Your cat is vomiting due to hairballs
All cats can suffer from hairballs. On average, a cat has a hairball once a month. This may happen more frequently during the shedding season.
Long-haired cats may suffer from hairballs more often. In that case, it can be helpful to support your cat with supplements or special food that reduces the likelihood of hairballs.
Your cat is vomiting due to eating spoiled food
Your cat may also vomit because she has eaten something wrong. This refers to something that is normally edible, but is now in a condition that triggers a physical reaction in the cat.
You’ll notice that your cat will vomit multiple times in such cases. For dogs, the advice is to withhold food for 24 hours. However, this is not an option for cats. Cats have such a high metabolism that they need to eat every day.
Try offering your cat an easily digestible wet food. Start with 1 or 2 teaspoons and see if your cat is able to keep it down.
Suitable wet food includes, for example:
Give small portions spread throughout the day. If this goes well, you can increase the amount of food after 2–3 days and gradually switch back to the old diet.
Is your cat still vomiting or has no appetite? Then visit your veterinarian!
Your cat has eaten a foreign object
In this case, it involves something that is normally not edible. This is more common in dogs than in cats.
In this case, also think of a small bone from a mouse or bird your cat has caught.
There are also cats that eat needle and thread or wool. This is the most commonly found foreign object in the gastrointestinal tract of cats. The danger of a needle is obvious. But when it comes to yarn, you might wonder how that could be a problem. After all, the intestines aren’t blocked — unless the cat swallows an entire ball of wool… The danger with eating string is that one end can get stuck while the other end continues to move through the intestines. This causes the intestines to bunch up like an accordion. This leads to an obstruction and vomiting. If this bunched-up state of the intestines lasts too long, it may become necessary to remove a section of the intestine.
Could your cat have swallowed a foreign object or some string and is now vomiting? Then visit your veterinarian!
Your cat is vomiting because she has eaten too quickly
Some cats are always hungry and gulp down their food without chewing. The kibble then ends up in the stomach too quickly and without being broken down. This can trigger a vomiting reflex. You’ll notice that the kibble comes back up undigested. Many cats will simply eat the regurgitated food again. These cats are not ill.
Does your cat gulp down her food? Then consider using a special anti-gulp bowl for your cat. You can also make your cat work for her food by hiding it in a feeding ball or puzzle feeder, or by scattering the kibble around the house.
Your cat has worms
Most cats with worms show no symptoms or only very mild ones. However, if your cat has a severe worm infestation, it may suffer from vomiting or diarrhoea. Your cat may even vomit up worms. In such cases, you’ll often see something that looks like a rubber band in the vomit — these are usually roundworms. If you find worms in your cat’s vomit or stool, it’s necessary to deworm your cat.
Here you’ll find our complete range of deworming treatments for cats.
Your cat is suffering from constipation
Many cats suffer from constipation to a greater or lesser extent. There are various causes for this, which you can read about in our blog ‘Constipation in Cats’. If your cat becomes severely constipated, it may also lead to symptoms such as vomiting and loss of appetite. This is an emergency and requires immediate action from your veterinarian!
To prevent constipation in your cat, you can provide extra fibre through a specialised diet, such as Royal Canin Fibre Response Cat, or with a supplement like Psyllium Plus Cat. If you give your cat fibre, it’s important that they also drink enough water. Fibre only helps to soften the intestinal contents when combined with sufficient fluids. In some cases, and in consultation with your veterinarian, it may be necessary to give your cat a laxative, such as AA Laxulon. Encouraging physical activity is also very important when dealing with constipation issues in cats.
Your cat is vomiting due to a gastrointestinal virus
Your cat may also vomit due to a virus in the stomach and intestines. Your cat has a stomach bug. In most cases, your cat will also have diarrhoea. This usually clears up on its own within a few days to a week.
Whether you need to take action depends on the severity of the symptoms. Has your cat vomited once and then developed diarrhoea, but is otherwise lively and eating well? Then it’s best to monitor her for a few days. However, if your cat is clearly unwell and refuses to eat, you should visit your veterinarian! Cats cannot fast — they need to eat every day.
You can support your cat with a stomach bug by offering easily digestible food and supplements that help support the intestines.
Examples of easily digestible food:
Easily digestible food can help give the stomach and intestines a rest. This type of food provides plenty of energy and nutrients to support your cat’s recovery more quickly.
In addition, you can try to support the symptoms yourself with supplements. If your cat has diarrhoea, you can give a paste to help support the intestinal lining and reduce loose stools, such as Protexin Pro-Kolin Advanced and Enteromicro Complex – Paste.
This paste is usually given for up to a week. After that, the symptoms should have resolved — if not, you should visit your veterinarian for a check-up.
The intestines often need more time to restore the gut flora. After a stomach bug, you can give your cat extra support with a probiotic for 6–8 weeks to help restore intestinal balance. A good product for this is, for example, Dr. Ann’s Probiotics.
Your cat is vomiting due to a chronic irritation of the stomach
Unfortunately, many cats suffer from chronic vomiting. Gastritis — an inflammation of the stomach — is common in cats. A stomach virus can cause gastritis, but it can also occur due to stress or an autoimmune disease that leads to chronic inflammation of the stomach and/or intestinal lining. This condition is called IBD, or Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Reduced kidney function can also lead to gastritis.
If the inflammation persists for a long time, it can lead to a stomach ulcer.
In many cases of IBD, food sensitivity also plays a role. It often takes some trial and error to find the most suitable diet for the cat. For some cats, easily digestible food is the best option. Other cats require a hypoallergenic diet. This latter group of diets is broad and varied, mostly differing in the type of protein used. What may be a good protein choice for one cat can still trigger a reaction in another.
In addition, it is important to treat the inflammatory response and restore the stomach environment.
Omega-3 fatty acids will always provide support for your cat. A good product example is Catoils Vital.
For the stomach, a supplement like Puur Stomac Dog/Cat can be a good choice. It helps maintain a normal stomach acidity and stimulates the appetite.
Your cat is vomiting due to a food intolerance
If your cat suffers from a food intolerance, it means that she cannot tolerate certain ingredients in her food. This often leads to symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhoea.
It is often difficult to distinguish between a food intolerance and IBD, especially since the intolerance itself can trigger an inflammatory response in the intestines.
It is often the proteins in a diet that cause symptoms. In this case, a hypoallergenic diet can be a good solution. A hypoallergenic diet contains a unique protein source or hydrolysed (broken-down) proteins.
Examples of hypoallergenic diets include:
You often need to give a diet 2–4 weeks to evaluate its effect on your cat. Ideally, your cat should follow an elimination diet for 6–8 weeks. During this period, your cat should eat nothing other than the prescribed food.
The symptoms should disappear or at least improve with the diet.
Your cat is vomiting due to an underlying illness
There are many conditions that can cause a cat to feel nauseous and vomit. Examples include:
- Kidney failure
- Liver problems
- Pancreatitis
- Hyperthyroidism
- Tumours
Is your cat vomiting and also showing other symptoms or unusual behaviour? Then visit your veterinarian for a health check!
Do you have any questions about vomiting in your cat? Then contact us at [email protected].
