Cat Throws Up Undigested Food

Why Is My Cat Throwing Up Its Food

Tabitha Kucera, RVT, CCBC, KPA-CTP, is a veterinary technician and writer with over a decade of experience working in veterinary medicine for small animal veterinary hospitals, farm sanctuaries, and various cat and dog rescues. She is also Fear Free Certified and a Certified Cat Behavior Consultant.

Nandini Balial is a writer and fact checker specializing in a variety of lifestyle topics, including film/TV, literature, and feminism, with work appearing in Slate, Wired, Pacific Standard, and more prestigious outlets.

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Vomiting is considered to be a nonspecific symptom. It could be associated with an array of health concerns. If your cat vomits undigested food, it can be a sign of a serious illness. Some of these can include things like hairballs, internal obstructions, pancreatitis, eating too quickly, constipation, indigestion, parasitic infections, poisoning, stress, depression, or even anxiety. It’s essential to know the specific reason why your feline is throwing up its food and ways you can treat it before seeking veterinary help, if serious.

Veterinarian Examination And Testing

The next step is a thorough physical exam by your veterinarian. The veterinarian can look for things such as abdominal pain, masses in the abdomen or elsewhere, an obvious foreign body , evidence of weight loss, a heart murmur, an enlarged thyroid gland and a fever. Again, the exam can help determine which, if any, diagnostics are needed.

Hairballs: A Common Cause Of Cat Vomiting

Even as a seasoned cat parent, it is important to understand the reasons behind cat vomiting. As cats age, their bodies change and vomiting may indicate something is abnormal..

Although cat vomiting might be due to eating a part of a houseplant or ingesting a piece of a toy, your cat can get an upset stomach from ingesting hair fromgrooming. This most often resurfaces as a hairball.

Although a cat vomiting up a hairball every so often is normal, there are times when you may need to be concerned. Hairballs shouldn’t be painful, frequent or difficult for your cat to pass. Untreated hairballs can also go the other way and cause painful intestinal blockages in extreme cases, according to Cornell Feline Health Center , so keep track of your cat’s normal routine and watch out for signs of constipation, lethargy, and anorexia if they have not passed a hairball in a while. If your cat has a consistent hairball problem, you might want to look into a cat food that is formulated for hairballs.

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Automatic Or Smart Feeders

Another simple way to deal with this issue is by using an automatic feeder to deliver your cat smaller and more frequent meals each day. By decreasing the portion size per meal, it doesnt matter as much if your cat gulps down its dinner as much.

Some feeders are pretty intelligent, and smart cat feeders allow you to connect the device to your phone, laptop, or tablet and set the times and amounts of food you want your cat to have. This save you having to pull out your cat weight scales each mealtime to measure the right amount. Most of these feeders also have a camera so you can supervise your feline even when youre not at home.

Automatic cat feeders are even more of a godsend if you have multiple cats as they do the time-consuming job of feeding your cats for you. Most automatic cat feeders for two cats divide a pre-set motion amount into two separate bowls, one for each of your furry friends.

If you struggle with conflict around feeding time, a cat feeder with a collar sensor is another potential solution. The collar will let the cat with a matching microchip ID access the food inside the bowl. This prevents one of your cats from stealing food from the other, removing the stress and pressure of eating. Therefore, the cat that usually gets barged out of the way can enjoy its meal at its own pace.

Does She Eat Her Food Rapidly

Vomiting in cats can be caused by rapid eating. They have a habit of eating too quickly, but their body cant take it. As a result, they end up vomiting after eating.

If your cat is eating too fast, you should avoid feeding her dry food as it gets expand in her stomach later.

This happens because of the pressure created on her digestive tract. But, the reason why cats eat their food fast is because of food anxiety. She feels that if she doesnt finish her food rapidly, she wont get more food to eat.

Food anxiety occurs due to a lack of proper feeding time or because there are other cats to share the food.

If you are a cat owner of multiple cats, then you should probably get separate food dishes for each cat and feed smaller amounts of food to them in a separate space. Write down and fix their feeding schedule and make them understand that you will give your cat to eat proper food throughout the day.

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Ingredients That Meet Feline Nutritional Needs

What should cats eat to stay healthy? Meat, fish, and crustaceans are the best options, but some are better than others. One way to recognise whats the best food for cats is to take a look at its bioavailability index.

This value indicates how digestible a particular food is and how much of it can your furry friend absorb and utilise. Ingredients that have the best bioavailability index for cats are:

If youre looking for premium-quality cat food made with the finest ingredientstry Untamed.

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If It Is Normal Then How Serious Can Vomiting Be

It depends on the cause of vomiting. Most cases of acute vomiting, when vomiting has been present for less than two to three days, resolve quickly with simple treatment, without the underlying cause being diagnosed. Severe or chronic vomiting is more serious. It can lead to secondary problems, particularly dehydration and disturbances in the levels of electrolytes such as sodium.

