I have three animals -- two cats and one dog. Recently, everyone has gone totally off dry food. My cat Franklin, however, has been throwing up -- twice this past week. The first one I found appeared to be cat food. The second one was not so recognizable. All of the pets have been to the vet in the past two weeks for check ups, and have clean bills of health. I'm wondering if I should have weaned the cats off the dry stuff more gradually? Initally, when they were eating dry, it was only for breakfast. I just changed over to all wet, and have been doing this for about two weeks. They seem to really like the wet food, so there was no problem getting them to eat it.

The other cat is not throwing up. All the vomit has been found in Frankie's sleeping places. Is it the diet, or should I have done the change gradually, over time? Do you think there could be something else going on? It's unusual for him to be throwing up, as he rarely has ever done so before. Also, his behavior and appetite are normal. Nothing else seems to be off. Thanks so much!

From: Laura, in Boston, Massachusettes

Dear Laura,

I've consulted with Lynette Ackman of FelineOutreach.org, my good friend and an expert in the field, and we've come up with the following for you.

If the vet has given the cats clean bills of health, there could be a few things going on.

-- The cats are excited about the wet food and are eating too quickly and/or too much. You could try giving smaller amounts more often, to start. Instead of, say, 3 ozs. for breakfast, give half that -- about 1.5 ozs. -- then, an hour or two later, give the other half.

-- With a little tummy upset, you can buy slippery elm over the counter, and add a wee bit (1/4 capsule or a pinch of powder) to their food, to quiet their stomachs.

-- Dry food is full of fillers and excess fiber that does a number on their gastro-intestinal tract, so the adjustment to all wet is sometimes hard, especially if they've been on dry food for a long time. You could try adding a little fiber (a pinch of guar gum or psyllium, like unflavored Metamucil or Benefiber), and wean them off as they make the adjustment. Add extra water as well, as these fibers can bulk up and cause a choking hazard without water.

-- Make sure you haven't added any allergens. If they were getting dry before, for example, and you're now using all wet, with fish in it, it might be a reaction to the fish. Common allergens include both beef and fish. More "natural" proteins, such as poultry and rabbit, are better choices. "Meat" could be anything, so if an allergy is suspected, I'd avoid foods with ingredients listed as "meat."

Typically, this sort of thing will resolve itself in a week or two.

Hope this helps.

Tracie Hotchner