

2. Attention – An exuberant meow followed by leg rubbing or another attention seeking behavior may indicate your cat is looking for some quality time spent together. Some petting or rubbing behind the ears may be in order.

3. Hunger – A meowing cat is often a hungry cat. This is one of the most common reasons for a cat to vocalize to their owners. A cat will meow to get your attention at feeding times or even when they want extra food.

4. Sickness – A sick or hurt cat may begin to meow excessively, warranting a visit to the veterinarian. There are numerous reasons for a cat in distress to meow—whether it is related to an upset stomach, an injured leg or a urinary blockage. These meows should be carefully investigated.

5. Entering or leaving – Most cats will vocalize when they want to be let in or out of a room. You may notice when you are in the bathroom or behind the closed door of a room that your cat begins to meow, scratches at the door, and often reaches its paw under the door. This is a clear indication that the cat wants to be where you are.

6. Angry – An agitated cat may meow to warn their owner or another household pet that they are upset and would like to be left alone. This angry meow may increase in sound volume as the cat becomes more stressed or agitated. Often a cat will exhibit this type of meow at the veterinary office when they are unhappy with their examination or restraint.

Each feline is different and so are their vocalizations. Learn to understand the variety of meows your cat uses on a daily basis. This will help you develop a better relationship with your cat and help them live a more trusting and happier life.

ANSWER : A. Vomiting in cats is the active expulsion of stomach content and it is typically preceded by nausea and retching. It is not a diagnosis in itself, and occasional vomiting in an otherwise healthy cat may not indicate anything abnormal.

Common gastrointestinal causes of vomiting in cats include :

– Gastrointestinal disease: bacterial, viral, parasites.
– Obstruction: foreign body, intussusceptions.
– Neoplasia: lymphoma.
– Inflammation: gastritis,inflammatory bowel disease.
– Dietary: food intolerance, food allergy.

Non gastrointestinal causes include:

– Renal disease, hyperthyroidism, diabetic ketoacidosis, urethral obstruction,hepatic disease, pancreatitis, peritonitis.
– Drugs (NSAID’s, antibiotics) or plants (lily).
– Neurological conditions, i.e. vestibular disease.

Younger cats are more likely to have ingested a foreign body, whilst older cats are more likely to have systemic disease.

Treatment will vary according to the underlying condition. If a specific cause can

ANSWER : A. Scratching is a natural behavior in cats that can be frequently frustrating for pet owners who want to keep their furniture from being shredded on a constant basis. The texture of furniture and carpet is very appealing to cats and this why they frequently choose to spend their time on this activity as opposed to playing with their own cat toys. Here are some suggestions to help curb this unwanted behavior:

1. Purchase a cat scratching post or cat tree that is covered in carpeted or textured material. Place it in an appealing spot that your cat would be inclined to spend time (eg. in the sun). You can also place catnip on the scratching post or cat tree to make your cat even more interested in the new object.

2. You can utilize double sided tape on the ends of the furniture because you cat will not like the sticky feeling and will learn to not scratch in that region. Use the tape that has a lighter adhesive in order to prevent any permanent damage. Other materials, such as aluminum foil or bubble wrap can also be placed on the furniture to discourage the scratching.

3. Keep nails trimmed short by either learning to do this on your own at home or using a veterinary technician, or groomer. Nails can usually be trimmed every 6-8 weeks.

4. Redirect the unwanted behavior. If your cat begins scratching, use a favorite or new toy to distract the cat from the scratching. Give your cat positive praise for not scratching.

5. As a last resort you can use a spray bottle full of water to spritz your cat when he or she is scratching inappropriately at your furniture. Generally, cats do not like water and this will discourage them from continuing the behavior.

Have patience with your cat because it can takes time to understand this is an unwanted behavior and that furniture is not another toy for them to use. You can always consult your veterinary or veterinary behaviorist to help with ideas or further solutions to this problem.