Vomiting can be caused by minor intestinal upset, such as from eating plants, spoiled food, or foul-tasting things such as certain insects. However, vomiting can also be a sign of a more serious illness, such as bacterial or viral infection, intestinal obstruction from foreign bodies , urinary tract obstruction, liver disease, thyroid disease, inflammatory bowel disease, or cancer. Left untreated, these illnesses can lead to serious complications, including death.

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Changes In Diet Or Feeding Regime

Some cats can be extra-sensitive to what they eat, and sudden meal changes can cause stress. If you alter their regular meals or feeding schedule out of the blue, food rejection or regurgitation can be a hostile psychological response to the change. In such cases, nutritionists recommend a gradual transition to ensure your kitty doesnt feel threatened by a new diet or feeding regime.

What Are The Reasons For Vomiting In Elderly Cats

Cats are lovely pets and look like babies, but they are not safe or exempted from aging and its effects. And in elderly cats, aging is the main cause of vomiting.

Here are some occasional vomiting causes in elderly felines:

Hairballs

Cats often swallow hairs and other similar particles unintentionally. If the strands form into a bunch, it can cause irritation in the stomach, which will result in vomiting. If you see your cat vomits fur-balls frequently, consult your vet, and they might advise a prescribed diet to eliminate hair build-up and the ingested hairs.

Eating too fast

This can happen with any cat, and it is the biggest cause of vomiting. Often cats that gobble food too fast may vomit. Similarly, this is common when you have more than one pet due to the competition. When its dinner time, one or all cats will become competitive, and they start consuming with lightning fast speed, and as fast as they eat as quickly, they vomit.

This is because, cats esophagus is located horizontally, not vertically. So, when they consume too quickly, the food comes back rapidly.

Getting out of control:

Cats dont count calories while eating, and often vomiting occurs when they eat too much. Naturally, cats are calm eaters and like to consume meals in small chunks but often. Similarly, professionals suggest 4 to 5 small meals in a day.

Furthermore, avoid giving dry kibble to aged cats as they absorb fluid from the stomach and swell, resulting in vomiting.

Eating spoilt or raw food:

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What Home Remedy That Helps Cats From Throwing Up

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To begin, allow a small amount of boiled white meat chicken to sit around the table. If your cat does not eat too much of it, you can feed it small portions every few hours and even sprinkle it with white rice if he refuses. A veterinarian can also help you choose good, easy-to-digest foods for your cat.

Heres a list of some home remedies for a cats stomach upset. As a natural way, vomiting can help cats rid their stomachs of substances they may be carrying around. If you have an allergy or a food intolerance, you may vomit if you have plants, a hairball, or other unusual foods. Cat hairballs could be caused by a viral infection or a foreign object obstructing the cats vision. A vet can tell if a cat has roundworms or tapeworms. If your cat vomits or stools, becomes overly reactive, or displays abnormal behavior, you should take him or her to the veterinarian.

Why Does My Cat Vomit After Eating

When cats eat, they will vomit frequently. If your cat is throwing up food, it is most likely because they ate too much or too quickly. If your cat vomits immediately after eating, he or she may be eating too quickly or too much. If your cat vomits for more than twice as long as usual, has been vomiting for more than 72 hours, or is unable to eat or drink, it could be due to a stomach problem. If your cat is vomiting and has not eaten or drank, you should consult a veterinarian.

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Why Is My Cat Throwing Up Food

If you have cats, youve likely seen them vomit at some point in their life. Some cats vomit so often that their people think of it as normal, however that is far from the truth. While not every act of vomiting is an occasion for an emergency trip to the veterinarian, vomiting in cats is never normal.

In this article, youll learn what causes cats to throw up food, the difference between throwing up and regurgitation, how to interpret vomit and most importantly how to recognize when vomiting food is a sign of a serious medical issue.

My Cat Is Vomiting: Should I Be Worried

If your cat is vomiting frequently, it is critical that you consult with your veterinarian as soon as possible. If your cat throws up frequently or violently, it could be a sign that he or she is in serious danger and should be taken to the hospital as soon as possible. When you suspect your cat is in trouble, keep an eye out for symptoms such as vomiting, fever, and lethargy.

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Preventing Your Cat From Throwing Up

Cats are curious creatures, and they have been known to ingest substances that have made them sick mistakenly. Avoid allowing your cat to have access to harmful plants or human pharmaceuticals. Also, avoid letting your cat have access to thread or string, chocolate, or other tiny things. These products may be consumed or swallowed by them, resulting in digestive difficulties.

