You might be familiar with your furry feline friend throwing up all over your house, making those harsh puking noises, and you might wonder how you could ease their suffering or what might be the reason behind it. Even healthy cats can vomit on occasion. There are several reasons for cat throwing up. It is crucial to understand when their throwing up episode might indicate that your cat is suffering from a serious condition requiring a veterinarian trip. Continue reading to learn Why is my cat throwing up and how to assess when your cat should visit the veterinarian, what treatment options are available, and how to manage your cat at home in moderate instances with home remedies.
Why is My Cat Throwing Up Undigested Food?
Kitten throwing up frequently, which is usually not a cause for alarm. They should contact the vet if their cat is vomiting more than once a week or displaying additional symptoms or behavioral problems.
Vomiting is a difficult symptom to diagnose since the causes are so numerous. It can occur as a side effect of nearly any feline ailment. Vomiting can be caused by chemicals, medicines, a poor diet, gastric (stomach), intestinal, organ dysfunction, endocrine, neurologic (usually brain-related), infectious, and cancer-related issues, among other things. So, why is my cat throwing up undigested food? well, these are some categories like gastrointestinal causes and non gastrointestinal causes that might be causing your feline ray of sunshine to throw up:
- Toxins like Lilies, antifreeze
- Chemotherapy, antibiotics, and anti-inflammatory drugs
- Dietary intolerance, rapid diet shift, eating a dead thing
- Organ dysfunctions like hepatitis, renal illness, pancreatitis
- Foreign bodies, ulcers, and stomach inflammation
- hyperthyroidism, hypercalcemia, ketoacidosis.
- Foreign substances; IBD (usually chronic), constipation, parasites like roundworm.
- Vestibular (inner ear) sickness, encephalitis (brain lining inflammation), malignancies
- intestine cancer, or indirect cause, like cutaneous mast cell tumors.
- Infections like Feline infectious peritonitis, feline panleukopenia, heartworm
- When cats lick themselves, their rough tongues pluck loose fur from their coats and ingest it. Hairballs occur when large volumes of hair gather in the stomach and are not digestible. If your cat frequently vomits due to hairballs, consult your veterinarian.
- Cats enjoy the heat and seek a sunny location to rest and sleep. They can, however, suffer from heatstroke if subjected to high for too long. Vomiting is a symptom of heatstroke.
- In some cases, cats acquire allergies to ingredients they have been ingesting for quite some time. Vomiting is a typically intermittent symptom. Also, weight loss, diarrhea in cats, intermittent abdominal pain, itchy/licking anus, flatulence, and recurrent anal gland irritation are other indicators of cat food allergy symptoms.
- Cats get queasy and vomit while driving. Prescribed medications can ease your cat’s nausea and vomiting, especially if you’re driving for a long time.
What are the Types of Cat Vomit?
These are the types of Cat Vomit and what it means:
#1 Chronic Vomiting
Chronic vomiting is known as throwing up regularly (at least once a month, but it can be as frequent as once a day) for an extended time. In most cases, the cat will only vomit once or twice throughout each episode. You should still consult the veterinarian in the case of a continuously vomiting cat. However, it is unnecessary to do so if the cat is still eating and keeping food down, is not displaying signs of weakening, and appears comfortable. If the thrown-up substance has a significant amount of hair, this is most probably a case of chronic vomiting. Cats usually swallow hair when grooming themselves, resulting in occasional hairballs thrown up in their digestive tract.
#2 Acute Vomiting
Acute vomiting occurs when a cat that doesn’t normally vomit starts vomiting for two to three days or less. Symptomatic therapy is usually sufficient in most situations. It isn’t easy to pinpoint the exact source of many occurrences, and it could be as simple as ingesting tainted food or plants. Acute vomiting may necessitate additional testing, therapy, and aggressive supportive care in a limited percentage of instances, mainly because the vomiting is severe and leads to problems like dehydration or a more grave root issue is suspected.
Home Remedies for Cat Vomiting White Foam
#1 Fasting
Resting the stomach helps calm it. Naturally, cats lose their appetite and only eat when they feel better. Offer them water if your cat hasn’t vomited after two hours of fasting. You can also give your cat tuna juice to help keep them hydrated if they don’t drink water. To prevent dehydration caused by vomiting, keep them hydrated. Put all cat food away for 12–24 hours. To avoid dehydration throughout the fast, provide plenty of water.
