Food for an older cat with vomiting problems

Question
I have an 11-year-old male cat that has a bit less energy than he used to but otherwise hasn't changed a bit.  He lives exclusively indoors, always has, and every few months he will go a couple of days where he throws up his food.  This isn't the usual situation where he eats a leaf from the garage and throws up; he just seems to throw up his dry food.  We feed him about 1/4 of a can of Fancy Feast wet food twice a day and we leave him out a bowl of Science Diet mature adult dry food at all times.  The problem seems to be the dry food, I'm not sure if he is digesting it correctly.  During these periods you can tell he is favoring his stomach because he takes the stairs one at a time very slowly and when he meows you can hear some stuff in his throat (probably from vomiting).  After a couple of days he goes back to normal.  Obviously a visit from the vet would be best, but in the meantime do you have any suggestions as to what to feed an older cat that may be having trouble digesting his food?

Answer
Hi Alex,

Honestly, neither of those are very good foods.  I humbly ask you to please keep an open mind while I explain.  Not only are commercial foods in general poor quality, but specifically, Fancy Feast is way too high in protein and Science Diet is way too high in carbohydrates without any quality protein sources.  This combination is effectively the equivalent of giving your child bread all day with a twice daily snack of a candy bar.  Please take  a moment to read the following articles: I promise they will really open your eyes to the issues with these foods that vets continue to lie to the common consumer/pet owner about.

What's Really in Pet Food?
http://www.bornfreeusa.org/facts.php?more=1&p=359

Gluten and Toxins in Pet Food
http://www.celiac.com/articles/1129/1/Gluten-and-Toxins-in-Pet-Foods-Are-they-Po...

The Dangers of Commercial Pet Food
http://www.examiner.com/x-24832-Houston-Pet-Care-and-Behavior-Examiner~y2010m3d1...

Holistic Pet Foods and Natural Pet Products
http://www.examiner.com/x-24832-Houston-Pet-Care-and-Behavior-Examiner~y2010m3d2...

Now in knowing all of the information contained in these articles, you will understand why my recommendation is to switch your Ragdolls to Halo.  Please check out their website here (http://www.halopets.com) which further explains how their food is above and beyond others.  I switched my six cats to Halo promptly after reading the first article listed below and have seen wonderful results.  Even though I religiously comb them every 2-3 days, I was still giving them Laxatone paste every 3 days or so to manage hairballs.  After 3 weeks being on Halo, I decided to do an experiment to see if the food was helping.  I took them off the Laxatone entirely and the only one who has thrown up at all is Indy, my oldest, but that's largely due to her digestive issues she acquired back in 2005 when she almost died due to the negligence of an irresponsible roommate I had.  

Furthermore, my good friend switched her dog to Halo that had chronic skin irritations and we saw almost a complete turnaround in ONE WEEK where steroids and meds had not helped.   I also recommended it to a client whose Standard Poodle had severe digestive issues (diarrhea and terrible gas) and she switched both her kitten and her Poodle and reported that his stools and gas were much improved.  The proof is in the food--everyone I have had switch has reported nothing but positive results, and why not--it's about the best quality you can give your pet without making raw diets which are quite costly and must be formulated perfectly to ensure a balanced diet.  Halo can be found at Petco or ordered online via Halo's website.  If you register on their site, they will send you a $5 coupon for online purchases.  If you have the PetPALS program with Petco (just a free card you sign up for), you frequently get 3 cans free with the purchase of a 6 lb bag, and you get your 10th bag free.  You will also receive survey invitations on your receipts where you will get an addition $2 coupon.  I buy both my Halo products and my Swheat Scoop cat litter that I love at Petco.

I would also recommend the Petmate Drinkwell automatic waterer, which helps ensure they are always getting clean, fresh water.  A lot of people don't know that water is no longer fresh, or oxygenated, after 1-2 hours of being filled, and therefore doesn't taste as well, and is more likely to harbor bacteria, particularly when using plastic bowls, which are not recommended.  This is why some cats will paw at their water bowl, dip their paw in it, or obsess over running faucets--because their water is not fresh and they are trying to oxygenate it or get fresh oxygenated water out of the tap.  The waterer also has a carbon filter to remove bad tastes and odors, keeping the water as fresh as possible.  I have been using it now for a year and a half and they love it.  I disassemble and clean it at least once a month, and change the filter every month.

Please let me know if you have any more questions.  I wish you the best of luck!

Best regards,
Holly M.