If your cat vomits regularly, you should consult your veterinarian to determine the underlying problem. You should not delay taking your cat to the veterinarian if you feel that he or she may be ill.

What Does It Mean When My Cat Throws Up Undigested Food

If your veterinarian has ruled out any illness and has determined your cat is healthy overall, your cat may just be scarfing his or her food too fast for its good. Some cats will eat too much, too fast, and hardly even chew. They are simply eating faster than their body can handle, causing them to vomit within a few minutes of their meal.

Food allergies and foreign body obstruction in the digestive tract that prevents the food from moving into the small intestine are other more common reasons that undigested food may be thrown up. Therefore, a visit to the vet is so important if your cat begins throwing up undigested food.

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Ways To Prevent Cat Vomiting

Wouldn’t all pet parents love to know the secret to eliminating vomiting? Or even a way to train your cat not to do it on your bed or carpet? Unfortunately, there’s no magic word. But there are a few things you can try to ease your cleanup and your kitty’s discomfort.

If your cat is vomiting hairballs, make sure to brush your cat regularly, keeping themactive and feed a food with balanced nutrition that is designed to help cats with hairballs.

To help keep your cats stomach happy, give them the type and amount of food recommended by your vet and have clean, fresh water available at all times. If your cat eats too quickly you can try a puzzle feeder or a dry food with large, crunchy pieces to slow them down. If your veterinarian recommends medications or therapeutic foods, it will be important to follow their instruction in order to keep your cat healthy. \ Be sure your cat sees the vet regularly and discuss your concerns.

Though cleaning up messes and bodily fluids is something all pet parents will experience at some point, following these tips and knowing when to seek the help of a professional can hopefully make these experiences few and far between.

Treatment For Vomiting In Cats

If your cat needs veterinary medical attention for vomiting, your vet may recommend diagnostic testing to determine the cause of the vomiting. Potential tests include blood chemistry, complete blood count, electrolytes, thyroid levels, urinalysis, radiographs , ultrasound, and more. There are some basic treatments that offer supportive care for vomiting, but additional treatment recommendations may be made depending on the test results.

Supportive veterinary care for vomiting in cats includes anti-nausea medications, subcutaneous or intravenous fluids to restore and maintain hydration, and a bland diet to ease digestion. Some cats can be treated on an outpatient basis, meaning the vet will administer some treatments in the clinic, then possibly send you home with medications to give your cat. Other cats with more severe illness may need to be admitted to the hospital for 24-hour care.

Some cats recover quickly while others need more time. This generally depends on the underlying cause of the vomiting as well as the cat’s overall condition. Your vet is the best source for advice when it comes to your specific cat.

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What Is The Symptomatic Treatment For Acute Vomiting

Non-specific symptomatic treatment is often prescribed initially in mild cases of acute vomiting. Your veterinarian will usually advise you to feed your cat an easily digested, bland diet in small quantities given frequently. A veterinary prescription diet specifically formulated to be easy to digest is often recommended. Alternatively, a specific home-cooked diet may be recommended. It is important that the cat does not receive any other foods other than what your veterinarian advises during this period.

“Water should be freely available and is important to prevent dehydration.”

Water should be freely available and is important to prevent dehydration. If the cat is improving, the quantity of food offered at any one time can gradually be increased back to a normal quantity and then the cat’s normal diet can be reintroduced gradually over several days.

In some cases, your veterinarian may prescribe medication to control vomiting or relieve inflammation, for example maropitant citrate famotidine or metronidazole . This approach allows the body’s healing mechanisms to correct the problem.

If your cat does not improve with symptomatic treatment, your veterinarian may make a change in medication or perform further tests to evaluate the problem more thoroughly.

Diagnosing Frequent Vomiting In Cats

If your cat vomits repeatedly in one day or vomits occasionally for more than two days in a row, call your veterinarian. Because there are so many different potential causes of frequent vomiting, your vet will request a thorough history, including your cat’s current and past diet, eating habits, exposure to chemicals, and behavior . If a diagnosis cannot be made on history and physical examination alone, your vet may opt for laboratory blood and urine panels as well as a fecal test to check for abnormalities or parasites. X-rays or ultrasounds may be necessary if an obstruction is suspected. Occasionally, a diagnosis will be attempted through dietary change to see if a food allergy or intolerance caused the vomiting.

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What To Feed A Cat With Diarrhea And Vomiting

It is best to speak with your veterinarian if your pet is vomiting and has diarrhea. Your veterinarian may suggest a brief period of fasting and bland food, like plain chicken and rice, or a prescription diet for cats with sensitive stomachs.

Additionally, your veterinarian may recommend therapies for underlying problems, as well as fluids to restore hydration and electrolytes, nausea drugs, and medications to help firm up the stool .