My Main coon cat is vomiting. Is that normal?

Q: Hi,I have brought my cat who is a Maine coon, age 1 and 1/2 to the vet. 2 times now, he was given Viralysis first because they thought it was a virus and then he was prescribed Amoxicillin because the blood-work showed toxic levels. He vomits a LARGE quantity of liquidity, yellowish with brownish particles vomit. Then after he vomits he continues to sneeze and have difficulty breathing from his nose usually for 2 days. Both treatments helped the illness go away but this is the third time is has come back within 2 weeks. I have already spend a lot of money and I am a full-time student that can’t afford to bring him in again only for the treatment to not work. Do you have any idea what I can do from here? I have done organ function testing, blood-work, and a urinalysis which showed blood even though it was a free catch. The only thing I can think to do from here is a fecal test for parasites, can parasites cause vomiting? The vet did say he looks alittle thin, but I don’t see any blood or diarrhea, its not tapeworms or else I would see the eggs in the stool. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

A: Thanks for contacting us about your pet.  Vomiting is a common complaint in pet cats.  There are many causes of vomiting, and a good physical exam will help to determine whether the sneezing is causing the vomiting or the other way around.  Causes of vomiting could include inflammatory bowel disease, liver disease, pancreatitis, food allergies, intestinal parasites, among others.  In order to diagnose the problem, further evaluation might include intestinal parasite testing, perhaps even deworming even if the test is negative (since fecal parasite tests are not 100% at detecting parasites), abdominal imaging (which will likely include radiographs (xrays) and possibly ultrasound).  We would be happy to meet you and your pet, help diagnose his illness, and get him back to feeling normal.

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Peter Helmer DVM DABVP
Board Certified in Avian Practice