ANSWER : A. If your cat is vomiting there could be several underlying causes. I guess the first thing I would want to check is the thyroid level, since I have definitely seen cats that were at one point “controlled” on a specific dose of medication no longer be controlled, and the dosage has to be adjusted. This is why we always recommend rechecking thyroid levels yearly, even in hyperthyroid cats that are clinically doing well.

If the thyroid levels have recently been checked and are stable, then I’d start looking for other causes, such as GI disease. Other possibilities include kidney disease, which can definitely cause vomiting and typically goes along with hyperthyroidism (as well as just being a geriatric cat). Always a good idea to check liver values as well, as liver disease is a common problem in older cats too.

So since your cat is hyperthyroid the first step to diagnosing causes of vomiting is running full blood work – complete blood count, chemistry panel, and urinalysis – to look for some of the things I mentioned above. If nothing turns up, imaging with x-rays or ultrasound or both will likely provide a lot more information. Good luck.

ANSWER : A. It depends on how serious your issue is. If you need to start from scratch: Bring out the leash, place it on the ground. Click and treat your dog. Say his name, work on attention, click and treat for attention. Work with the cheese sticks, or with some chicken.. something stinky, soft, and high value. Allow him to sniff the leash, praise him, click, treat, click, treat. Pick up the leash, click treat him. Hook the leash to his collar and allow the leash to drag, click treat him. Have him just follow you around, click and treat him to hold his attention.

Then, pick up the leash, click and treat him. Then drop the leash again, click and treat. Take baby steps. Then, hold the leash while you take a step, click and treat him for following. Open the front door, click and treat him. Then, take off the leash, click and treat him, and end training.

Pick training back up in an hour, and do the same exact thing from start to finish, only this time, “finish” will be you two going outside, you clicking and treating him a bunch, and then you bringing him back inside. Work your way up slowly. You can’t expect to just bring him outside and bring him on a walk right away.

When outdoors, use a front hooking harness like the Sensible/Sensation harnesses: http://www.softouchconcepts.com/index.php/product-53/sense-ible-harness / http://www.softouchconcepts.com/index.php/product-53/sense-ation-harness. These harnesses will eliminate the pulling power of your pup in a positive way. This will put you in control without the use of force. Carry high value treats with you everywhere, and offer them for good walking behavior – treats like white meat chicken, cooked fish, turkey pepperoni, turkey bacon, diced ham, mozzarella cheese sticks, hotdogs, all cut into tiny little pieces. The more you work on walking on-leash/attention indoors, the better it will be outdoors, remember that.

ANSWER : A. Causes of not eating and vomiting can be many. Gastrointestinal infection, caused by bacteria (salmonella, for example) or viruses or parasites (although parasite infections tend to be more mild, but giardia can make them feel pretty bad) can be a cause. Eating something he shouldn’t have, like the trash or rotten food can cause it. Intestinal obstruction can cause vomiting as well. Other causes (non-GI) of vomiting include kidney failure (can be due to many things, such as toxins, kidney stones, cancer) or liver diseases or liver failure.

The vomiting is concerning, however the weakness and lack of energy implies that he’s either seriously dehydrated or there’s a lot more going on than just s simple case of vomiting. He needs to see a vet and have testing, likely to include x-rays and/or blood work, to see what’s going on, so that it can be treated.

ANSWER : A. Your cat’s symptoms are very concerning. Cats cannot go more than a few days without eating or they risk liver damage. Your cat needs to be seen by your vet for an exam and bloodwork to determine the cause for your cat’s loss of appetite. Based on the findings, your vet will be able to give you a clearer picture of what is going on with your cat and be able to offer you treatment options.

Try enticing your pet to eat with beef or chicken baby food that does not contain onion or garlic powder. Onion and garlic causes anemia. Warm it in the microwave for a few seconds. Stir it with your finger first to make sure there are no hot spots and that it isn’t too hot. This makes it more aromatic and appealing to your pet. Wetting dry food or mixing wet food with low sodium chicken broth, also warmed, might entice your pet to eat. Some cats like to be petted while they eat, some want to be left alone. You’ll know your cat’s habits and be able to act accordingly.