nausea especially in the AM

Question
I adopted a beautiful all-white cat 3 years ago when she was approximately 8 years old (now 11).  She is petite, deaf, and very affectionate with just me.  The problem since I first adopted her was morning vomiting.  I feed her just a small amount in the morning, but often (approx 2-3 times per week) she will vomit immediately after eating (sometimes right in the middle of eating).  Upon vet recommendation, I have switched her to hypoallergenic food which has helped some, but she still experiences flare ups.  After vomiting, she will run to find some straw or dead plant leaves to chew (she doesn't swallow any) and then run back for more food. She will also sometimes run to the straw or the plant after eating even when she doesn't vomit which indicates that she doesn't feel well, but this time she didn't vomit.  I know she would be best if I could allow food out at all times and she could graze (she eats slowly and little bits at a time), but I have two other cats on a strict calorie control diet so no food can be sitting out.  I feed her officially two times per day, but I also keep closed bowls around so I can give her bits throughout the evening or on weekends when I am home.  Is there anything I can give to her to help with her upset stomach? I have had her to the vet for the complete checkup (blood work, xrays to be sure it was not something more severe) and all she found was a thicker than normal stomach wall--the vet said this was from the vomiting from the food allergies.  She has some issues with anxiety (occasional urinating outside of litter box) but the urinating is no longer an issue since I worked on that behaviorally.

Answer
Sherry,

I must say, it sounds like you've done an excellent job with this cat!  Kudos to you for being so patient and caring as unfortunately, most people wouldn't have the patience with a deaf cat.  So, again, great job with what you've done!

As for her vomiting, it's really hard to say what it is that's causing it.  I would not free feed her, as free feeding is not good for a cat.  Although, sometimes when a cat has nausea and vomiting (N&V), it sometimes helps to feed them 4-5 small meals/day.  That way, she's not getting a large amt of food all at once, that could be triggering her N&V.  She could have food allergies, as well.  If there are any grains in your food, that could be causing the N&V, so I would check the ingredients in your food.  It's also possible that she could be reacting to a protein source.  Do you feed her dry food?  I'm a firm believer that kibble is the root cause of all cat health problems, but if you're feeding kibble, you may want to transition her to canned, or even better, raw, which could greatly reduce the N&V.  But if you don't want to do that, definitely check the ingredients in the kibble.  If you're constantly feeding one protein source, such as chicken, then it's possible she's developed an allergy. The more cats are exposed to something such as one single protein source, the more chance they have of developing an allergy to it.  

The last thought I have is that she simply is eating too fast, or taking in too much food at one time.  Many cats vomit for this reason, which is why raw food is nice because you can give big chunks, which forces her to chew slower and not gulp everything down so quickly.  

Has your vet ever rx'd an anti-emetic (anti-nausea)?  That may also help, although I'm not too crazy about giving a med without trying to figure out why something is happening.  But giving an anti-emetic like cerenia or anzemet could help greatly, although you would need to give it SQ about 30" before she ate.  It's a temporary fix, but you would still need to figure out what's causing her N&V.

I would start with her food as a likely culprit, and/or her eating too much all at one time (like shoving too much into her mouth at one time, and then getting a huge glob of food sitting in her stomach that is undigestable).  If you feed her kibble that is the same flavor, look at the protein source, and whether it has grains in it (wheat, wheat gluten, corn, corn gluten, rice, bran, oats, rye, etc).  If it's chicken, or beef, or turkey, try eliminating the protein source and trying something else.  I'd eliminate grains regardless, as they have no place in a cat's diet.  

See if doing the above makes a difference (as well as feeding her 4-5 small meals/day).  It may take some time, especially if she's allergic to something in the food.  If she's allergic to the protein source, and you've been feeding 1 food, you will likely see a difference within a wk or so.  If you've been feeding several different foods, it may take some time, as you can only eliminate 1 protein source at a time.  So, don't give up hope if you don't see results in a few days or a wk.  Trying to determine if something is causing an allergy is more like playing detective, and can take time while you search for clues (not unheard of for it to take a month).  Of course, I want to preface all of the above with make sure your vet is okay with this, as you don't want to do something that could harm your kitty, and being that I'm not a vet and don't know your cat's hx, it would be prudent to have you run it by your vet.  

Let me know if I can help you with anything else.  Good luck!

Savannah