sometimes when my cat is stressed, he will eat very quickly and then regurgitate it 5-10 minutes later. this seems to be psychological; vet found nothing wrong with his digestive system, and by paying closer attention to his emotional state and keeping him calm around dinnertime, i was able to cut down on this behavior a lot.
we recently moved into a new place with another cat. i’ve been following all the recommendations for introducing them, and it is going about as well as i could hope, but obviously this is still very stressful for him and the regurgitation behavior has come back.
do you have any tips for helping him keep his dinner down?
gettingvetted here.
I will let our pet behaviorist chime in here, but have you tried slow feeders or puzzle feeders? That works with a lot of cats (and dogs) that eat too quickly and then regurgitate.
Petshrink here:
Gettingvetted made a great suggestion about puzzle toys and slow feeders. Aside from just slowing them down, it provides excellent brain stimulation. Enrichment has been shown to help decrease stress and even some physiological illness. How cool is that?
The gastrointestinal system is frequently impacted by stress. That can frequently overlap with illness. In the past few months I am seeing a big influx of pets with chronic gastrointestinal issues either exacerbating or preventing us from treating the psychological illness fully. So I do recommend speaking with your vet to ensure the gastrointestinal system is as supported as possible. GI issues can be tricky to pin down.
Otherwise elevating the food dish can help, and so can feeding smaller, more frequent meals. Then speak with your vet about ways to decrease the stress in his life overall. When introducing 2 cats you want an abundance of resources - meaning the cats can easily access food, water, litter, and resting places without having to run into another cat. Check out the Indoor Pet Initiative for ideas on how to decrease stress. https://indoorpet.osu.edu
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