Cat vomiting

Contents

Causes of Vomiting in Cats
Cat Vomiting Treatment
Prevention of vomiting in a cat at home
Popular questions and answers

Like people, there can be many reasons for vomiting in cats, among them there are both natural reactions of a healthy body to certain stimuli, and signs of internal pathologies.

So, you notice that your cat is throwing up. Of course, it scares: the pet is sick! And we know for ourselves that nausea does not occur just like that – it is a symptom that speaks of malfunctions in the body.

However, you should not panic. But having a basic knowledge of feline physiology and understanding when vomiting is an alarming symptom, and when it is a natural process, is necessary. We hope that this article will help you understand this issue.

Causes of Vomiting in Cats

During vomiting, convulsive contraction of the muscles of the stomach occurs and its contents are expelled through the esophagus to the outside. Each of us knows how unpleasant this process is, and even the nausea that precedes vomiting does not add positive sensations. A cat, when he is sick, usually often swallows, licks his lips, he may even salivate, of course, the animal refuses to eat. This can often be observed when cats are transported in a car, where they get motion sickness rather quickly. Vomiting usually occurs in a sitting or reclining position (when the cat falls on all four paws), while the neck is stretched forward, the head is lowered down.

Vomiting in cats can also occur due to pregnancy, and then there is no need to be scared at all. Firstly, developing and growing in size, kittens begin to squeeze the internal organs, including the stomach, and it can no longer contain as much food as before. Secondly, the reason may be the same as in humans – toxicosis. But, by the way, all this does not mean at all that a pregnant cat cannot get poisoned or her gastritis will not worsen, so watch her health and, if necessary, contact a veterinarian.

Parasites are also a common cause of vomiting in cats. In this case, the animal vomits yellow mucus. However, having noticed this, do not rush to immediately give the cat antiparasitic drugs – if you are not a veterinarian, you can easily make a mistake in the diagnosis and anthelmintic tablets will only aggravate the disease. It is better to consult a specialist first.

It also happens that vomiting in cats starts from stress. Furry hunters are very emotional creatures, and if a shock occurs in their life, they experience it hard, which can be expressed, among other things, in loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting.

Vomiting foam

This is one of the most common types of vomiting. In this case, a white foamy mass is expelled from the stomach, which is practically odorless.

If such vomiting occurs once, you should not worry. A white frothy secret is produced in the stomach of cats to protect its walls from the effects of acid, and sometimes its excess comes out in the form of vomiting. If this is repeated regularly, this signals the onset of gastritis, and the cat should be transferred to a sparing diet.

Vomiting bile

Sometimes the vomit may be yellow in color. This indicates a strong splash of bile into the stomach, which is a sure sign of violations of the liver and bile ducts. This occurs when poisoning or eating too fatty foods, but the final diagnosis is made by a veterinarian.

The owner, who noticed such manifestations in his cat, should first of all transfer the cat to a diet, excluding fatty meat and fish from food.

Vomiting blood

Such a symptom rightly frightens all owners, because, as a rule, the presence of blood in the vomit indicates serious problems in the cat’s body. If the blood is dark and clotted, we are talking about pathology in the stomach, while the scarlet color means problems in the esophagus or oral cavity. And the most harmless reason here may be a wound in the mouth. For example, blood could appear due to a damaged tooth. However, if we are talking, for example, about a fish bone stuck in the gum or throat, then the animal is unlikely to cope without outside help. But more often, acute gastritis, a stomach ulcer, or even a tumor becomes the cause of bloody vomiting.

If your cat vomited up blood, you do not need to speculate about the reasons, but you must immediately take him to the veterinarian, since in any case, such a symptom indicates serious disorders in the body.

Yellow vomit

Actually, if the vomit is yellow, then with a greater degree of probability it is worth talking about violations of the liver and bile ducts. Also, yellow-colored foam comes out with vomiting if there are parasites in the animal’s digestive system. In this case, it is necessary to give the cat an anthelmintic drug. Although, it is possible that the vomit has acquired a yellow color due to the color of the food eaten the day before, so remember what you fed your pet.

green vomit

Like yellow, a similar color of vomit indicates a malfunction in the liver. Bile, especially stagnant, may acquire a green tint. And this symptom most often speaks of problems with the gallbladder, for example, stones or poor patency of the bile ducts.

Cat Vomiting Treatment

It must be understood that vomiting is not an independent disease, it is just a symptom that indicates that something is wrong with a fluffy pet. Therefore, we not only do not offer universal treatment, but we strongly do not recommend it.

First of all, it is necessary to understand what vomiting can be caused by. Sometimes the answer lies on the surface: the cat swallowed a foreign object or it got sick in the car. But it often happens that there are no visible reasons for vomiting, and then you can think about some painful lesions of the digestive or nervous system. For example, vomiting can be a sign of kidney failure caused by polycystic kidney disease, a diagnosis that is not uncommon in cats older than 10 years (1). Vomiting in cats often occurs with surgical pathologies: hiatal hernias, obstruction of the alimentary canal (2)

One way or another, the final diagnosis is still made by a specialist. And all that the owner has to do is to study the nature of vomiting and its frequency.

What should the owner do if he notices vomiting in his cat? What are the first steps to be taken?

– Not always the owner can determine the cause of vomiting, but sometimes it is obvious: the cat ate something wrong, got drunk or inhaled some kind of chemistry. After all, we often treat carpets or floors with household chemicals, and it can enter the cat’s stomach, says veterinarian of the Laskava clinic Ruslan Shadrin. – Or a foreign body got into the body – the cat played with something and swallowed this object. And the simplest way to help and not harm here is various sorbents: smecta, rehydron and others. And then only a specialist can determine what to do next, because there are a lot of reasons for nausea or diarrhea. Ideally, of course, you need to bring the cat to the clinic, because the owner may assume one thing, but in reality it turns out to be completely different.

Prevention of vomiting in a cat at home

As we have already said, vomiting is not a disease, but a symptom, so it is necessary to be aware of the causes that cause nausea and vomiting. First, make sure that the cat always receives fresh and high-quality food without excess fat. Secondly, in time to carry out the prevention of helminthiasis. Thirdly, periodically give him a paste to remove lumps of wool from the stomach. And, of course, remember that cats are vulnerable creatures, easily exposed to stress, so you should take care of your pet’s psyche, do not offend or injure him.