Cats that throw up after eating, however, should only fast for a day at maximum. So make sure they eat after the fast. At times, eating too much or too rapidly can cause vomiting, so give them less food.
#2 Bland homemade diet
The home remedies for cat vomiting white foam is nothing but a bland homemade diet with high-quality protein sources such as cooked chicken breast, white fish, turkey, and egg, carbs like boiled white rice or cooked pasta, or a prescription intestinal diet advised by a veterinarian.
Once cooked, cool and serve in little servings. Begin with giving 1/3 protein and 2/3 carbohydrate in short portions. Feed 3-4 little meals throughout the day. The serving size depends on your cat’s weight. Consult your vet about the proper amount of homemade diet for your cat. Your cat’s meals might gradually get larger and less frequent as they improve. After a few days, gently reintroduce science diet cat food. They should do it gently to avoid stomach distress.
#3 Hairball Remedy
The best hairball remedy for cats are Laxatone may help hairball vomiting. Alternatively, a dab of Vaseline or another petroleum jelly on the cat’s paw can aid pass the hairball. Other alternatives include tuna oil, pure canned pumpkin (not pie mix), or butter. You can prevent Hairballs by regular grooming.
#4 Energy Booster
If your cat isn’t diabetic, spreading some pancake syrup on its gums may help boost energy. It is a good opportunity to inspect the gums and ensure they are still pink. If the gums are pale, white, grayish, or anything other than healthy pink, take the cat to the vet right once.
#5 Natural Remedies
Catnip may be able to soothe a kitty’s upset stomach, but other herbs may also be helpful. Kefir, Bach Flower Essences, and homeopathic medicines are all-natural possibilities. Any new supplements, herbs, etc., should be tried under the guidance of a veterinarian. Ensure that you’re administering the correct dosage and frequency and that it’s safe for your pet at all times.
What is the Cat Vomit Treatment?
There are numerous causes of vomiting and numerous cat vomit treatments:
- If your cat vomits due to cancer or a systemic ailment like chronic kidney disease, the goal is to diagnose and treat the underlying condition.
- Your veterinarian may give antiemetic drugs (like Cerenia) and antacids for mild bouts of vomiting due to hairballs or gastroenteritis.
- Diet changes or prescription diets are sometimes required, especially when an underlying food allergy or IBD causes vomiting.
- Vomiting caused by a foreign body or GI obstruction is quite dangerous. Foreign material often does not travel through the GI tract, causing serious injury if not removed immediately. Your veterinarian may propose immediate surgery to remove the foreign item and any damaged intestinal portions.
- Blood tests to screen for diabetes or kidney disorder, a feces inspection to rule out parasites, and abdominal radiography to rule out bigger tumors or foreign things that may be causing an obstruction. If these tests come back normal, but your cat is still vomiting, your vet will likely prescribe anti nausea medication for cats. They can give hairball-vomiting cats a high-fiber diet and medicine to assist their passing out.
How To Stop Cat Vomiting?
- You should brush your cat often, keep them active, and provide a diet specifically for hairballs cats treatment, if they are spitting up hairballs.
- You can lessen your cat’s danger of ingesting or being poisoned by foreign bodies by clearing the environment of any potentially harmful foods or objects.
- Talk to your veterinarian about how to stop cat vomiting and special diets. For cats with food allergies or inflammatory bowel illnesses, the veterinarian-prescribed diet can help keep them from throwing up.
- Think about what your cat eats. Maintain a healthy and balanced diet for your cat, and avoid feeding it excessive goodies or table scraps.
When to Visit Vet?
It is advisable to call for a vet immediately if your cat is continuously vomiting, is sluggish or sad, has pale, dry, chilly, or yellow gums, has diarrhea and vomiting, has a known underlying ailment such as diabetes or renal failure, has blood in the vomit. If your cat is frequently vomiting or in large amounts, this could indicate that he is extremely ill and needs medical attention immediately.
Conclusion
If your thinking about my cat keeps throwing up but seems fine, then it’s important to take them to the vet so it can rule out any serious medical conditions. In the meantime, you can do a few things to help make your cat feel more comfortable, like feeding them smaller meals more often and ensuring they have plenty of water to drink. If you’re unsure what’s causing your cat to throw up or if they continue to vomit after trying these home remedies, please call your veterinarian immediately.