I think my kitty is sick

Hi all,
I'm new to this site, I hope I can get some helpful feedback here.

I have 2 DSH's, both around 6-7 years old, female, spayed since kittens, strictly indoor-cats. Because of the fact that they stayed inside, I just figured they didn't need any additional shots than the ones they got when I first took them to a vet as kittens.
In the past couple years, they have gotten really fat. I keep a bowl of Meow Mix out for them, and the older one is definitely more dominant and runs the younger one off. I have had problems in the past with both of them vomiting, almost every day occurrences. No hair, just undigested food. I just attributed it to overeager eating.
Well, since yesterday, the younger meeker cat has thrown up 3 times (all food), had very loose bm's twice, and just a few minutes ago threw up some white foamy stuff. The older cat seems all right.
The younger pukey cat also has a oily greasy feel to her coat and quite a bit of dander, and sheds a lot. When I brush her, I can make hairballs the size of a small orange.
I have scanned a few other websites and the only things that jump out to me are Irritable Bowel Syndrome and hyperthyroidism, altho weight loss seems to be the norm for the latter, or maybe some kind of skin disorder or something. She's also very vocal sometimes, even when her food and water are full.
I hate to be insensitive about it, but the hassle of cleaning up after the cat is starting to outweigh any personal benefits I derive from owning it, and there's no way I'm shelling out thousands for surgery or some crazy medical treatment.

I would greatly appreciate any feedback anyone can offer at this point.

Kim

no way I'm shelling out thousands for surgery or some crazy medical treatment

Hmmm...getting your cat checked by the vet and getting any appropriate medication is not my idea of "crazy", and you would hardly have to "shell out thousands" for this. A blood test would tell a lot.

If you take them and they check out o.k., please get them on better food. Meow Mix is cheap CRAP and could very well be causing the vomiting and obesity.

Get something decent, like Nutrience or Nature's Recipe and try it for 6 weeks and see if there is any improvement.

LR,
Thanks for the reply. I will check into getting blood tests done. As for the Meow Mix, I have had cats in my family my whole life and all they have ever eaten is Meow Mix, and I have never experienced problems like this with any of my other cats.
I did take their food bowl away last night so they couldn't gorge themselves, and this morning (for some reason, it always happens early morning hours) one of them threw up not a clump of undigested food but an unchunky brown liquid. Yay.

Just about all the kitty diseases I've researched name weight loss as a symptom, but my cats definitely aren't having this problem.

I would definately get them checked out.There is something definately wrong.When was the last time they were at the vets?Did you mention what was going on with them?I have only had indoor cats.But if anything was wrong,I would still take them in to get checked.And I have never had to pay thousands of dollars....... :D

Unchunky brown stuff is not good..... :(

I agree with LR about the food.I would definately change the food.There are so many better ones out there.

Yes I used to feed the cats that years ago.But now that there are better foods out there,I will never go back to it.... :)

I had a vet come by yesterday and make a house call. Pending a test on a stool sample, he thinks it's irritable bowel. If it is IBD/S, he says the best remedy (since there's no way I could ever get her to swallow a pill), is a periodic steroid shot, something that starts with an "m," and that I'd see immediate results.
I have yet to switch over their food, but I have been feeding them small amounts at set times instead of letting them graze 24 hrs a day, and there has been no more vomiting of any kind.
Unfortunately, my little kitty is just super-stressed out, I think. She's extremely skittish and runs away whenever you walk anywhere near her, spends most of her days under the bed. The vet said that stress will trigger symptoms like the ones she's been experiencing, in a cat with IBD/S (don't know if it's "disease" or "syndrome"). So I guess she's just stressed out, for whatever reason. The older cat seems just fine.

If she turns out to be ok,I hope so for her sake,you should definetly take them off Meow Mix,it just makes them fat,with very little nutrition,since thats the only thing you feed them.A little wet food every day would help too,they must be awfully bored with eating the same old crappy food every day :eek:

Is that all you feed them? No wet food or any treats or anything like that? :confused: